Theodore Sedgwick Fay (February 10, 1807 – November 17, 1898) was an American writer who spent much of his life in

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 ...

Biography

Fay initially worked as a clerk for his father, an attorney. His father died in 1825, and he continued long enough in law to be admitted to the bar in 1828, but he quickly left the legal profession for periodical journalism, where he made a name for himself for some years. To this period belongs his book ''Dreams and Reveries of a Quiet Man'' (2 vols., 1832), which contained papers he had written for the ''

New York Mirror The ''New-York Mirror'' was a weekly newspaper published in New York City from ''1823 to 1842''. Founded by George Pope Morris and Samuel Woodworth, it was a prominent publication that focused on literature, the fine arts, and local news. It playe ...

'', where he was an editor beginning in 1828. He married Laura Gardenier in 1833 and went traveling in Europe for three years while sending back articles to the ''Mirror''. He served with ability in the United States diplomatic service, first as secretary of the legation at London briefly (1837), then at Berlin (1837–53), and next (1853–61) as Minister at

Bern Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...

, Switzerland. In 1859, Fay delivered a report to the

Swiss Federal Council The Federal Council is the federal cabinet of the Swiss Confederation. Its seven members also serve as the collective head of state and government of Switzerland. Since World War II, the Federal Council is by convention a permanent grand co ...

that was to be considerably influential in the struggle for the emancipation of Jews in Switzerland. The "Denkschrift betreffend die Zulassung der nordamerikanischen Israeliten zur Niederlassung in der Schweiz" (Memorandum concerning the admission of North American Israelites to settle in Switzerland) gave an overview of the existing discriminatory laws against Jews in Switzerland, also going into great depths to refute all arguments that supported these laws. Fay had visited many Jewish communities in the region under the guidance of Rabbi Moïse Nordmann of Hegenheim. Following this report, which had been printed and distributed to the Swiss cantons, small changes were undertaken on the cantonal level, contributing on a larger scale to the eventual emancipation of the Jews in Switzerland in 1866. Fay retired from his diplomatic career in 1861. He then moved to Berlin. His first wife died while he was at Bern, and he later married a German woman.

Works

Other works include:
''Views in New-York and its environs, from accurate, characteristic & picturesque drawings, taken on the spot, expressly for this work''
(New York: Peabody & Co., 1831). With

James H. Dakin James Harrison Dakin (August 24, 1806 – May 13, 1852) was an American architect who designed Neo-Gothic buildings and was the architect for the Old Louisiana State Capitol, Old Bank of Louisville, and other public buildings. Early life Dakin ...

.
collection of engravings
with commentary by Fay. * ''Norman Leslie: A Tale of the Present Times'' (2 vols., 1835) Some say this book was a best seller until it received a poor review from

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre. He is widely re ...

. However, others say sales of the book were increased by the controversy Poe's review ignited. Louisa H. Medina adapted the book into a successful play. * ''Sydney Clifton'' (1839) * ''The Countess Ida'' (1841) A didactic novel criticizing the practice of

dueling A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in t ...

. * ''Hoboken, a Romance'' (1843) Another didactic novel on the dueling theme. * ''Ulric'', a poem (1851) Looks at the impact of

Lutheranism Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

on a German captain. * ''Views of Christianity'' (1856) * ''A Great Outline of Geography'' (2 vols., 1867) A textbook. * ''First Steps in Geography'' (1873) A textbook. * ''Die Sklavenmacht: Blicke in die Geschichte der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika'' ("The slave power: a look into the history of the United States of America," Berlin, 1865) Written to respond to criticism. * ''Die Alabama-Frage'' ("The

Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...

Question," Leipzig, 1872) Also written in response to criticism. * ''The Three Germanys'' (2 vols., 1889) Political history. * ''History of Switzerland'' He also wrote for periodicals throughout his life.

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Fay, Theodore Sedgwick 1807 births 1898 deaths 19th-century American diplomats Expatriates in the Kingdom of Prussia 19th-century American writers 19th-century German writers 19th-century German male writers 19th-century American male writers