Edwin Fuller Uhl (August 14, 1841 – May 17, 1901) was a prominent

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

and

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

. He served as

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Grand Rapids, Michigan Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the List of municipalities in Mi ...

, Ambassador to Germany and

United States Assistant Secretary of State Assistant Secretary of State (A/S) is a title used for many executive positions in the United States Department of State, ranking below the under secretaries. A set of six assistant secretaries reporting to the under secretary for political affairs ...

Biography

Uhl was born in the township of Rush, New York, the son of David M. and Catherine (De Garmo) Uhl. The family moved to a farm near

Ypsilanti, Michigan Ypsilanti (), commonly shortened to Ypsi, is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city's population was 20,648. The city is bounded to the north by Superior Township and on the west, south, and ...

in 1844. Uhl graduated from the

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

in 1862 and received an M.A. degree from the same institution in 1863. He then studied law, gaining admission to the Michigan

bar Bar or BAR may refer to: Food and drink * Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages * Candy bar * Chocolate bar Science and technology * Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment * Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud * Bar (u ...

in January 1864, and began practice. He would practice law alone and in partnerships for the next thirty years. On May 1, 1865 Uhl married Alice Follett, the daughter of Benjamin Follett, a prominent citizen and onetime mayor of Ypsilanti. They had four children: Lucy Follett, David Edwin, Alice Edwina and Marshall Mortimer. In 1870 Uhl was elected Prosecuting Attorney of

Washtenaw County Washtenaw County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population was 372,258. The county seat is Ann Arbor. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county in 1826. Washtenaw ...

and served in that office for two years. In 1876 the Uhl family moved to

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

. In 1881 he became president of the Grand Rapids National Bank; he remained in that position until 1893, then returned to it in 1897. At one time he served as President of the Bar Association of Grand Rapids. In 1890 he was elected Mayor of Grand Rapids, serving two years. In 1893 Uhl was appointed Assistant Secretary of State and moved to

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

. From May 28 to June 9, 1895, he served as Acting Secretary of State by appointment of

President Cleveland Stephen Grover Cleveland (March 18, 1837June 24, 1908) was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 22nd and 24th president of the United States from 1885 to 1889 and from 1893 to 1897. Cleveland is the only president in American ...

. In 1895 the federal government appointed him to inspect US

consular office A consul is an official representative of the government of one state in the territory of another, normally acting to assist and protect the citizens of the consul's own country, as well as to facilitate trade and friendship between the people ...

s throughout

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

and in 1896 he was appointed Ambassador to Germany, a post he held until 1897, when the Cleveland administration and its appointees were replaced. He returned to Grand Rapids and resumed his career there until his death four years later. He is buried in

Highland Cemetery Highland Cemetery in Ypsilanti, Michigan is a cemetery founded in 1864. It was designed by Col. James Lewis Glenn in 1863. The cemetery was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2020. History Ypsilanti had earlier cemeteries, est ...

External links

Biography of Edwin F. Uhl, from ''The History of Kent County, Michigan'', Chicago: Chas. C. Chapman & Co., 1881
{{DEFAULTSORT:Uhl, Edwin F. 1841 births 1901 deaths 19th-century American diplomats 19th-century American politicians Acting United States Secretaries of State Ambassadors of the United States to Germany Mayors of Grand Rapids, Michigan People from Rush, New York Politicians from Ypsilanti, Michigan United States Assistant Secretaries of State University of Michigan alumni Burials at Highland Cemetery