1 James Place, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 7BZ
This street marks where the United States Government first planted its diplomatic flag in Scotland. On July 14, 1798, President John Adams appointed Harry Grant of South Carolina as the first U.S. Consul to Scotland. His first office was at 1 James Place at the address now known as Links Gardens.
The appointment came just fifteen years after America won its independence. This speed speaks to the pace at which the young republic began to maintain a presence at key trading posts to establish itself on the world stage. Over time, the United States consular network expanded across the mainland of Scotland, with consulates set up in Glasgow (1801-1965), Dundee (1834-1940), and Dunfermline (1871-1925); and consular agencies in Aberdeen (1866-1922), Greenock (1873-1914), Kirkcaldy (1878-1909), Galashiels (1882-1909), and Troon (1891-1921).
After fifty-six years in Leith, the U.S. Consulate crossed into Edinburgh in 1854, but it moved back to Leith in 1861. Ten different homes scattered around Leith followed, though the Consulate finally settled in Edinburgh in 1883, moving to its current home on Regent Terrace in 1950. Today, the Consulate is one of the longest-running continuous American diplomatic missions anywhere in the world.