Joseph Fenwick – 1st consular post in US History

France, Bordeaux, American Consulate

La Maison Fenwick, the first and oldest American Consulate in history, has occupied this site since 1790 in Bordeaux.

The building long ago took the name of the American occupant and chief tenant in 1790, Joseph Fenwick. He became the First U.S. Consul and was from a family with Maryland and South Carolina connections. The plaque, in French and English, reads… Joseph Fenwick Consul Bordeaux.

“Here lived Joseph Fenwick, who became the first American Consul in Bordeaux in 1790. Mayor Jacques Chaban-Delmas unveiled this plaque on November 26, 1990, commemorates the Bicentennial of the U.S. Consulate in Bordeaux, the oldest American Consulate in the world.”

Charleston merchants were very familiar with Bordeaux in 1790. It had been one of the significant points of entry for South Carolina commodities for decades. Major European markets highly valued trading Carolina gold rice, sea island cotton, and raw indigo dye as valuable products.

The profits were used to buy manufactured goods and finished products for the latest resale in Charleston and other American markets. International trade requires regular and reliable contacts to maintain the confidence between sellers and buyers and maintain the reputation of the goods traded. America’s first Consulate logically established itself in a port essential to 18th and 19th century Europe, such as Charleston. Joseph Fenwick Consul Bordeaux

Bordeaux during the French Revolution

Unlike Paris in 1790, Bordeaux was still a stable and conservative business environment as the French Revolution began. The turmoil in Paris and the value of keeping trade opportunities open underscored the importance of a permanent representative to oversee American interests at a chief point of entry into the country.

Bordeaux would eventually experience the violence of the Red Terror, but its trade relations with other important ports worldwide survived, largely undisturbed, well into the 20th century. The fame of Bordeaux wine and the world demand for it to match probably helped keep those trade routes the preferred ones for many foreign brokers, factors, and merchant ship captains.

The U.S. consular’s offices in Bordeaux

would be the first of many such consulates to be established by the U.S. in places other than national capitals. The importance of this one is that it was the first. It is also the one that has remained open longer than any other. Just as importantly, the Hotel de Fenwick, Joseph Fenwick’s former residence and offices still in use, is a reminder of the historical relationship that has always existed between the U.S. and France…even when our governments have been less than agreeable.

Note: According to a reference on the website eDiplomat.com, the history of this American Consulate has been on hold since 1976. The story of this and other U.S. Consular offices are recounted in Consular Tales, an online record. The reference states: Consular Tales was inspired by the closing of the American Consulate General in Bordeaux as a budgetary decision by the Clinton Administration in 1996. Joseph Fenwick Consul Bordeaux

President George Washington opened our oldest American Consulate General in 1790. The mission was only closed briefly twice in its long history, when war between France and the United States seemed possible at the end of the eighteenth century and during the Second World War, during the Nazi Occupation.

The first consular post in U.S. history was established in France in 1778

The first U.S. consular post was established in Bordeaux, France, in March 1778. At that time, Consular Agent^* John Bondfield (a Canadian who had joined the American cause) held the post. One year later, in 1779, Benjamin Franklin established the American mission in Paris. *a consular officer of the lowest rank, often a designated foreign national, stationed at a place where no full consular service is established.

No American consuls began their service until 1781 Joseph Fenwick Consul Bordeaux

William Palfrey of Massachusetts was the first U.S. consul, appointed Nov 1780, but he was lost at sea on the way to his post. His name is the first on the memorial plaque in the lobby of the Department of State that honors U.S. diplomats who lost their lives under heroic or tragic circumstances. Thomas Barclay of Pennsylvania was appointed Consul in France on October 2, 1781, replacing William Palfrey.

Joseph Fenwick Accidentally Captures an American Vessel

When a ship owned by Fenwick captured an American warship, he found himself in hot trouble. Following the Revolutionary War, Joseph and James Fenwick established a trading enterprise. Even though they were both from Maryland’s prominent Fenwick family, Joseph went to France to run their European branch. They were a huge hit, even getting French wine for none other than George Washington.

During the ratification of the Constitution, John Mason’s joining prompted a change in the firm’s name to Fenwick, Mason, & Company. Although John’s father, George Mason, disappointed Washington by opposing ratification, Mason wrote on Joseph Fenwick’s behalf when the latter became president. Fenwick seemed to be the right man to represent Bordeaux when the new administration wanted to designate Consuls.

Mason openly acknowledges that he did this not to generate money for Fenwick but to evade paying French taxes. Joseph Fenwick became the First Consul to Bordeaux after obtaining additional backing from George Plater and a change of heart from Thomas Jefferson.

Capturing Americans Joseph Fenwick Consul Bordeaux

Joseph got himself into some problems after eight years as Consul. Privateers on both sides were taking ships when the Quasi-War with France erupted. Authorities ousted Fenwick as Consul when ten seamen reported that he partially owned a ship involved in capturing an American vessel.

It’s worth noting that he claimed he had no idea his merchant ship had become a pirate, although he should have known what his Captain was up to. When newspapers began publishing claims that Joseph continued to function in his diplomatic post after his departure, Joseph defended his actions.

Fenwick returned to America and maintained his reputation. In the end, public opinion split along party lines. Democrats sided with Joseph; Republicans sympathized with him. Despite this, Fenwick spent his life trying to reclaim the $10,000 owed for his U.S. service.

The Passport Joseph Fenwick Consul Bordeaux

A small-sized U.S. passport in French, measuring 19 x 30 cm, was issued to 38-year-old John Bodkin. It bears signatures of Fenwick and Bodkin. Nothing of the back. Bordeaux’s First Consul Joseph Fenwick issued this fantastic early document, a fantastic piece of American/French history.

Robert Livingston 1804 Passport

 

Tom Topol | Passport History Expert & Author.
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