James Elmer Spyglass (November 1, 1877 - February 16, 1957) was a United States consul in Germany. He was born in Springfield, Ohio. In 1897 he became a founding member of St. John's Missionary Baptist Church in Springfield. After that, he dedicated his life to music and became a cabaret singer. At the Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he accompanied a 25 piece orchestra and a 200 member choir in singing Strauss's "An der schönen blauen Donau". In 1906, he went to Europe as established himeself as an interpreter of "Negro Spirituals". For 20 years, he sang in the Netherlands to cheering audiences. In 1930, he retired to Sachsenhausen, a suburb of Frankfurt am Main, Germany. His house in Sachsenhausen was bombed in 1944. After World War II, Spyglass became a United States Consul in Frankfurt. He spent many hours telling the Germans about America and teaching them the English language. In 1947, he had an interview with Will Lang Jr. of Life to discuss his life and his role as a U.S. consul. (Will Lang's article appeared in Life on November 3, 1947.) On November 9 1954, Spyglass became an honorary citizen of Schwalbach, Germany.
Spyglass Prize
On January 8 1995, a student in Schwalbach was the first to receive the "James Elmer Spyglass Prize" for contributions to intercultural relations.
