Eugene Hermann Plumacher (March 7, 1838 – September 25, 1910) was a German-American diplomat, who served as U.S. consul to

Maracaibo Maracaibo ( , ; ) is a city and municipality in northwestern Venezuela, on the western shore of the strait that connects Lake Maracaibo to the Gulf of Venezuela. It is the largest city in Venezuela and is List of cities in Venezuela by population ...

, Venezuela, from 1877 until 1890. He started his career as an officer in the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy (, ) is the Navy, maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It traces its history to 8 January 1488, making it the List of navies, third-oldest navy in the world. During the 17th and early 18th centurie ...

and

Swiss Army The Swiss Armed Forces (; ; ; ; ) are the military and security force of Switzerland, consisting of land and air service branches. Under the country's militia system, regular soldiers constitute a small part of the military and the rest are ...

, later serving in the Union army as a

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

and working as a university professor.

Biography

Eugene Hermann Plumacher was born in

Elberfeld Elberfeld is a municipal subdivision of the Germany, German city of Wuppertal; it was an independent town until 1929. History The first official mentioning of the geographic area on the banks of today's Wupper River as "''elverfelde''" was ...

in the

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 ...

, on March 7, 1838. He was educated in Germany, Switzerland, and France and, in 1859, enrolled in the

as a third officer of the East India Naval Service; his naval career lasted six years. In 1865, he accepted a commission in the

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

of Cavalry in a cavalry company. He was later promoted to

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the Swiss Army. Plumacher later married the philosopher Olga Marie Pauline Hünerwadel; they had two children. The family later emigrated to the U.S. where he helped establish the Swiss colony of

Beersheba Springs, Tennessee Beersheba Springs is a town in Grundy County, Tennessee, United States, in the south central part of the state. The population was 477 at the 2010 census. A prominent resort town in the 19th century, Beersheba Springs was developed in 1854 by ret ...

. He served as a colonel in the Union Army during 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 ...

. Plumacher later survived a bout of yellow fever and relayed reports on upheavals and conflicts in

, which is now part of

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

. He studied lepers and

leprosy Leprosy, also known as Hansen's disease (HD), is a Chronic condition, long-term infection by the bacteria ''Mycobacterium leprae'' or ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis''. Infection can lead to damage of the Peripheral nervous system, nerves, respir ...

, postulating that it was a hereditary condition. He also worked as a university professor in Tennessee. The ''

Chicago Inter Ocean The ''Chicago Inter Ocean'', also known as the ''Chicago Inter-Ocean'', is the name used for most of its history by a newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, from 1865 until 1914. Its editors included Charles A. Dana and Byron Andrews. Histo ...

'' ran a story in 1903 about how Plumacher discouraged others seeking his consul post by highlighting the deadly diseases and dangers surrounding the post. Plumacher corresponded with Dr. Charles Sajous. In his memoirs he discusses various aspects of life in Maracaibo. Plumacher retired from his consul position in 1910 and died 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 ...

, on September 25 of the same year. He was buried in Glenwood Cemetery, Washington, D.C.

Publications

* Plumacher, Eugene H. ''Memorias'' ("Memoirs"). 1912

Biography

Publications

References

Further reading