Hermann Speck von Sternburg

Hermann Speck von Sternburg was born in Leeds and educated in Saxony and at the military academy in Potsdam. He fought in the Franco Prussian War before entering diplomacy. His assignments included Beijing, Belgrade, and Washington, followed by consular work in British India and Ceylon. He returned to Washington in 1903, initially as envoy and then as ambassador, and served until his death in 1908. ^{3, 1}

Sternburg cultivated a close relationship with Theodore Roosevelt. The president’s December 1908 letter to Kaiser Wilhelm II, written after Sternburg’s death, praised the ambassador’s conduct and expressed personal grief. ²

His Washington work included negotiations to prevent a break in preferential trade arrangements. In February 1906, he told Secretary of State Elihu Root that he had recommended extending reduced German duties to American products while broader negotiations continued. He sought reciprocal American tariff treatment and changes to customs administration, including public hearings on disputed appraisals. Roosevelt’s proclamation of 27 February maintained reduced duties on specified German products from 1 March. ^{4, 5, 6}