The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-01-10
WELD POWER AT HOME
WEDEL FAMILY. ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL IN
GERMANY. REPRESENTED IN WASHINGTON

man envoy st Stockholm. governor Of
Berlin. and the German Ambassador at
Vienna, Is now stakeholder and governor
general Of the Reichslande Alsace-Lor-
raine, which Is the highest dignity Of the
empire. with the exception Of the chan
ceIlorship. Count and Countess Won
Wedel being wealthy, they invested the
viceregal court al StrasbUrg with a mag
nidcence and social glamOr which has
hitherto been lacking. and which goes
far TO reconcile the people Of the con-
quered provinces to German rule. This
member Of the Won Wedel family COM
menced his career in the Hanoverian
army, distinguished himself IN the battles
Of Langensalza under the order OF his
blind king against the PruSsians. subse-
quently Joined the German army at the
time Of the war with France. and after
serving on the staff as aid-de-csmp 20
the late Emperor and as military at
tache 10 several embassies. was finally
appointed by the present Emperor as
envoy az Stockholm
There he fell in love with the widowed
Countess Stephanie Won Piaton. a Swede.
daughter OF that Count Hamilton who
was for so many years governor OF stock
holm, and whose ancestors came from
Scotland 70 Scandinavia. AZ the time OF
the thirty years war. on the invitation Of
King Gustavus Adolpbus, Of Sweden.
Count Wedel applied for permission 70
marry the widow. WhO was not only
young and good-looking, but also enor-
mously wealthy. and relied upon the good
viii which the Emperor had always
shown him for an affirmative response
Instead OF this the Emperor refused his
81 net .r--
rendered his resignation, which was &C
cepted. and then married in accordance
with the dictates Of his heart and purse.
Very sensibIy. and with = thorough
knowledge Of the generous character o
his sovereign. the count abstained from
expatriating himself. as everybody e1-
peoted he would do. and instead Of set
Ting IN Sweden. a course which would
have been warranted by the vast landed
interests Of his wife in that kingdom. he
took up his residence in Berlin. where the
magnihcence OF his establishment. the
spIendor Of his entertainments, and the
stately beauty OF his wife soon served 70
render him one OF the most conspicuous
figures Of the capital. Il was not long
before he was fully restored 70 the favor
Of the Emperor. who. with the Empress.
frequently dined with the Wedels OF the
superb service Of gold plate which IS one
OF the ancestral possessions Of tire
countess. and which mas been owned b.
the Swedish HamiltOns for more than
zoo years.
The count. who Rad retired from the
army as major general was restored 10
rank as fun general was appointed gov
ernor Of Berlin and OF the metropolitan
province OF BTandenburg. an Office OF tEs
utmost responsibility and importance. and
was afterWard transferred first n Rome
and then 10 Vienna as ambassador HIS
intimacy with the Kaiser dates back 10
the days when the latter as Prince Will
IAN was won't frequently 10 come %
Vienna 10 visit his friend Crown Prince
Rudolph. and the count was military at
tache Of the German Embassy there
This intimacy has led the Emperor an
some occasions 10 fntrust him with *
tremeIy delicate missions Thus. a. the
time Of the late Prince Bisuarck's re-
meval from Office Count Wedel was sent
70 Vienna by the Kaiser with e long
private letter. IN which he gave his rea-
sons 20 Francis Joseph for the dismissal
Of the old chancellor. Al the same time
the count was directed by William 70
add any verbal explanation that the Aus
TRAN monarch might ask Some time
later, when a sort Of reconciliation had
I been brought about between the Kaiser
and the eI-ChauCeIlOT. Count Won WSdsI
Was charged by his sovereign with the
conveyance OF the Iife-sized portrait IN
of 10 FREDERICKSBURG by way Of a birth
day present 70 the old prince The latter
+ had in some way or another learned not
flr~Nf- - 30 -
emma. but also Of the explanations which
he had given the Austrian ruler of The
causes that had led 10 the change n the
Chancellorship- and accordingly the vel
come which The count received Al Fried
%FiChSTUhe was Of The most chilly and
JntTiendly description. There are few %
the German minor courts az which the
Wedel family Is not represented IN a
more or less confidential capacity. and
+ each reigninE house in Germany has one
E OF more WeGeis in its service. usually
+ holding Office not only Of much dignity,
; but likewise OF great trust
The relations Of the family with the
royal house Of Hanover were brought 20
ia somewhat tragic close. for one Of lis
members WhO had remained devoted 10
4 the blind King OF Hanover after his
L DOWNFALL ana Nl4o iiSQ followed nm mo
/ exile al Vienna. had the misfortune there
( 20 become involved through 10 fault OF
his own in a duel with one Of hts royal
masters favorite Dephews, a particularly
+ Guarrelsone Prince SOius, and 20 wound
& him fatally IN the encounter Although
] Count Wedel was in no way 20 blame.
. yet he was forced 70 leave the employ
I Of the King. al hlS previous devotion 60
I ing for nothing and 20 expatriate him
I self. A pathetic feature about this trag-
edy was that the dead princes mother
was stone blind. ike her half-b70ther. the
King OF Hanover. This enabled her other
children 70 keep from her the knowledge
OF her sons death She was led 70 be-
lieve that he was travelling abroad en-
gagged in some confidential mission and
letters pgrp0rting 10 come from him and
20 have been written from various points
OF his journey were iHgeniOuSly .concocted
and read 10 her. Just as the poor old
lady was becoming concerned by the
/ prolonged absence Of her favOrite son.
and when the pious fraud seemed about
to be on the eve % disclosure. she died
very suddenly after only Two OF three
days illness. and so did not learn that
her son had preceded her beyond the
great divide
From the foregoing il will be seen that
the Wedels have ever been prominent in
the histories OF those countries 10 whose
sovereign and flag they had sworn al
( legiance-