Gustav Georg Friedrich Bohlen-Halbach since 1871 von Bohlen-Halbach (April 27, 1831 – November 9, 1890) was an American-born German diplomat, court master of ceremonies and

minister resident A resident minister, or resident for short, is a government official required to take up permanent residence in another country. A representative of his government, he officially has diplomatic functions which are often seen as a form of ind ...

for the

Grand Duchy of Baden The Grand Duchy of Baden () was a German polity on the east bank of the Rhine. It originally existed as a sovereign state from 1806 to 1871 and later as part of the German Empire until 1918. The duchy's 12th-century origins were as a Margravia ...

. His fifth son,

Gustav Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach Gustav Georg Friedrich Maria Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach (born Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach; 7 August 1870 – 16 January 1950) was a German diplomat and industrialist. From 1909 to 1945, he headed Friedrich Krupp AG, a heavy industry conglome ...

, married

Bertha Krupp Bertha Krupp von Bohlen und Halbach (born Bertha Krupp; 29 March 1886 – 21 September 1957) was a member of the Krupp family, Germany's leading industrial dynasty of the 19th and 20th centuries. As the elder child and heir of Friedrich Alfred ...

who served as president of the supervisory board of

Krupp Friedrich Krupp AG Hoesch-Krupp (formerly Fried. Krupp AG and Friedrich Krupp GmbH), trade name, trading as Krupp, was the largest company in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century as well as Germany's premier weapons manufacturer dur ...

from 1908 to 1943.

Early life and education

Bohlen-Halbach was born April 27, 1831, in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Arnold Halbach Arnold Halbach (3 July 1787 in Müngsten, near Remscheid – 16 May 1869 in Baden-Baden) was the Prussian Consul in Philadelphia. Biography He was the son of Johann Arnold Halbach and in 1810, he founded a steel plant in the US, to supply ...

, then

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

n consul in Philadelphia (1828–38) and his wife Johanna Karoline Mathilde (née Bohlen; 1800–1882). Despite being born on

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

soil, it's believed that Bohlen-Halbach, was not an

American citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Consti ...

, since his father was a diplomat. He studied

Jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

Heidelberg University Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is Germany's oldest unive ...

where in 1851 he became a member of Corps Guestphalia Heidelberg, a student association. He completed his degree in 1853.Manfred Koch: ''Die badischen Wurzeln der Krupp-Dynastie'', in: Blick in die Geschichte Nr. 103, 27. June 2014 (in German)

Career

In 1858 he applied to the Grand Duchy of Baden for a position in

diplomacy Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of State (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international syste ...

without salary. He initially served at the legation of the

at the Prussian court in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. In 1861 he was transferred to Paris as secretary of the legation and given a salary. In 1862 he was transferred to the Delegation in

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

. Bohlen-Halbach was promoted to envoy extraordinary and minister plenipotentiary in

in 1866 and ennobled on August 14, 1871, adding

von The term () is used in German surnames either as a nobiliary particle indicating a noble patrilineality, or as a simple preposition used by commoners that means or . Nobility directories like the often abbreviate the noble term to ''v.'' ...

to his name. After the embassy was dissolved, he moved to

Karlsruhe Karlsruhe ( ; ; ; South Franconian German, South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, third-largest city of the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, after its capital Stuttgart a ...

in 1878. There he became court ceremonial master in 1881.

Personal life

On December 29, 1862, Bohlen-Halbach, married Sophie (née Bohlen; 1837–1915), at Velsen, Netherlands. She was a daughter of

Henry Bohlen Henry Bohlen (October 22, 1810 – August 22, 1862) was a German-American Union Army, Union Brigadier general (United States), Brigadier General of the American Civil War. Before becoming the first foreign-born Union general in the Civil War, he f ...

, who served as a general in the Union Army and died only months before the wedding in 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 ...

. Her father was a half-brother of Gustav's mother which ultimately made them half-first cousins. They had nine children together; * Arno Heinrich Halbach (1863–1896) * Alwyn Gustav von Bohlen und Halbach (1865–1938) * Harry Carlo von Bohlen und Halbach (1866–1919) * Fritz Petil Borin von Bohlen und Halbach (1868–1941) *

(1870–1950) whom married

* Carolina Emily Sophie Ernestine von Bohlen und Halbach (born 1872) * Emily von Bohlen und Halbach (1874–1939) * Wilhelm Friedrich Hans von Bohlen und Halbach (born 1878) * Kurt von Bohlen und Halbach On October 14, 1871, Bohlen-Halbach, was

ennobled Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally appointed by and ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. Th ...

and therefore added the

to his name, this also applied to his descendants. In 1878, he moved from

, where in October 1885 he purchased Obergrombach Castle near

Bruchsal Bruchsal (; South Franconian: ''Brusl'') is a city at the western edge of the Kraichgau, approximately 20 km northeast of Karlsruhe in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route. Bruchsal is the lar ...

. He died aged 59 in

in 1890 and was buried at Obergrombach.

Legacy

In Obergrombach (

) there are two streets named for the couple; ''Gustav-von-Bohlen-Straße'' and ''Sofienstraße.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halbach, Gustav von Bohlen und 1831 births 1890 deaths German untitled nobility