Sir Alexander Condie Stephen | |
|---|---|
 Stephen caricatured bySpy forVanity Fair, 1902 | |
| Born | (1850-07-20)20 July 1850 |
| Died | 10 May 1908(1908-05-10) (aged 57) |
| Occupation | British diplomat |
Sir Alexander Condie StephenKCMG KCVO CB (20 July 1850 – 10 May 1908) was a British diplomat and translator from Russian and Persian.
He was the first translator ofLermontov's long poem "The Demon" into English, in 1875. He translated "Fairy Tales of a Parrot" from Persian in 1880.
In 1884–5, he was Assistant Commissioner on theAfghan Boundary Commission. he had the crucial role of keeping communications open between the commission, in north-west Afghanistan and threatened by a large Russian army, and the British government in London. When the commission's presence almost triggered a war in the aftermath of thePanjdeh incident, he was sent to London to report to the government in person.[1]
He was knighted KCVO on 24 August 1900, for being HM minister resident inDresden andCoburg. He was Groom in Waiting toKing Edward VII from 1901.[2] Although he lived chiefly in London, he was also between 1901 and 1904 tenant ofCastle House inLudlow, Shropshire.[3]
He was caricatured in aVanity Fair "Spy" print on 18 December 1902, as "Russian, Persian and Turkish".
Stephen is buried inBrompton Cemetery, London.
Media related toAlexander Condie Stephen at Wikimedia Commons