Woodrow Wilson and Guy Gaunt. - Ballarat Mechanics' Institute Library and Heritage Collections

This concerns a set of books donated to the BMI by William and Anni Lathrop around 2015. They were Americans who lived at Unit 1 Northhampton Terrace 436-440 Punt Road South Yarra 3141

William died in 2019. His obituary shows:-

LATHROP
William Hamilton

Passed peacefully on
Wednesday June 19, 2019.

Dearly loved husband of Anni. Loving father to Felicity. Devoted guardian of Jindi and Pepper.

As president, Wilson changed the nation’s economic policies and led the United States into World War I in 1917. He was the leading architect of the League of Nations, and his progressive stance on foreign policy came to be known as Wilsonianism.

The books donated to the BMI are :-

The Papers of Woodrow Wilson in 69 volumes edited by Arthur Link 973.91WIL (value estimated $100-150 each volume. (total $6900-10000)

The Deliberations of the Council of Four 2 vols, Paul Mantoux 940.3MAN (value around $300)

Brother Woodrow- a memior of Woodrow Wilson. Axson 973.91 (value estimated $2-300)

Extract from ‘History of Ballarat College in World War 1914-1918.”

‘pp68-9… Another and most distinguished Ballarat College man was Admiral Sir Guy Gaunt, KCMG, CB, (formerly Captain, but Rear Admiral during the latter part of the war). His father lies buried in the Ballarat Old Cemetery. He was a most picturesque and adventurous figure and was enabled to do sterling work for the Empire. He was appointed Chief of the British Intelligence in the United States during the Great War. There could not have been a better man for the job. Incidentally he had practically no Government money to assist him in his activities, whilst he had to deal with German agents and schemers in the United states who had millions of dollars at their disposal for expenditure on bribery, sabotage and incendiarism. Gaunt, however, in the face of innumerable difficulties, and with very little assistance, dealt so effectively with the unscrupulous scoundrels opposed to him that he became probably the most hated man by Germans and pro-Germans in the United States. He exposed german plots, countered their efforts and was a perpetual thorn in their sides. When the United States came into the war most of the German conspiritors were bundled unceremoniously out of the country. The value of his work cannot be overestimated. Lloyd George, Ex-Prime Minister of Great Britain, once referred to him as “the man who brought America into the war”. He, perhaps more than any other man largely helped to do so. His activities were well known in Germany. Gaunt went there in 1919 after the war and Field-Marshal Ludendorff sought and had had an interview with him.

Gaunt visited his native land some years ago and (inter alia) made an address to the Ballarat College boys. he subsequently became a Member of the British House of Commons, and during the last few weeks has published his autobiography – a most entertaining and interesting book.’

Why do we have these volumes in the heritage collection? It could be this:-

Guy Gaunt: the boy from Ballarat who talked America into the Great War. By Anthony Delano

Guy Gaunt’s infiltration of America’s leadership changed the course of history. When the Great War began he was the British naval attaché in Washington, beached for recklessness at sea. Taking over a network of disaffected immigrants he thwarted all efforts by the powerful German-American establishment in the United States to stop America from supporting the Allies. The exposure of a sinister German underground showed President Woodrow Wilson that America could not remain neutral. The Foreign Office never forgave him for outclassing its fledgling Secret Service.

Toughened by early life in turbulent Australian goldfields, Guy built a career by playing outside the rules. As well as dodging his way up the ranks of the Royal Navy, he married for money, snatched up a country estate, won a seat in Parliament and faked his disappearance to run off with the wife of the King’s doctor.

His half-dozen siblings also made their mark in the world. Stirring accounts of her intrepid solo journeys across West Africa and China made the eldest, Mary, a literary star. The youngest, Lucy, ran Australia’s first university college for women. Cecil became a Colonel in a prestigious British regiment. Ernest, an Admiral as guy would also become, led his ships at the Battle of Jutland. Clive was the Crown Prosecutor of Burma, Lancelot a Singapore legal wizard. There was never a family like these Gaunts.

The others, however, could not outshine Guy. He was active again – new life, new wife – in World War II. But the Whitehall mandarins took a cruel revenge.

Although William Lathrop has a rich personal history, I have yet to find the real connection between him or his family in the U.S., and Woodrow Wilson. Needs more research!

Research and article by Rex Bridges at the BMI.