Adolphe de Bacourt

Louis-Adolphe-Aimé Fourier de Bacourt (1801–1865) began his diplomatic career in Stockholm and The Hague before joining Talleyrand’s embassy in London. He became closely associated with both Talleyrand and the Duchess of Dino, relationships that continued long after his work at the embassy. A subsequent appointment took him to Karlsruhe, at the court of Baden. ¹

In Washington he pressed individual claims as well as representing the July Monarchy. His correspondence with Daniel Webster in June 1841 sought action on the claims of the Paris banking house Laffitte & Co. and of Captain Béziers, who had rescued the crew of an American ship near Cádiz. Webster replied that the matters were before Congress and corrected Bacourt’s understanding of what the executive had promised. Bacourt renewed the Laffitte request in May 1842, explicitly acting on instructions from his government. ²

His private letters from the United States later appeared as Souvenirs of a Diplomat, an account of the administrations of Van Buren, Harrison, and Tyler. His career also took him to Turin. After leaving public service, he divided his time between Nancy and the European circles to which his friendship with the Duchess of Dino connected him. ¹

Entrusted with the Count de La Marck’s correspondence with Mirabeau, he prepared its publication in 1851; he also served as an executor for Talleyrand and, later, the Duchess of Dino. He died at Nancy in 1865. ¹