The Republic of Korea’s Order of Taeguk
In researching Korean Orders and Medals issued in the late 1940s and early 50s, I ran into several sources that discussed an Order of Taeguk issued by the Republic of Korea. During the Korean Empire period, there was an Order of Taeguk, but the Republic of Korea has never had one. The Korean Order of Military Merit has a Taeguk Class, but the class of an order is not an order. For a long time, I thought of these references as being misguided and put them aside.
Several years later, I was doing some research on early award recipients, again in the 1940s and early 50s. According to various sources, only two people had received the Order of National Foundation, 3rd Class, before 1962. They were Homer B. Hulbert and Dr. Eli M. Mowry. I was eventually able to connect with Mrs. C. Lynn Cox, the granddaughter of Dr. Eli Mowry, and she solved the mystery of the Order of Taeguk.
The story begins with an award ceremony held on March 1, 1950 at the Korean Embassy in Washington, D.C. Pictured here are the attendees at that function. They are (left to right): Mrs. K. Jones Dolph (accepting for her deceased husband, Mr. Fred Dolph), Dr. Paul Douglass, Dr. Frederick Brown Harris, Mr. William Hulbert (accepting for his deceased father, Homer B. Hulbert), Mrs. Herbert Miller (accepting for her ailing husband), Dr. John Chang (The Korean Ambassador to the U.S.), Dr. Eli Mowry, Mrs. C.E. Russell (accepting for her deceased husband, Charles E. Russell), Dr. Maurice William, Mr. John W. Staggers and Mr. Jay J. Williams. Dr. H. E. Allen was also invited to accept an award for his father, Dr. Horace Allen, but was unable to attend. According to newspaper accounts at the time, an award for Mr. Ernest Thomas Bethell, was forwarded to his family in England through the British Embassy.
According to three different reference works published by the Korean government, eight of these people should not be in this picture. One particular recipient, Charles Edward Russell, is a prime example. Korean scholars have been unable to find any connection to the Independence Movement, and it appears that he received the award simply on the basis that he was a friend of Syngman Rhee. I did encounter one Korean Source which states, “He contributed greatly to our country’s independence through his fluent writing.” The Syngman Rhee Research Society (이승만 연구회에서도) does not know who he is. In 1934 Syngman Rhee along with Charles Russell and Homer B. Hulbert started a magazine titled Orient. Russell was a journalist, a Pulitzer Prize-winner, and the author of several books advocating socialism.1 Although Russell was credited as the editor of the Orient, it was Rhee, and Homer B. Hulbert who did most of the work. The magazine was not a success, and appears to have had only two issues. The diary of Syngman Rhee only mentions Charles Russell one time, stating that they had lunch together.
Fourth from the left is William Hulbert who is accepting for his father, the late Homer B. Hulbert. Fifth from the right is Dr. Eli M. Mowry. According to several Korean sources, these are the only two recipients whose names “should” appear on the official Korean Recipient Rolls. However, a quick check of the Korean Medal Roll shows that all twelve individuals are listed as having received the Order of National Foundation on March 1, 1950.
Korean sources indicate that during the 12 years of Rhee Syngman’s rule, a total of 22 foreigners, including the 10 foreigners mentioned above, were awarded the Order of National Foundation. I have been unable to confirm this. There is an additional note of interest in regard to Dr. Mowry. In 1968, Dr. Mowry was re-awarded the Order of National Foundation, 3rd Class by President Park Chung-hee. Also in 1968, the Korean government re-awarded Mr. Bethell with the Order of National Foundation, 3rd class.2
There is one other interesting aspect which involves the picture to your left. The one that solves the mystery of the Order of Taeguk. It involves the documents that they are holding. While the Korean language portion of the document states that they are the recipients of the Order of National Foundation, Third Class, the English translation states that they have received the Order of Taiguk. It wasn’t until I obtained a picture of Dr. Mowry’s document, that the mystery was solved.3
Seen in the picture to the right is the section of the English Translation Document says “To Reverend Eli M. Mowry Whose Sacrificial Services Rendered as a Labor of Love to the Cause of Freedom and Independence of Korea the Order of Taiguk of the Republic of Korea is herewith awarded. Done at Seoul, on the first day of March, A.D. 1950, in the National year of Korea Four Thousand Two Hundred and Eighty-three”.
To help confuse the history of the Order of Taiguk even more, we can look at the speech given by Ambassador Chang that evening. He said: “It is a great honor and privilege for me to confer this highest award which our country has in its power to give upon the ladies and gentlemen who are our special guests this evening. I say it is the highest award because the Korean Order of Taikeuk, First Class, is given only to a President of our country who is deemed to merit it, and the Second Class only to a Vice President. Therefore, the Third Class is the highest decoration which we can give to one of our own citizens not a president or a Vice President, or to a citizen of a foreign country”.
Mystery Solved
Footnotes:
- Charles Edward Russell, Why I Am a Socialist (New York: Hodder & Stoughton, George H. Doran Co., 1910); Charles Edward Russell, Socialism the Only Remedy (New York: Socialist Party, 1912); Charles Edward Russell, The Passing Show of Capitalism (Girard, Kan.: The Appeal to Reason, 1912).
- Korean Report, Volume VIII, Number 3, July-September, 1968, p.20
- Pictures supplied by Mrs. C. Lynn Cox, the granddaughter of Dr. Eli Mowry. Sadly, the original award and document were destroyed in a house fire. Dr. Mowry officiated at her wedding.