Thomas blake glover biography of abraham

Thomas Blake Glover lived from 6 June 1838 to 16 December 1911. Born in Fraserburgh he went on to become one of the first westerners to establish a business in Japan, today being widely remembered there as one of the founding fathers of modern Japan.

The wider picture in Scotland at the time is set out in our Historical Timeline.

Glover was born at 15 Commerce Street, Fraserburgh, the fifth son in a family of seven boys and one girl. His mother was from Fordyce, and his father was Fraserburgh's Chief Coastguard, having previously served as an officer in the Royal Navy.

In 1851 the family moved to Bridge of Don near Aberdeen.

After he left school, Glover took up employment with the trading company, Jardine, Matheson & Co. He first visited Japan in 1857, which at the time was widely viewed as a closed society where business was both difficult and danger