Anson Burlingame

This portrait of Anson Burlingame illustrated his obituary in Harper's Weekly, March 12 1870, page 172. 

An ardent abolitionist, Burlingame was in succession a member of the Free Soil Party, The American Party (the Know Nothings), and the Republican Party. The Julian Vannerson photo below shows Anson Burlingame as a Massachusetts congressman in 1859. (LOC) 

While Burlingame was a member of the House, Preston Brookes severely beat Senator Sumner on the floor of the Senate. The New York Times tells the story this way:

This same year, 1853, He was sent to Congress to represent Boston and Cambridge in the House. he remained for six years, at once took a prominent part in the proceedings, and was among the best known of his associates in Congress. His most celebrated speech was his scathing denunciation of the infamous assault upon Senator Sumner by Preston S. Brooks. This drew out a challenge from Mr. Brooks to fight a duel, or "any other Yankee mudsill." He accepted, named rifles as the weapons, and the Canada side of Niagara Falls. But the combat never took place, Mr. Brooks failing to respond. announcing as an excuse that to reach the ground he would have to go through a "hostile country." During the greater portion of his service in Congress he was a prominent member of the Committee on Foreign Affairs. His efforts towards the end of his service was to keep the party united, so that it might conquer in the Presidential election, and he then won the title of a "pacifier."

Lincoln appointed Burlingame ambassador to Austria after he lost his seat in the House of Representatives in 1861. But the Austrians refused to accept him because of his vocal support for Hungarian Independence. He was next appointed ambassador from the US to China. When is term was up in 1868 he returned to the US as ambassador from China.  Prince Regent Gong (奕訢) appointed Anson Burlingame to lead a Chinese delegation to western countries to negotiate or re-negotiate treaties to replace the unequal treaties of the past. 

Here Burlingame appears as first rank envoy, standing between Chih Kang and Sun Chia Ku the second rank envoys. 

The Chinese Embassy

Thomas Nast weighed in on this with a picture called "The Youngest Introducing the Oldest" in Harpers Weekly July 18, 1868 page 460.

The Youngest Introducing the Oldest.

America: "Brothers and Sisters,  I am happy to present to you the Oldest Member of the Family, who desires our better acquaintance."

Wherein, Burlingame is shown to be the power behind the Chinese Embassy.

Burlingame appreciated the picture and wrote to Nast:

My Dear Nast:

Permit me to thank you most cordially for sending to me Harper’s containing your wonderful creation entitled, “The Youngest Introducing the Oldest.” On all hands it is pronounced the best thing of the kind yet seen. I hope to meet and talk with you about it.

Pardon this hasty note, and

believe me, ever.

Yours truly,

Anson Burlingame.

(See Th. Nast, His Period and His Pictures by Albert Bigelow Paine, & Thomas Nast, 1904,  Pages 131-132.)

This picture of Burlingame appeared in The American Phrenological Journal, September 1868.

Portrait of Anson Burlingame.

And this one in the The San Francisco Call, June 13, 1897.

Anson Burlingame, The Famous Statesman and Diplomat.