Konstantin Dumba
Konstantin (Graf von) Dumba | |
---|---|
Adam Graf Tarnowski von Tarnów | |
Personal details | |
Born | Vienna, Austria-Hungary (now Austria) | 17 June 1856
Died | 6 January 1947 Bodensdorf am Ochiacher See, Austria | (aged 90)
Konstantin Theodor (from 1917 to 1919, Graf von) Dumba (17 June 1856 – 6 January 1947), was an Austro-Hungarian diplomat serving as its last accredited Ambassador to the United States and famous for having been expelled during World War I following accusations of espionage.[1]
Life
Konstantin Dumba was born in
.From 1903 to 1905, Dr. Dumba served as
On 4 March 1913, Dr. Dumba was appointed as the successor of
A first controversy concerned the Austro-Hungarian government's offer of 'rehabilitation' to those of its citizens living abroad and who had fled to escape compulsory military service provided they returned home and served in the army. This scheme ran counter to the U.S. official policy of neutrality forbidding its citizens from actively taking sides in the war. However, a much more serious incident erupted in early September 1915 when media reported that Dr. Dumba had been involved in schemes to sabotage the U.S. munitions industry. On 5 September, the news broke that he had admitted to giving
Following his departure, the Austro-Hungarian embassy was led by a
Upon his return to Vienna, Dr. Dumba retired from the diplomatic service.
Although much publicised at the time, Dr. Dumba was not the first foreign diplomat to be declared persona non grata by the U.S. government. In 1888, the British envoy Lord Sackville-West had been sacked following the publication of the so-called Murchison letter during the presidential campaign. It could also be noted that the Dumba Affair also included the military attaché at the German Embassy, Captain Franz von Papen, who was declared persona non grata in December 1915 and who would later play a prominent role in German politics in the 1930s.
Dr. Dumba died in Bodensdorf am Ossiacher See on 6 January 1947. He was the last surviving former ambassador of Austria-Hungary.
Notes
Regarding personal names: Until 1919, Graf was a title, translated as Count, not a first or middle name. The female form is Gräfin. In Germany, it has formed part of family names since 1919.
Works
- Austria-Hungary and the War (together with Albert Graf Apponyi von Nagy-Appony, Ladislaus Freiherr Hengelmüller von Hengervár and Alexander Nuber von Pereked), New York, Austro-Hungarian Consulate-general, 1915.
- Zehn Jahre Völkerbund, 1930.
- Dreibund und Ententepolitik in der Alten und Neuen Welt, Zurich, Amalthea verlag, 1931 (Memoirs of a diplomat, translated by Ian Morrow, Boston, Little, Brown and Company, 1932.)
References
- ISSN 0002-9300.
- ^ Ransmayr, Anna (2017). Presence in Habsburg Vienna: Heyday and Decline. "...Nikolaus Dumba, himself descendant of an Aromanian family who had ties to both Romania and Greece".
- ISSN 2039-2117.
- ISBN 978-1910714201
- ^ "Dumba Nikolaus". In: Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815–1950 (ÖBL). Vol. 1, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna 1957, p. 203.
- ^ William D. Godsey, Aristocratic Redoubt: The Austro-Hungarian Foreign Office on the Eve of the First World War, West Lafayette, Purdue University Press, 1999, p. 86.
- ^ Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815-1950, vol. I, p. 203
- ^ Godsey, op. cit., 1999, p. 30.
- ^ 'Praises Wilson's politics', New York Times, 25 April 1913.
- ^ See for example 'Dumba admits plot to cripple munition plants', 'Ambassador Dumba's plan', 'Action on Dumba's offense in doubt', 'Awaiting Dumba letter', New York Times, 6 September 1915.
- ^ 'American Note to Austria-Hungary Requesting Recall of Ambassador Dumba', op. cit., 10 September 1915)
- ^ 'Austria agrees to recall Dumba, op. cit., 28 September 1915
- ^ 'Dumba sails, op. cit., 6 October 1915.
- ^ 'Dr. Dumba is retired, op. cit., 5 November 1915.
- ^ 'Emperor honors Dumba', op. cit., 24 May 1917
- ^ 'Austrian Nobility - Abolition of Nobility in 1919', Austrian nobility#Abolition of nobility in 1919
External links
- 'Dumba Konstantin Theodor', Österreichisches Biographisches Lexikon 1815-1950
- 'Dumba, Konstantin', AEIOU
- 'Dr. Constantin Theodor Dumba', Solving Problems Through Force
- 'Constantin Dumba', firstworldwar.com
- Newspaper clippings about Konstantin Dumba in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW
Bibliography
- Gerald H. Davis, The Fall of Ambassador Dumba, Atlanta, Georgia State College, 1965.