John Standish

John Standish was a corrupt United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom and a member of the Temple of the Four Orders.
Like other members of the order, he believed in the occcult and was very superstitious. He was especially concerned when he learned that Lord Henry Blackwood had been resurrected. He and his colleagues, Lord Coward and Sir Thomas Rotheram, who is secretly Blackwood's father, ask Sherlock Holmes to stop him. Holmes agrees, though he does not share their fears of a resurrected Blackwood. 
Standish decides to take matters into his own hands after Sir Thomas is murdered by Blackwood. He arms himself with a revolver and arrives at the main headquarters of the Temple, where Lord Coward has called a meeting. He berates Lord Coward for nominating the seemingly undead Blackwood, prompting Blackwood to emerge from the shadows. Blackwood explains that he plans to use his black magic as a weapon to control Great Britain and to take back the United States of America for the country, much to Standish's displeasure. Standish decides to finish Blackwood, and pulls his gun on him. Blackwood warns him not to pull the trigger. When Standish does, he instantly combusts into flames. Not wanting to come into contact with the blazing Standish, the other members back away from him as he begs for them to help him. He stumbles to a window and in a panic jumps out of it, smashing into a carriage and setting it on fire as well. He dies from his burns and from his fall.
It is later revealed that Dredger went into his home and rigged his gun with a false bullet, and Standish had walked through a sprinkle of flammable liquid when entering the Temple, which he had believed to be rain.
de:John Standish
Category:American characters
Category:Characters: Sherlock Holmes (2009)
Category:Murder victims
Category:Politicians