José Carlos Tracy

José Carlos Tracy’s American service preceded the War of the Pacific. In 1864 he was secretary of the legation and took charge when Federico Barreda left for Europe. He subsequently served as consul in New York. Peru returned him to the head of its American mission in April 1879, after Manuel Freyre’s death had left the post vacant. ^{1, 2}

His wartime duties combined arms procurement, consular coordination, and efforts to win public support. Working with limited funds, he used Peru’s consuls to challenge adverse newspaper reports. He also monitored shipments intended for Chile and coordinated with the Peruvian consul in Panama. When he discovered a consignment of fifteen torpedoes for Chile in July 1879, Lima instructed him to explore whether American neutrality law could stop it. ^{1, 2}

Tracy transmitted Peru’s objections to neutral vessels carrying nitrate from Chilean occupied territory. William Evarts rejected a claimed right to seize American ships carrying such cargo, invoking the existing treaty, while also warning Chile that an ineffective blockade would not justify capturing American vessels. In November 1879 he formally notified Washington of Peru’s peace treaty with Spain. Ignacio García replaced him in August 1880. ^{3, 4, 1}