Appointment Credentials Consul Bohr
Appointment Credentials Consul Bohr
Frank Bohr served in the Department of State for 26 years from 1909 until 1935. These are three of his diplomatic appointment credentials signed by three different Secretary of State. For a passport collector, it is always exciting to find diplomatic passports from a consul or ambassador, and I had even once a diplomatic passport of a president. I was once offered even the passport of a former U.S. Secretary of State (one of the ten still living). But to find such appointment credentials is something special.
Bohr, Frank (b. 1877) — of Calexico, Imperial County, Calif.; Ann Arbor, Washtenaw County, Mich. Born in Wathena, Doniphan County, Kan., October 5, 1877. Republican. U.S. Deputy Consul General in Berlin, 1909-11; U.S. Vice & Deputy Consul General in Santo Domingo, 1911-13; U.S. Vice Consul in Zurich, 1913-18; U.S. Consul in Cienfuegos, 1919-25; Mexicali, 1925-32; Sault Ste. Marie, 1932-35. His death date and the burial location are unknown. Appointment Credentials Consul Bohr
Bohr’s annual salary in Berlin as Deputy Consul (his first diplomatic post) was USD 1000 and in 1925 as Consul at Mexicali at USD 4000, according to the State Department register.
Robert Lansing (October 17, 1864 – October 30, 1928) was an American lawyer and high government official who served as Counselor to the State Department at the outbreak of World War I, and then as United States Secretary of State under President Woodrow Wilson from 1915 to 1920. A conservative pro-business Democrat, he was pro-British and a staunch defender of American rights at international law. He was a leading enemy of Germany autocracy and Russian Bolshevism.
Alvey Augustus Adee (November 27, 1842 – July 4, 1924) was a long-time official with the United States Department of State who served as the acting Secretary of State in 1898 during the Spanish–American War. He was the second of three senior State Department officials—the first being William Hunter and the third Wilbur J. Carr—whose overlapping careers provided continuity and proper management in American foreign policy for over a century, from the administration of President Andrew Jackson until that of Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Francis Mairs Huntington Wilson (1875-1946) was a United States diplomat and author who served as United States Assistant Secretary of State from 1909 to 1913. After college, Wilson joined the United States Consular and Diplomatic Service, becoming a Second Secretary at the United States Legation in Tokyo. He was promoted to First Secretary in 1900 and then to Chargé d’Affaires in 1901. Wilson returned to the United States in 1906, becoming Third Assistant Secretary of State in Washington, D.C., and the Chairman of the Board of Examiners of the Consular and Diplomatic Service. With the outbreak of the Young Turk Revolution in 1908, President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt named Wilson Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Ottoman Empire. He was also sent on a mission to Argentina.
He worked briefly for the National City Bank in New York City, before becoming president of a Waterbury, Connecticut company that made signaling devices. He then returned to Philadelphia, serving as Director of the Philadelphia Commercial Museum from 1928 to 1932. Wilson married his third wife, Hope Butler of New York City, in 1925. Wilson died in New Haven, Connecticut, on December 31, 1946.
The appointment credentials signed by Wilson are the most interesting ones.
Appointment Credentials Consul Bohr
FAQ Passport History
Passport collection, passport renewal, old passports for sale, vintage passport, emergency passport renewal, same day passport, passport application, pasaporte passeport паспорт 护照 パスポート جواز سفر पासपोर्ट
1. What are the earliest known examples of passports, and how have they evolved?
The word "passport" came up only in the mid 15th Century. Before that, such documents were safe conducts, recommendations or protection letters. On a practical aspect, the earliest passport I have seen was from the mid 16th Century. Read more...
2. Are there any notable historical figures or personalities whose passports are highly sought after by collectors?
Every collector is doing well to define his collection focus, and yes, there are collectors looking for Celebrity passports and travel documents of historical figures like Winston Churchill, Brothers Grimm, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Read more...
3. How did passport designs and security features change throughout different periods in history, and what impact did these changes have on forgery prevention?
"Passports" before the 18th Century had a pure functional character. Security features were, in the best case, a watermark and a wax seal. Forgery, back then, was not an issue like it is nowadays. Only from the 1980s on, security features became a thing. A state-of-the-art passport nowadays has dozens of security features - visible and invisible. Some are known only by the security document printer itself. Read more...
4. What are some of the rarest and most valuable historical passports that have ever been sold or auctioned?
Lou Gehrig, Victor Tsoi, Marilyn Monroe, James Joyce, and Albert Einstein when it comes to the most expensive ones. Read more...
5. How do diplomatic passports differ from regular passports, and what makes them significant to collectors?
Such documents were often held by officials in high ranks, like ambassadors, consuls or special envoys. Furthermore, these travel documents are often frequently traveled. Hence, they hold a tapestry of stamps or visas. Partly from unusual places.
6. Can you provide insights into the stories behind specific historical passports that offer unique insights into past travel and migration trends?
A passport tells the story of its bearer and these stories can be everything - surprising, sad, vivid. Isabella Bird and her travels (1831-1904) or Mary Kingsley, a fearless Lady explorer.
7. What role did passports play during significant historical events, such as wartime travel restrictions or international treaties?
During war, a passport could have been a matter of life or death. Especially, when we are looking into WWII and the Holocaust. And yes, during that time, passports and similar documents were often forged to escape and save lives. Example...
8. How has the emergence of digital passports and biometric identification impacted the world of passport collecting?
Current modern passports having now often a sparkling, flashy design. This has mainly two reasons. 1. Improved security and 2. Displaying a countries' heritage, icons, and important figures or achievements. I can fully understand that those modern documents are wanted, especially by younger collectors.
9. Are there any specialized collections of passports, such as those from a specific country, era, or distinguished individuals?
Yes, the University of Western Sidney Library has e.g. a passport collection of the former prime minister Hon Edward Gough Whitlam and his wife Margaret. They are all diplomatic passports and I had the pleasure to apprise them. I hold e.g. a collection of almost all types of the German Empire passports (only 2 types are still missing). Also, my East German passport collection is quite extensive with pretty rare passport types.
10. Where can passport collectors find reliable resources and reputable sellers to expand their collection and learn more about passport history?
A good start is eBay, Delcampe, flea markets, garage or estate sales. The more significant travel documents you probably find at the classic auction houses. Sometimes I also offer documents from my archive/collection. See offers... As you are already here, you surely found a great source on the topic 😉
Other great sources are: Scottish Passports, The Nansen passport, The secret lives of diplomatic couriers
11. Is vintage passport collecting legal? What are the regulations and considerations collectors should know when acquiring historical passports?
First, it's important to stress that each country has its own laws when it comes to passports. Collecting old vintage passports for historical or educational reasons is safe and legal, or at least tolerated. More details on the legal aspects are here...
Does this article spark your curiosity about passport collecting and the history of passports? With this valuable information, you have a good basis to start your own passport collection.
Question? Contact me...