Early life and career John Gordon Lorimer was born in
Glasgow in 1870, a son of the Reverend Robert Lorimer (1840–1926) The Lorimer family was intimately associated with colonial service; his maternal uncle (who served as a judge) was killed during the
Indian mutiny of 1857. His younger brother
David Lockhart Robertson Lorimer served as British vice-consul in
Arabistan. His other brother Robert worked in the
Indian civil service until he was dismissed for refusing to participate in a
flogging. His younger brother
William Lorimer and younger sister
Hilda Lockhart Lorimer were scholars. Educated at the
High School of Dundee, and the
University of Edinburgh, Lorimer trained at
Christ Church, Oxford for the Indian Civil Service. He was stationed first in
Punjab and later in the restive
Northwest frontier province. Passionate about languages, he authored a book on the grammar of Waziri
Pashto in 1902. In 1903, he was commissioned by the British Raj to compile a handbook for British diplomats and agents in the Persian Gulf region. Initially given only six months, he insisted on being granted more time to ensure the handbook was thorough. The result was the 5,000 page two-volume
Gazetteer of the Persian Gulf, Oman and Central Arabia.
Death On the 8 February 1914, while serving as the
British Political Resident in
Bushire, Lorimer was found dead from a self-inflicted gun wound in the abdomen at age 43. A contemporary report stated that he was examining his pistol after supposedly emptying the magazine when he apparently overlooked a bullet present. The gunshot pierced major blood vessels, resulting in the loss of consciousness and death. His funeral took place the next day and he was buried at the Indo-European Telegraph Department cemetery. He was survived by his wife Marian Agnes MacLean (d. 1959). He is memorialised with his siblings in
Warriston Cemetery in
Edinburgh and on his wife's grave in
Dean Cemetery. His death was mourned in the Persian Gulf region, particularly in
Bahrain where the British Agency was closed as a sign of respect on the following day. Bahraini noblemen, merchants, and foreigners alike made their way at the Agency to offer their condolences. In an offer of commiseration, the ruler of Bahrain,
Isa bin Ali Al Khalifa, ordered the flags at his residence and at the customs house lowered, while his son Abdullah traveled to the Agency to pay his respects. ==Bibliography==