Adam Tarnowski (senior)
Adam Graf Tarnowski von Tarnów | |
|---|---|
| Austro-Hungarian Minister to Bulgaria | |
| In office 30 April 1911 – 9 November 1916 | |
| Preceded by | Karl Freiherr von Giskra |
| Succeeded by | Ludwig Graf Széchényi von Sárvár und Felsövidék |
| Austro-Hungarian Ambassador to the United States | |
| In office 9 November 1916 – 8 April 1917[1] | |
| Preceded by | Konstantin Dumba |
| Succeeded by | None |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 March 1866 |
| Died | 10 October 1946 (aged 80) |
| Spouse(s) | Marie, née Prinzessin Światopełk-Czetwertyńska (1880–1965) |
Adam Graf Tarnowski von Tarnów[a] (4 March 1866 – 10 October 1946) was an Austro-Hungarian diplomat of Polish origin who served during World War I.
Life
Born in Kraków on 4 March 1866 into an old family of the Polish aristocracy, Adam Graf Tarnowski von Tarnów married Princess Marie Światopełk-Czetwertyńska (1880–1965) in Warsaw on 10 September 1901.
Count Tarnowski entered the Austro-Hungarian Foreign Service in 1897. He was appointed to the Austro-Hungarian Embassy in Washington D.C. in 1899 and remained there until 1901, when he was transferred to Paris. In 1907, he was promoted to Counselor and dispatched to Madrid. In 1909, he was transferred to London.[2]
On 30 April 1911, he was appointed Minister of the Dual Monarchy at Sofia. During the war, he was said to have exerted a major influence on King Ferdinand I of Bulgaria and played a prominent role in securing Bulgaria's entry into the war on the side of the Central Powers in October 1915.[3]
In 1913 he was appointed Grand Cross of the Order of Franz Joseph.[4]
In late 1915, Konstantin Dumba, who served as the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador to Washington D.C., was declared persona non grata and expelled from the country. On 9 November 1916, the Austro-Hungarian government decided to appoint Count Tarnowski as his replacement.[5] This was considered a fitting appointment, as he had a reputation for being one of the most accomplished and talented diplomats in the Dual Monarchy's service.[6]
Count Tarnowski arrived in the United States on 31 January 1917, as Britain initially refused to grant him safe conduct through the Entente naval blockade.[7] Furthermore, his arrival coincided with the delivery of the German note announcing the resumption of unrestricted submarine warfare, prompting President Woodrow Wilson to refuse to receive him.[8] After the U.S. declaration of war on Germany on 8 April, Austria-Hungary severed diplomatic relations, meaning Tarnowski was never able to present his credentials.[9] He sailed from the United States on 4 May, along with other diplomatic staff.[10] The United States formally declared war on Austria-Hungary in December 1917.
In 1917, Count Tarnowski was considered for the post of Minister to Stockholm, but as events in his native Poland unfolded, he never took up the position. In September 1917, he declined an offer to join the Regency Council of the newly founded Kingdom of Poland (1916–1918), but was later proposed to become the first Prime Minister. His nomination, however, was vetoed by Germany due to his alleged pro-Austrian sympathies.[11]
After the war, Tarnowski retired from public service. Despite common misconception, he was not the father of diplomat and Foreign Minister in the Polish government-in-exile, Adam (1892–1956).[12]
Count Tarnowski died in Lausanne on 10 October 1946.
Notes
- ^ Regarding personal names: Graf was a title before 1919, but now is regarded as part of the surname. It is translated as Count. Before the August 1919 abolition of nobility as a legal class, titles preceded the full name when given (Graf Helmuth James von Moltke). Since 1919, these titles, along with any nobiliary prefix (von, zu, etc.), can be used, but are regarded as a dependent part of the surname, and thus come after any given names (Helmuth James Graf von Moltke). Titles and all dependent parts of surnames are ignored in alphabetical sorting. The feminine form is Gräfin.
References
- ^ Count Tarnowski was never accredited, as President Wilson refused to receive him, leaving him without official status.
- ^ 'New Austrian Ambassador', New York Times, 11 November 1916.
- ^ 'New Austrian Ambassador is not a stranger', op. cit., 19 November 1916.
- ^ Hof- und Staatshandbuch der Österreichisch-Ungarischen Monarchie. Wiedeń: 1818, s. 160
- ^ 'Tarnowski still at Sofia', op. cit., 14 November 1916.
- ^ 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. 182, 202.
- ^ 'Tarnowski here as Austria’s Envoy', op. cit., 2 February 1917.
- ^ 'Tarnowski's case in doubt', op. cit., 30 March 1917.
- ^ 'War by Austria may follow our seizure of ships', op. cit., 10 April 1917
- ^ 'Tarnowski sails with safe conduct', op. cit., 5 May 1917.
- ^ 'Polish constitution to bar absentee king', op. cit., 5 November 1917.
- ^ Smolana, Krzysztof (2007). Słownik biograficzny polskiej służby zagranicznej 1918-1945, Vol. 1 (in Polish). Archiwum Ministerstwa Spraw Zagranicznych. ISBN 978-83-926462-0-4.
External links
- 'Adam Tarnowski von Tarnów', Solving Problems Through Force
- The Tarnowski Family Association Archived 2020-02-03 at the Wayback Machine
- Library of Congress in Washington has a series of photographs of Adam Tarnowski made on board, presumably in sea voyage to America or from America: photo of Adam Tarnowski, and photos of Adam Tarnowski and Mr. von Summaruga: [1], [2], [3].