Charles W. F. Dumas
Encyclopedia
Charles William Frédéric Dumas (1721–1796) was a man of letters living in the Dutch Republic
who served as an American diplomat during the American Revolution
.
He was born in German Ansbach
to French
parents, apparently lived in Switzerland
for a time, and moved to the Netherlands around 1750. He befriended Benjamin Franklin
when the latter was in Holland at the beginning of the American Revolution, and when Franklin chaired the Committee of correspondence
, they employed Dumas as a secret agent to aid American interests in Europe. When John Adams
became minister plenipotentiary to Holland, Dumas acted as his secretary and translator. When Adams went to Paris
, Dumas acted as chargé d'affaires ad interim from the United States. Dumas died soon after 1794.
In 1775, Dumas devised the first diplomatic cipher
used by the Continental Congress and Benjamin Franklin for secret correspondence with agents in Europe. It was a substitution code based on a prose passage of 682 characters, so that a given character could be replaced by more than one number.
Dumas planted stories favorable to the United States in the Gazette de Leide Leyden, Holland, with the goal of gaining a good credit rating for the United States in financial markets.
In 1776, Dumas contacted officials in Holland, Spain and France seeking trade in badly needed materials for the United States. This led to beneficial trade during the revolution.
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
who served as an American diplomat during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
.
He was born in German Ansbach
Ansbach
Ansbach, originally Onolzbach, is a town in Bavaria, Germany. It is the capital of the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Ansbach is situated southwest of Nuremberg and north of Munich, on the Fränkische Rezat, a tributary of the Main river. As of 2004, its population was 40,723.Ansbach...
to French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
parents, apparently lived in Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
for a time, and moved to the Netherlands around 1750. He befriended Benjamin Franklin
Benjamin Franklin
Dr. Benjamin Franklin was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. A noted polymath, Franklin was a leading author, printer, political theorist, politician, postmaster, scientist, musician, inventor, satirist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat...
when the latter was in Holland at the beginning of the American Revolution, and when Franklin chaired the Committee of correspondence
Committee of correspondence
The Committees of Correspondence were shadow governments organized by the Patriot leaders of the Thirteen Colonies on the eve of American Revolution. They coordinated responses to Britain and shared their plans; by 1773 they had emerged as shadow governments, superseding the colonial legislature...
, they employed Dumas as a secret agent to aid American interests in Europe. When John Adams
John Adams
John Adams was an American lawyer, statesman, diplomat and political theorist. A leading champion of independence in 1776, he was the second President of the United States...
became minister plenipotentiary to Holland, Dumas acted as his secretary and translator. When Adams went to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, Dumas acted as chargé d'affaires ad interim from the United States. Dumas died soon after 1794.
In 1775, Dumas devised the first diplomatic cipher
Cipher
In cryptography, a cipher is an algorithm for performing encryption or decryption — a series of well-defined steps that can be followed as a procedure. An alternative, less common term is encipherment. In non-technical usage, a “cipher” is the same thing as a “code”; however, the concepts...
used by the Continental Congress and Benjamin Franklin for secret correspondence with agents in Europe. It was a substitution code based on a prose passage of 682 characters, so that a given character could be replaced by more than one number.
Dumas planted stories favorable to the United States in the Gazette de Leide Leyden, Holland, with the goal of gaining a good credit rating for the United States in financial markets.
In 1776, Dumas contacted officials in Holland, Spain and France seeking trade in badly needed materials for the United States. This led to beneficial trade during the revolution.