1. Albert Leroy Shelton was an American medical doctor and a Protestant missionary in Tibet, especially in Batang in the Kham region of eastern Tibet, from 1903 until 1922.
17 Facts About Albert Shelton
1. 2.
Albert Shelton authored a popular book about his experiences and collected Tibetan cultural items and sold them to museums.
3.
Albert Shelton was shot and killed by brigands in 1922 while traveling by mule near Batang.
4.
Albert Shelton attended Emporia State University in Emporia, Kansas and studied medicine at the University of Kentucky, graduating in 1903.
5.
Albert Shelton was ordained as a minister in San Francisco prior to his departure for China by ship on 29 September 1903.
6.
Albert Shelton was an indefatigable traveler via muleback who utilized his medical knowledge to gain access to both Chinese and Tibetan officials and to ensure his welcome throughout the region.
7.
In 1910, the Albert Shelton family returned to the US on furlough.
8.
Albert Shelton brought home with him a collection of Tibetan art and curios which he sold to the Newark, New Jersey museum for $2,000.
9.
Albert Shelton spoke extensively across the United States in a fund-raising campaign for the expansion of the overseas FCMS's missions and achieved the status of a "missionary-hero".
10.
Albert Shelton continued to take photographs and collect Tibetan art to sell to museums.
11.
Albert Shelton treated a great variety of patients, including Chinese soldiers wounded in fighting with Tibetans.
12.
Albert Shelton was abducted by brigands in early 1920 and held prisoner for about two months before being rescued.
13.
Albert Shelton was now a famous man, touted by the FCMS as a hero for his travels and his exploits in a war torn land.
14.
Albert Shelton had dinner with John D Rockefeller and sold his wife some Tibetan jewelry.
15.
Albert Shelton's wife accompanied him to China, but did not continue on to Batang.
16.
Albert Shelton's objective was to establish missions deeper into Tibet, ultimately to travel to Lhasa, but initially to Markam Gartok.
17.
Albert Shelton died of a gunshot wound the next day and was buried in Batang.