Oswald von Richthofen
State Secretary for Foreign Affairs
In office
23 October 1900 – 17 January 1906
MonarchWilhelm II
ChancellorBernhard von Bülow
Preceded byBernhard von Bülow
Succeeded byHeinrich von Tschirschky
German General-Consul in Cairo
In office
1885–1896
MonarchsWilhelm I
Frederick III
Wilhelm II
Preceded byOtto L. Schmidt-Leda
Succeeded byMaximilian von Loehr
Personal details
Born(1847-10-13)13 October 1847
Iași, Principality of Moldavia
Died17 January 1907(1907-01-17) (aged 59)
Berlin, German Empire
OccupationDiplomat

Oswald Samuel Konstantin Freiherr[1] von Richthofen (13 October 1847 – 17 January 1906), a German diplomat and politician, served as Foreign Secretary and head of the Foreign Office from 23 October 1900 to 17 January 1906.

Background and career

The son of diplomat Emil von Richthofen (1810–1895), he was born in Iaşi, where his father was Consul General. He joined the foreign service in 1875 and served in the Franco-Prussian War 1870–1871. From 1885 to 1896, he was stationed in Cairo. He served as Director of Colonial Affairs at the Foreign Office from 15 October 1896 to 31 March 1898. During his term as Director, the railway from Swakopmund to Windhoek in German South-West Africa was completed. A post office in the colony is named in his honour.[2]

He was appointed Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs in December 1897.

Secretary of Foreign Affairs

Richthofen became Secretary on 23 October 1900, when he succeeded Bernhard von Bülow, who at the same time became Chancellor of Germany. He served as Secretary until his death in Berlin on 17 January 1906. He was also appointed Privy Councillor in 1901 and Minister of State of Prussia in 1905. On 24 January 1906, he was succeeded as Secretary by Heinrich Leonhard von Tschirschky und Bögendorff.

Distinctions

He received the following orders and decorations:[3]

German orders and decorations
Foreign orders and decorations

References

  1. ↑ Regarding personal names: Freiherr is a former title (translated as Baron). In Germany since 1919, it forms part of family names. The feminine forms are Freifrau and Freiin.
  2. ↑ "BIOGRAPHIES OF NAMIBIAN PERSONALITIESin alphabetical order".
  3. ↑ Handbuch über den Königlich Preußischen Hof und Staat fur das jahr 1906, p. 65
  4. ↑ "Latest intelligence - the German Tariff Bill". The Times. No. 36951. London. 15 December 1902. p. 5.
  5. ↑ Hof- und Staats-Handbuch des Großherzogtum Baden (1902), "Großherzogliche Orden" p. 82
  6. ↑ Sachsen (1901). "Königlich Orden". Staatshandbuch für den Königreich Sachsen: 1901. Dresden: Heinrich. p. 145 – via hathitrust.org.
  7. ↑ "Ritter-Orden", Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie, 1906, pp. 67, 97, retrieved 2 November 2019
  8. ↑ "Court circular". The Times. No. 36573. London. 30 September 1901. p. 7.
  9. ↑ "Latest intelligence - The King of Italy in Berlin". The Times. No. 36859. London. 29 August 1902. p. 3.
  10. ↑ "Real Orden de Isabel la Católica". Guía Oficial de España (in Spanish). 1906. p. 175. Retrieved 23 June 2020.
  11. ↑ Sveriges statskalender (PDF) (in Swedish), 1884, p. 461, retrieved 8 March 2021 – via gupea.ub.gu.se
  12. ↑ The London Gazette, issue 27704, p. 5191
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.