Adam Graf Tarnowski von Tarnów (4 March 1866 – 10 October 1946) was an

Austro-Hungarian Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military and diplomatic alliance, it consist ...

diplomat of Polish origin who served during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

Life

Born in

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

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 Warsaw, officially the Capital City of Warsaw, is the capital and List of cities and towns in Poland, largest city of Poland. The metropolis stands on the Vistula, River Vistula in east-central Poland. Its population is officially estimated at ...

on 10 September 1901. Count Tarnowski entered the

Austro-Hungarian Foreign Service The Austro-Hungarian Foreign Service () was the diplomatic service carrying out the foreign policy of the Emperor of the Austro-Hungarian Empire from the formation of the Dual Monarchy in 1867 until it was dissolved in 1918. Diplomatic missions ...

in 1897. He was appointed to the Austro-Hungarian Embassy in

Washington D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

in 1899 and remained there until 1901, when he was transferred to

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. In 1907, he was promoted to Counselor and dispatched to

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. In 1909, he was transferred to

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. On 30 April 1911, he was appointed Minister of the Dual Monarchy at

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. During the war, he was said to have exerted a major influence on King

Ferdinand I of Bulgaria Ferdinand I (Ferdinand Maximilian Karl Leopold Maria; 26 February 1861 – 10 September 1948) was Prince of Bulgaria from 1887 to 1908 and Tsar of Bulgaria from 1908 until his abdication in 1918. Under his rule, Bulgaria entered the First Worl ...

and played a prominent role in securing Bulgaria's entry into the war on the side of the

Central Powers The Central Powers, also known as the Central Empires,; ; , ; were one of the two main coalitions that fought in World War I (1914–1918). It consisted of the German Empire, Austria-Hungary, the Ottoman Empire, and the Kingdom of Bulga ...

in October 1915. In late 1915,

Konstantin Dumba Konstantin Theodor (from 1917 to 1919, Graf von) Dumba (17 June 1856 – 6 January 1947), was an Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian diplomat serving as its last accredited Ambassador to the United States and famous for having been expelled during ...

, who served as the Austro-Hungarian Ambassador to Washington D.C., was declared

persona non grata In diplomacy, a ' (PNG) is a foreign diplomat that is asked by the host country to be recalled to their home country. If the person is not recalled as requested, the host state may refuse to recognize the person concerned as a member of the diplo ...

and expelled from the country. On 9 November 1916, the Austro-Hungarian government decided to appoint Count Tarnowski as his replacement. 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. 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. Furthermore, his arrival coincided with the delivery of the German note announcing the resumption of

unrestricted submarine warfare Unrestricted submarine warfare is a type of naval warfare in which submarines sink merchant ships such as freighters and tankers without warning. The use of unrestricted submarine warfare has had significant impacts on international relations in ...

, prompting President

Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856February 3, 1924) was the 28th president of the United States, serving from 1913 to 1921. He was the only History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democrat to serve as president during the Prog ...

to refuse to receive him. 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. He sailed from the United States on 4 May, along with other diplomatic staff. The United States formally declared war on Austria-Hungary in December 1917. In 1917, Count Tarnowski was considered for the post of Minister to

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, 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 In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...

of the newly founded

Kingdom of Poland (1916–1918) The Kingdom of Poland (; Latin: ''Regnum Poloniae'') was a monarchy in Central Europe during the medieval period from 1025 until 1385. Background The West Slavic tribe of Polans who lived in what is today the historic region of Greater Po ...

, but was later proposed to become the first Prime Minister. His nomination, however, was vetoed by Germany due to his alleged pro-Austrian sympathies.'Polish constitution to bar absentee king', ''op. cit.'', 5 November 1917. After the war, Tarnowski retired from public service. His son,

Adam Adam is the name given in Genesis 1–5 to the first human. Adam is the first human-being aware of God, and features as such in various belief systems (including Judaism, Christianity, Gnosticism and Islam). According to Christianity, Adam ...

(1892–1956), also became a diplomat and served briefly as Foreign Minister in the

Polish government-in-exile The Polish government-in-exile, officially known as the Government of the Republic of Poland in exile (), was the government in exile of Poland formed in the aftermath of the Invasion of Poland of September 1939, and the subsequent Occupation ...

in London after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Count Tarnowski died in

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on 10 October 1946.

Notes

References

External links

'Adam Tarnowski von Tarnów', Solving Problems Through ForceThe Tarnowski Family Association
*

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Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

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

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tarnowski von Tarnow, Adam 1866 births 1946 deaths Diplomats of World War I from Austria-Hungary Ambassadors of Austria-Hungary Counts of Poland Ambassadors of Austria-Hungary to the United States