Henry Wikoff (c. 1812 – 28 April 1884), known as the ''Chevalier'' Wikoff, was an American traveler, writer,

impresario An impresario (from Italian ''impresa'', 'an enterprise or undertaking') is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, Play (theatre), plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film producer, film or ...

and diplomat.

Biography

Wikoff was born in

Philadelphia 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 ...

, the illegitimate son of a doctor who owned

Blockley Township, Pennsylvania Blockley Township was a township that was located in Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, United States. Incorporated in 1704, the township was incorporated into the City of Philadelphia under the 1854 Act of Consolidation. History An irregularl ...

. Despite his birth status, he inherited a sizable fortune, which enabled him to travel extensively in Europe.Crain, Caleb. "The Courtship of Henry Wikoff," ''American Literary History'' 18.4 (2006): pp. 659-94 He graduated from

Union College Union College is a Private university, private liberal arts college in Schenectady, New York, United States. Founded in 1795, it was the first institution of higher learning chartered by the New York State Board of Regents, and second in the s ...

in 1831,''Appletons' Cyclopedia of American Biography, 1600-1889'' and then attended the College of New Jersey (but did not get a degree). He was

admitted to the bar An admission to practice law is acquired when a lawyer receives a license to practice law. In jurisdictions with two types of lawyer, as with barristers and solicitors, barristers must gain admission to the bar whereas for solicitors there are dist ...

in Pennsylvania in 1834. That same year, Wikoff then went to Europe, where he acted as a diplomatic agent for the United States, Britain, and France at different times, and even spent some time in prison in Italy. Upon returning to America, he was responsible for the successful tour by famous dancer

Fanny Elssler Fanny Elssler (born Franziska Elßler; 23 June 181027 November 1884) was an Austrian ''ballerina'' of the Romantic Period. Life and career She was born in Gumpendorf, a neighborhood of Vienna. Her father Johann Florian Elssler was a secon ...

in 1840. In 1852, after a sensational trial in front of the High Court of

Genoa Genoa ( ; ; ) is a city in and the capital of the Italian region of Liguria, and the sixth-largest city in Italy. As of 2025, 563,947 people live within the city's administrative limits. While its metropolitan city has 818,651 inhabitan ...

, he and a conspirator, Frenchman Louis Vannaud, were sentenced to 15 months in prison for attempting to force an heiress, Miss G. C. Gamble, into marriage in order to gain access to her fortune. Wikoff became a close friend of First Lady

Mary Todd Lincoln Mary Ann Todd Lincoln (Birth name, née Todd; December 13, 1818July 16, 1882) was First Lady of the United States from 1861 until the assassination of her husband, President Abraham Lincoln, in 1865. Mary Todd was born into a large and wealthy ...

, which created some scandalous gossip. Likely due to this relationship, Wikoff was involved in leaking portions of

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

's 1861 State of the Union Address to the press, which he possibly obtained from Mary Todd Lincoln. He was friendly with the Bonaparte imperial family in France, and was awarded the

Grand Cross Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Gran ...

of the

Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and civil. Currently consisting of five classes, it was ...

Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...

, which gave him the title of ''Chevalier'' (Knight), and was made Knight Commander of the

Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic The Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (; Abbreviation, Abbr.: OYC) is a knighthood and one of the three preeminent Order of merit, orders of merit bestowed by the Kingdom of Spain, alongside the Order of Charles III (established in 1771) and ...

, by the

King of Spain The monarchy of Spain or Spanish monarchy () is the constitutional form of government of Spain. It consists of a Hereditary monarchy, hereditary monarch who reigns as the head of state, being the highest office of the country. The Spanish ...

in 1871. He acted as an undercover reporter for the ''

New York Herald The ''New York Herald'' was a large-distribution newspaper based in New York City that existed between 1835 and 1924. At that point it was acquired by its smaller rival the '' New-York Tribune'' to form the '' New York Herald Tribune''. Hi ...

'', making use of his presence in government circles. Wikoff died 28 April 1884 in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

, England, age 72 or 74.

Works

*''Napoleon Louis Bonaparte, First President of France; Biographical and Personal Sketches, Including a Visit to the Prince at the Castle of Ham.'' New York: George P. Putnam, 1849 *''My Courtship and its Consequences.'' New York: J. C. Derby, 1855 *''The Adventures of a Roving Diplomatist.'' New York: W. P. Fetridge, 1857 *
Memoir of Ginevra Guerrabella
'. New York: T.J. Crowan, 1863
''Reminiscences of an Idler.''
New York: Fords, Howard & Hulbert, 1880

References

External links

Mary’s Charlatans: Chevalier Henry Wikoff (1813-1884)
''The Lehrman Institute'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Wikoff, Henry 1884 deaths 1810s births Date of birth unknown American male writers Lawyers from Philadelphia Grand Cross of the Legion of Honour Union College (New York) alumni 19th-century American lawyers