Anson Burlingame · Full chronicle and history

After stepping down from his U.S. public office, Anson Burlingame accepted an invitation from the Qing government to serve as China's chief envoy to the Western powers, becoming the first American in history to serve as a diplomat on behalf of another country.

China's first official diplomatic mission visited the United States, conducting activities in Boston, New York, and Washington successively, and attended the first state dinner between China and the United States at the White House.

U.S. President Abraham Lincoln appointed Anson Burlingame as the U.S. Minister to China, who insisted that China should be treated as a sovereign and equal nation rather than an object of imperialist exploitation.