Charles Adams, born Karl Adam Schwanbeck (December 19, 1845 – August 19, 1895), was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

officer, US Indian agent, diplomat and businessman. In 1879 he secured the release of five hostages taken captive by the

White River Utes White River Utes are a Native American band, made of two earlier bands, the Yampa from the Yampa River Valley and the Parianuche Utes who lived along the Grand Valley in Colorado and Utah. Historic bands Yampa The Yampa (''Yapudttka'', ''Yampa ...

after the

Meeker Massacre Meeker Massacre, or Meeker Incident, White River War, Ute War, or the Ute Campaign), took place on September 29, 1879 in Colorado. Members of a band of Ute people, Ute Indians (Native Americans of the United States, Native Americans) attacked t ...

, and held an official inquiry into their treatment. In 1880 he was appointed minister to

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

, where he served for two years. Returning to Colorado, he became involved in mining and water development.

Early life and education

Born in

Anklam Anklam (), formerly known as Tanglim and Wendenburg, is a town in the Western Pomerania region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in north-eastern Germany. It is situated on the banks of the Peene river, just 8 km from its mouth in the , the western ...

, Province of Pomerania,

Kingdom of Prussia The Kingdom of Prussia (, ) was a German state that existed from 1701 to 1918.Marriott, J. A. R., and Charles Grant Robertson. ''The Evolution of Prussia, the Making of an Empire''. Rev. ed. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1946. It played a signif ...

in 1845, Charles was the son of

cabinetmaker A cabinet is a case or cupboard with shelves or drawers for storing or displaying items. Some cabinets are stand alone while others are built in to a wall or are attached to it like a medicine cabinet. Cabinets are typically made of wood (solid ...

Karl Heinrich and Maria J. Mackman Schwanbeck. His family immigrated to the United States after the

Revolutions of 1848 The revolutions of 1848, known in some countries as the springtime of the peoples or the springtime of nations, were a series of revolutions throughout Europe over the course of more than one year, from 1848 to 1849. It remains the most widespre ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Career

Schwanbeck fought as a young man in the late years of the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. After the war he migrated to the

Colorado Territory The Territory of Colorado was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 28, 1861, until August 1, 1876, when it was admitted to the Union as the 38th State of Colorado. The territory was organized ...

. About 1870, he was appointed a brigadier general of the Colorado Militia, by when he had changed his surname to Adams. In addition, he was appointed as US

Indian Agent In United States history, an Indian agent was an individual authorized to interact with American Indian tribes on behalf of the U.S. government. Agents established in Nonintercourse Act of 1793 The federal regulation of Indian affairs in the Un ...

to the

Ute Tribe Ute () are an Indigenous people of the Great Basin and Colorado Plateau in present-day Utah, western Colorado, and northern New Mexico.Pritkzer''A Native American Encyclopedia'' p. 242 Historically, their territory also included parts of Wyomi ...

, serving through 1874. There were distinct groups of Utes in Colorado, although settlers often could not distinguish them. Adams dealt primarily with the White Rivers and Uncompahgre Utes. During these years, Adams established good relationships with

Chief Ouray Ouray (, c. 1833 – August 20, 1880) was a Native Americans in the United States, Native American Tribal chief, chief of the Ute people#Northern Ute Tribe (Uinta Utes), Tabeguache (Uncompahgre) band of the Ute Tribe, Ute tribe, then located in we ...

and his wife ''Chipeta'' of the Uncompahgre Utes. This friendship was useful in helping him negotiate the release of five captives (three women and two children) taken by the Utes in 1879 after the Meeker Massacre, as part of the White River War. In 1875 Adams was appointed a post office inspector but he also continued with the militia.

Marriage and family

Adams dropped the Schwanbeck surname sometime around 1870, when he married Margaret Thompson Phelps.

Diplomat

In 1880, Adams was appointed the United States minister to

. In that position, he served as the arbitrator of conferences on the Bolivia and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

Wars. He remained in that position through 1882. Returning to Colorado with the change in presidential administrations, Adams became engaged in the manufacture of glass, and mining and mineral water development. He died on August 19, 1895, in the Gumry Hotel disaster in

Denver, Colorado Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...

when a boiler in the basement of the hotel exploded, destroying the building and killing more than 20 people. He is interred in the Crystal Valley Cemetery in

Manitou Springs, Colorado Manitou Springs is a home rule municipality located at the foot of Pikes Peak in western El Paso County, Colorado, United States. The town was founded for its natural mineral springs. The downtown area continues to be of interest to traveler ...

References

*''Who Was Who in America: Historical Volume, 1607-1896.'' Chicago: Quincy Who's Who, 1963. {{DEFAULTSORT:Adams, Charles 1845 births 1895 deaths Ambassadors of the United States to Bolivia Businesspeople from Denver People from the Province of Pomerania People from Anklam Prussian emigrants to the United States 19th-century American diplomats Accidental deaths in Colorado Deaths from fire in the United States United States Indian agents 19th-century American businesspeople