Samuel Rene Gummeré (; 1849 – May 28, 1920) was an American lawyer and diplomat who served as US Consul-General in

Tangier Tangier ( ; ; ar, طنجة, Ṭanja) is a city in northwestern Morocco. It is on the Moroccan coast at the western entrance to the Strait of Gibraltar, where the Mediterranean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean off Cape Spartel. The town is the cap ...

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...

from 1898–1905, and Ambassador to Morocco from 1905–09, and became well known for his roles in the

Perdicaris incident The Perdicaris affair, also known as the Perdicaris incident, refers to the kidnapping of Greek-American Ion Hanford Perdicaris (1840–1925) and his stepson, Cromwell Varley, a British subject, by Ahmed al-Raisuni and his bandits on 18 May ...

of 1904 and the

Algeciras Conference The Algeciras Conference of 1906 took place in Algeciras, Spain, and lasted from 16 January to 7 April. The purpose of the conference was to find a solution to the First Moroccan Crisis of 1905 between France and Germany, which arose as Germany ...

two years later.

Biography

Born in

Trenton, New Jersey Trenton is the capital city of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. It was the capital of the United States from November 1 to December 24, 1784.William McKinley William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in ...

and was later made Ambassador. He was considered a "diplomat of polish and ability, and a brilliant conversationalist and raconteur." He became an important player in the

, in which Berber chieftain

Mulai Ahmed er Raisuli Mulai Ahmed er Raisuni (Arabic: "مولاي أحمد الريسوني", known as Raisuli to most English speakers, also Raissoulli, Rais Uli, and Raysuni; 1871 – April 1925) was a Sharif (descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad), and a leader ...

kidnapped American expatriates

Ion Perdicaris Ion Hanford Perdicaris (April 1, 1840 – May 31, 1925) was an author, professor, lawyer, painter, and playwright. He was a humanitarian and human rights activist. He fought for the rights of Moors, Arabs and slaves. He was active in the anti-sl ...

and his stepson,

Cromwell Varley Cromwell Fleetwood Varley, FRSA (6 April 1828 – 2 September 1883) was an English engineer, particularly associated with the development of the electric telegraph and the transatlantic telegraph cable. He also took interest in the claims of p ...

. Gummeré, a personal friend and former business partner of Perdicaris, initially advocated military action, but President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

and Secretary of State

John Hay John Milton Hay (October 8, 1838July 1, 1905) was an American statesman and official whose career in government stretched over almost half a century. Beginning as a private secretary and assistant to Abraham Lincoln, Hay's highest office was Un ...

were more cautious, arguing that the situation in Morocco — which was maintaining a precarious independence due to the intrigues of foreign powers such as

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

, Britain,

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, and

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

— made military action impractical. Gummeré met with the Ambassadors of France and Britain, and they agreed to help pressure the Sultan to meet Raisuli's demands. Raisuli agreed to release his hostage, but after this Hay sent Gummeré the famous telegraph which read: "Perdicaris Alive or Raisuli Dead!" largely as a matter of saving face. Gummeré later found out that Perdicaris was not in fact an American citizen (having become a naturalized citizen of

Greece Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...

during 1862) and angrily demanded an explanation, leading to a falling out between the former friends. Gummeré was appointed as the first US Minister to Morocco as a reward for his service in resolving the crisis. Later, he served as one of the American mediators, under Ambassador to Italy Henry White, in the Algeciras Conference of 1906, which helped resolve European tensions over Morocco. The conference called for the organization of a State Bank for Morocco and the organization of a Moroccan native police force — albeit under European supervision. While the Europeans backed this plan, Moroccan Sultan Abdelaziz was initially reluctant, finally agreeing to sign it on June 18. The conference also rebuked French attempts to establish Morocco as a protectorate; but ultimately, French control of Morocco was only staved off for six years. After 1909 Gummeré retired from public life, dying eleven years later. In the heavily fictionalized film '' The Wind and the Lion'' (1975), which deals with the Perdicaris incident, he was portrayed by Geoffrey Lewis.

Awards and honors

Gummeré was awarded an honorary degree from

Brown University Brown University is a private research university in Providence, Rhode Island. Brown is the seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, founded in 1764 as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providenc ...

in 1865.

Notes

External links

Capital Century Article: "Perdicaris Alive or Raisuli Dead!"History of the US Legation in Tangier
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gummere, Samuel R. 1849 births 1920 deaths Foreign relations of Morocco People from Trenton, New Jersey Ambassadors of the United States to Morocco