Jacob S. Haldeman
Jacob Samils Haldeman (October 13, 1821 – November., 1889) was an American banker, politician and ambassador. A resident of Template:City-state, he served in the House of Representatives and the Senate of the Pennsylvania Legislature from 1850 to 1855. From 1861 to 1864 he was United States Minister Resident to Sweden and Norway. He was married to Caroline R. Hummel, with whom he had two daughters. In March 1861 Lincoln nominated Haldeman as Minister to Sweden and Norway following a suggestion by Simon Cameron.[1]
In May 1861 Jacob Haldeman left his home in Harrisburg and travelled to Stockholm with his family. At his arrival in June 1861 he was greeted by the Swedish foreign minister who took the opportunity to express his government's sympathy for the Union cause. On June 14, 1861, Haldeman wrote that "from the limited oppurtunity I have had to judge, I have no hesitation in the declaration of opinion that the sympathy of the entire North of Europe is almost unanimously in favor of the existing government in the United States. The emigration of this part of Europe having been to the Northern or free States, they speak of it as if they would like to give active aid to their friends, relations, and countrymen. The public voice of the nation represented by a free press is clearly and emphatically in favor of my government." [2]
During the course of the war, Haldeman sent reports to the United States Secreteary of State, William H. Seward. The reports concerned immigration from the Scandinanvian countries, rumours regarding Confederate activities in the kingdoms of Sweden and Norway and the attitudes of the Swedish people and government towards the Union. When it was rumoured that confederate representatives was seeking recognition from Sweden Seward wrote to Haldeman: "The president confidentially relies upon your well-known vigilance and activity as well as upon the friendly disposition of the Swedish government to prevent the carrying into effect of any such design".[3] Haldeman also suggested, among other things. that the U.S. should open a consulate in Kristiania (Oslo) in Norway. He also played a role in helping a Swedish army officer to gain a commission in the Union army.
Haldeman's wife, Caroline Haldeman frequently met with the famous Swedish author Fredrika Bremer, who described the minister's wife as "a lady of most uncommon sense, cleverness and knowledge of American affairs".[4] During a visit to Norway Caroline bought a gift to Seward's daughter. During periods of his stay in Stockholm Haldeman was sick.
In early 1864 Haldeman was recalled from his post. Although Haldeman was an official U.S. diplomat, he spoke quite openly about his symphaties for the Confederacy, which may have been the reason for William Seward's dissatisfaction with him, according to a letter from Swedish foreign minister Ludvig Manderström to Swedish minister Count Piper in 1864.[5]
Haldeman was replaced by James Hepburn Campbell, a fellow Pennsylvanian and outspoken abolitionist. In the fall of 1864 Haldeman had left Stockholm and travelled to Hamburg, en route for America, there he was arrested and imprisoned by the Hamburg authorities, due to some misunderstanding about the payment of a hotell's bill. On 5th of October, Haldeman was allowed to proceed on his journey. As a result of the treatment he received, he protested to the syndicus of Foreign affairs.[6]
Haldeman attempted to gain a new diplomatic post from Seward, in 1867 he wrote to Seward asking for a diplomatic mission to Europe. [7] It appears that Seward did not grant him any more diplomatic posts. Jacob S Haldeman is buried in Dauphin county, Pennsylvania, next to his wife.
References
- ^ Lincoln, Abraham (2008). The Collected Works of Abraham Lincoln. Vol. 4. Wildside Press. p. 283. ISBN 9781434476982.
- ^ Hokanson, Nels (1942) Swedish Immigrants in Lincoln’s Time, Harper and brothers publishing, New York. p. 148.
- ^ Haldeman's reports are availabe online at University of Wisconsin Digital Collections, “Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS). Annual message of the President, 1861-1865.” http://digital.library.wisc.edu/1711.dl/FRUS
- ^ Burman, Carina (1996) Fredrika Bremer Brev Ny följd II 1853-1865, Gidlunds Förlag, Smedjebacken, p. 367. Fredrika Bremer was a well known liberal and women's right's advocate and had travelled extensively in the United States during the 1850's and published several articles and books about her experiences. Her negative attitude to and descriptions of slavery in the South, had a great impact on forming the Swedish public opinion during the Civil War. Like many other liberals during in her time, Fredrika Bremer publicly expressed sympathy for the Union cause, but also felt sympathy for her friends in the South.
- ^ "[...] Here he has used a quite careless language, and in no way hidden his sympathies for the southern states.[...]" Private letter from Ludvig Manderström to Count Piper, the Swedish-Norwegian minister to Washington, dated 22nd May 1864, Carl Edvard Wilhelm Pipers arkiv, volym 1, Engsöarkivet, Riksarkivet, Stockholm. In the same letter Manderström mentions that Haldeman "seemed like an honest man" and "had carried out his official obligations".
- ^ Haldeman, Jacob Samils, 1823(?)-1889, Letter from Jacob Samils Haldeman, October 5, 1864, in Life and Letters of Judge Thomas J. Anderson and Wife: including a Few Letters from Children and Others: Mostly Written During the Civil War: a History. Anderson, James House and Anderson, Nancy, eds., : Press of F. J. Heer, 1904, pp. 535. S1544-D227 [Bibliographic Details] [10-5-1864] Haldem:L1544-227
- ^ Letter from Jacob S. Haldeman to William H. Seward, dated 11th May 1867, Harrisburg, The William Henry Seward Papers, Rochester Library, New York.
External links
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