[Untitled]
Department of State,
Washington, August 24,
1906.
To the diplomatic officers of the
United States.
Gentlemen: I transmit herewith copies of the
act of April 5, 1906, providing for the reorganization of the consular
service of the United States.
Among the various provisions of the act is one creating a corps of five
inspectors of consulates, to be appointed by the President, with the
advice and consent of the Senate, from the members of the consular force
possessing the requisite qualifications of experience and ability and to
be designated and commissioned as consuls-general at large.
These officers are to make such inspections of consular offices as the
Secretary of State shall direct, an inspection of each consular office
to be made at least once in every two years. Whenever the President
shall have reason to believe that the business of a consulate-general or
consulate is not being properly conducted, the act provides that he may
authorize a consul-general at large to suspend the officer or officers
in charge and administer the office for a period not exceeding ninety
days. Consuls-general at large are bonded officers, and possess the
rights and powers which are ordinarily enjoyed by other consular
officers.
Each consul-general at large will be assigned to a territory embracing
several political divisions, and it will not be practicable to make
application in the usual way for an exequatur. It therefore becomes of
the highest importance that an arrangement be effected whereby these
officers may be so recognized by foreign governments that in case it
should become necessary for one of them to take charge of any consular
office and administer it the only formality necessary to complete
recognition sufficiently broad to enable the officer to perform all the
duties ordinarily devolving upon a consul-general shall be a formal
notification to the government of the country in which the office is
situated, through the diplomatic representative of the United States,
and the usual notification to the local authorities by the
consul-general at large.
As the title of consul-general at large was selected with special
reference to bringing these officers within the scope of our consular
treaties, and as the occasions upon which it will be necessary to take
charge of consular offices will probably be of infrequent occurrence, it
is hoped that the plan outlined will be agreeable to the government to
which you are accredited.
You will lay the matter before the proper authority, together with the
inclosed list of the members of the corps of consuls-general at large
and copy of the commission that has been issued to each of them, and you
will request that recognition be granted in such form that, in case it
should be necessary hereafter for one of those officers to take charge
of an American consular office in the country in which you reside, he
may be enabled to enter upon his duties without delay and without
further formalities than a notification given to the government through
our diplomatic representative, together with an
[Page 7]
announcement to the local authorities of the fact
that he has taken charge of the consular office.
I am, etc.,
Robert Bacon,
Acting Secretary.
List and records of the consuls-general at
large.
Note.—Recognition was accorded by every
government addressed.
Bartleman, Richard M.: Appointed secretary of the legation at Caracas
June 14, 1890; appointed consul at Antigua November 14, 1895;
appointed consul at Malaga June 11, 1896; retired April, 1898;
reappointed consul at Malaga June 27, 1899; appointed consul at
Geneva May 8, 1900; appointed consul at Valencia October 31, 1900,
to take effect January 1, 1901; appointed consul at Cadiz February
12, 1903; appointed consul at Seville May 7, 1904; appointed
consul-general at large May 14, 1906, to take effect July 1,
1906.
Cheshire, Fleming D.: Appointed acting interpreter to the consulate
at Fuchau September, 1877; appointed vice-consul at Fuchau August 7,
1878; in charge of consulate at Fuchau from November 20, 1878, to
June 8, 1879; in charge of the consulate at Canton from October 18,
1879, to April 19, 1880; appointed interpreter to the consulate at
Fuchau March 17, 1880; appointed interpreter to the
consulate-general at Shanghai June 19, 1880; appointed also
vice-consul-general at Shanghai March 22, 1882; in charge of
consulate-general at Shanghai from August 24, 1882, to May 10, 1883,
and from December 15, 1883, to July, 1884; appointed acting
interpreter to the legation at Peking August, 1884; appointed
interpreter to the legation at Peking Sepember 2, 1884; appointed
Chinese secretary to the legation at Peking May 16, 1900, to take
effect July 1, 1900; resigned February 21, 1901; served as Chinese
secretary to the special plenipotentiary of the United States, April
to September, 1901; appointed consul-general at Mukden January 22,
1904; appointed consul-general at large May 24, 1906, to take effect
July 1, 1906.
Dickinson, Charles M.: Appointed consul-general at Constantinople
September 17, 1897; appointed also agent at Sofia April 24, 1901, to
take effect July 1, 1901; retired as agent at Sofia June 30, 1903;
appointed consul-general at large May 14, 1906, to take effect July
1, 1906.
Murphy, George H.: Appointed consular clerk June 22, 1886; appointed
vice and deputy consul at Chemnitz September 7, 1886; appointed
deputy consul-general at Berlin March 7, 1889; appointed vice and
deputy consul-general April 8, 1890; appointed consular agent at
Hanover December 23, 1890; appointed vice-commercial agent at
Luxemburg June 30, 1893; retired as vice-commercial agent February
13, 1896; appointed vice-consul at Colon January 17, 1898;
designated to inspect consulates on the west coast of Colombia,
Central America, and Mexico March 17, 1898; retired as vice-consul
April 18, 1898; designated to inspect certain consulates in Mexico
November 19, 1898; appointed vice and deputy consul at Bremen
September 20, 1899; appointed vice and deputy consul at Magdeburg
February 5, 1900; appointed vice and deputy consul-general at
Frankfort December 1, 1900; appointed consular agent at St.
Catharines March 13, 1905; appointed consul-general at large May 23,
1906, to take effect July 1, 1906.
Washington, Horace Lee: Appointed confidential clerk to Third
Assistant Secretary of State June 4, 1892; appointed vice and deputy
consul-general at Cairo October 1, 1894; appointed consul at
Alexandretta October 30, 1896; appointed consul at Valencia June 13,
1899; appointed consul at Geneva October 31, 1900, to take effect
January 1, 1901; appointed consul-general at Cape Town March 18,
1905; appointed consul-general at large May 18, 1906, to take effect
July 1, 1906.
Copy of commission of consul-general at
large.
The President of the United States
of America to all ivho shall see these presents,
greeting:
Know ye, that reposing special trust and confidence in the abilities
and integrity of ——— ———, of——— ———, I have nominated and, by and
with the advice and consent of the Senate, do appoint him
consul-general at large of the
[Page 8]
United States of America, to take effect——— ———; and do authorize
and empower him to have and to hold the said office, and to exercise
and enjoy all the rights, preeminences, privileges, and authorities
to the same of right appertaining, during the pleasure ofthe
President of the United States for the time being; the said———
———demanding and receiving no fees or perquisites of office whatever
which shall not be expressly established by some law of the said
United States; and I do hereby enjoin all captains, masters, and
commanders of ships and other vessels, armed and unarmed, sailing
under the flag of the said States, as well as all other of their
citizens, to acknowledge and consider him the said———
———accordingly; and I do hereby pray and request all rulers,
governors, and officers to permit the said——— ———fully and peaceably
to enjoy and exercise the said office, without giving, or suffering
to be given unto him, any molestation or trouble, but, on the
contrary, to afford him all proper countenance and assistance, I
offering to do the same for all those who shall in like manner be
recommended to me by the said rulers.
In testimony whereof I have caused these letters to be made patent,
and the seal of the United States to be hereunto affixed.
Given under my hand at the city of
Washington, the ——
day of ——, in the year of our Lord one thousand nine hundred
and ——, and of the Independence of the United States of
America the one hundred and ——.
[seal.]
By the President:
—— ——,
Secretary
of State.