Otto Wiedfeldt

Otto Wiedfeldt came to diplomacy through economics, municipal administration, and industry. He built Essen’s statistical office, helped mediate labor disputes, advised Japanese railway institutions, and administered Germany’s grain supply during the First World War. He then became a senior executive at Krupp and took part in the Versailles negotiations as an economic expert. ¹

Appointed ambassador in Washington in 1922, Wiedfeldt concentrated on restoring economic relations after the war. He helped negotiate commercial arrangements and American loans during the discussions surrounding the Dawes Plan. He declined an approach about becoming chancellor in 1923. After leaving Washington in 1925, he returned to Krupp’s supervisory board and died the following year. ¹