James Gallatin

[2] His father was born to a wealthy family in Geneva, Switzerland, the son of Jean Gallatin and his wife Sophie Albertine Rollaz.

His grandfather was from a well-connected Maryland family and was the elder brother to Samuel and John Nicholson, both of whom were also officers in the Continental Navy.

[3] While his father helped broker the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the War of 1812 between Britain and the United States, James acted as his personal secretary during this diplomatic trip.

James' diary includes a detailed look into the lives of the nobles as they faced the threat of Napoleon's return.

At one point, he is asked by the famous artist Jacques-Louis David to sit as a cherub for his painting l'Amour et Psyche: 3 March 1815.

[2] His journal entries from his 1814-15 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.