Townsend Harris

Townsend Harris
1855 portrait of Harris by James Bogle
Born	(1804-10-04)October 4, 1804 Washington County, New York, US
Died	February 25, 1878(1878-02-25) (aged 73) New York City, US
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Townsend Harris (October 4, 1804 – February 25, 1878) was an American merchant and politician who served as the first United States Consul General to Japan. He negotiated the Harris Treaty between the US and Japan and is credited as the diplomat who first opened Shogunate Japan to foreign trade and culture in the Edo period.