James Francis Gallatin

James Francis Gallatin (1853 - December 4, 1915). James Francis Gallatin was Swiss-American-French writer, patron of the arts, fraudster and alleged notorious homosexual. The son of Albert Gallatin Jr, grandson of James Gallatin and great-grandson of Albert Gallatin, the man who helped broker the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States.
Born in Paris to the wealthy Gallatin family, of New York he was educated at Downing College, Cambridge graduating in 1871 James Francis styled himself Count Gallatin, though his right to the title was disputed, but he was known to his own family as ‘bad Jimmy’. James Francis Gallatin was declared bankrupt 14 times in-between 1879 and 1889
The Hoax Diary
James Francis Gallatin's grandfather acted as his father's personal secretary during this diplomatic trip. His alleged journal entries from this voyage were published in the September 1914 issue of Scribner's Magazine and include a detailed historical account of the negotiations and infighting between the American representatives as well as with the British delegates. However, Raymond Walters, biographer of Albert Gallatin, and other historians believe the diary to be a forgery. Walters wrote ‘. . . I reached the conclusion that the diary is a complete fraud.’
Patron of The Arts
James Francis Gallatin was the first to person to commission a stained glass window in Europe given to American glassworkers, for the church of St Andrew's in Wickhambreaux. The window is dedicated to Gallatin's mother Mrs Harriette Duer de Gallatin, who had been married to Albert Gallatin Jr. It was designed by Arild Rosenkrantz and manufactured in John La Farge's New York Studio.
Alleged Homosexuality
J. R. Ackerley in his posthumously published autobiography speculated that his father had a homosexual relationship with "Count" James Francis de Gallatin
Death
When he died in 1915 his estate was worth £128.<ref name="interactive.ancestry.co.uk"/>

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