Friedrich von Greuhm

Friedrich von Greuhm represented Prussia in Washington during the early years of James Monroe’s presidency. At their first recorded interview in November 1817, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams questioned the combination of minister resident and consul general in Greuhm’s commission. Greuhm acknowledged the difficulty: diplomatic immunity could conflict with American courts’ authority over a consul engaged in commerce. ¹

Greuhm had earlier worked in London, where he helped raise relief for soldiers wounded in the European wars. After an interruption in his American service, he returned to the United States and died at his Georgetown home on 1 December 1823. Senior government officers attended his funeral. The contemporary obituary praised his charitable work and his personal relations with Americans, while reporting a career of more than twenty years in diplomacy. ²