15- Prof. Blakeslee

Source: China and the Far East
September 13 - 19, 1909

"George Hubbard Blakeslee taught history and international relations at Clark University from 1903 until his retirement in 1943. Dr. Blakeslee created and edited the first journal devoted to the study of international relations: the Journal of Race Development (it was later renamed the Journal of International Relations and in 1922 it merged with Foreign Affairs). He also founded at Clark University in 1909 a pioneering series of conferences about international relations." 

Born in New State on August 27, 1871, he later graduated  and obtained a master degree from Wesleyan University (1897).  He later continued studying at  "Leipzig University and Oxford University between 1901 and 1903. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1903."
He passed away in Worcester on May 5, 1954.

Mahmud's diary says ".....sitting in Professor Blacks's home surrounded by admirers, He showered kindness upon all. The professor accompanied the Master to the town of Worcester, located about 50 miles from Boston."  Did Prof Blakeslee have a house in Boston?    According to a friend, Lisa Welter:

"A US Federal census search for George H. Blakeslee  found him living at 24 Richards Street, Worcester with his wife Edna in 1910. By 1920, he's living at 21 Downing with wife Edna and three children, George, Frank and Edith.."   

It seems unlikely that he had a home so far from his work place (specially in those years, where a 50 mile trip would probably take over 2 hours, unless it was some relative's or friend's. He did get a degree at Harvard, so he had acquaintances around the area.(nowadays I do know that some Clark professors actually live in the Boston-Cambridge area).

Blakeslee's signature
Source: (I'd better don't say)

Prof. Blakeslee was an "orientalist".  His focus of research was mostly the Far East. Some of his books have been digitized, and are easily found doing a web search (Barnes & Noble offers lots of them free for their e-reader).  He doesn't seem to have written much (if anything) about the Middle East, specially Persia (from what I've found so far, please correct me if I'm wrong).  So, how come did he invite 'Abdu'l-Bahá to come to Clark?  And how come The Master acceded to come with such a busy schedule? (he already had two commitments in Boston and Cambridge)  Was Blakeslee a Baha'i? Did he know any Baha'i living in Worcester?  These are some of the questions that I've been dealing with since last Summer.  Some answers and hypotheses in the next blog.  Stay tuned.



Biographical sources:  Archives and Special Collections at Clark University and Wikipedia