Herman Kiefer
Encyclopedia
Herman Kiefer was a physician
, politician
and diplomat
of the United States
.
at Freiburg
, Mannheim
, and Karlsruhe
. His childhood hero was Frederick the Great. He wrote his first poem, “The Death of Socrates,” in 1839, while at Freiburg. He continued writing poems for the rest of his life, and spent much of his youth wandering in the Black Forest
. At Mannheim, Karl Blind
was his mentor and introduced him to the circle of Gustav Struve
. He studied medicine
at Freiburg
(1844-1845; 1846-1847; 1848-1849), Heidelberg (1845-1846), Prague
(one semester, 1848), and Vienna
(one semester, 1848). He passed his state examinations at Carlsruhe, and received his license to practice medicine on 29 May 1849. In Heidelberg, he was a member of Corps Suevia society; in Freiburg, he joined a Turnerverein, and helped found the Alberta society.
He was a delegate to the Offenburg
meetings of 12 September 1847 and 19 March 1848, and chairman of the mass meeting at Freiburg on 26 March 1848. He served as surgeon to the Army of the Republic of Baden (the revolutionaries) in the volunteer regiment of Emmendingen
during the revolution of 1849, taking part in the battle of Philippsburg
(20 June 1849) and Ubstadt
(23 June 1849). On the advice of a family friend to his father, he became a fugitive on 10 July 1849, Strassbourg being the initial target of his flight.
's birth in Detroit in 1859, and was a founder of the German-American seminary, of which he was president and treasurer 1861-1872. He was a member of the Detroit Board of Education 1866-1867, and in 1882 he became a member of the Public Library Commission, being re-elected in 1883 for a term of six years, and adding to the library a large collection of German
works. He was a regent
of the University of Michigan
1889-1901.
He was chairman of the German Republican
executive committee of Utica
in 1854, a presidential elector in 1872, and a delegate to the Republican National Convention
of Cincinnati in 1876. In 1883 he was appointed by President Arthur
U.S. Consul to Stettin, which office he held until he resigned in 1885. He prepared valuable articles, which were published in the U. S. consular reports, and include American Trade with Stettin, How Germany is Governed, and Labor in Europe.
on 21 July 1850. She died 6 August 1909. They had nine children, of whom six, five sons and a daughter, survived into adulthood.
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
, politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
of the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Germany
He was the only son of a physician, Conrad Kiefer. His mother was a daughter of the gardener of the Grand Duke in Karlsruhe. Thus, he was brought up in a conservative environment and trained to respect the established order of things. He attended gymnasiaGymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
at Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
, Mannheim
Mannheim
Mannheim is a city in southwestern Germany. With about 315,000 inhabitants, Mannheim is the second-largest city in the Bundesland of Baden-Württemberg, following the capital city of Stuttgart....
, and Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
. His childhood hero was Frederick the Great. He wrote his first poem, “The Death of Socrates,” in 1839, while at Freiburg. He continued writing poems for the rest of his life, and spent much of his youth wandering in the Black Forest
Black Forest
The Black Forest is a wooded mountain range in Baden-Württemberg, southwestern Germany. It is bordered by the Rhine valley to the west and south. The highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 metres ....
. At Mannheim, Karl Blind
Karl Blind
Karl Blind was a German revolutionist and journalist. He was born in Mannheim on 4 September 1826 and died in London on 31 May 1907.Blind took part in the risings of 1848. He was sentenced to prison in consequence of a pamphlet he wrote entitled "German Hunger and German Princes," but he was...
was his mentor and introduced him to the circle of Gustav Struve
Gustav Struve
Gustav Struve, known as Gustav von Struve until he gave up his title, , was a German politician, lawyer and publicist, and a revolutionary during the German revolution of 1848-1849 in Baden...
. He studied medicine
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
at Freiburg
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg , sometimes referred to in English as the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg, is a public research university located in Freiburg im Breisgau, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.The university was founded in 1457 by the Habsburg dynasty as the...
(1844-1845; 1846-1847; 1848-1849), Heidelberg (1845-1846), Prague
Charles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...
(one semester, 1848), and Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
(one semester, 1848). He passed his state examinations at Carlsruhe, and received his license to practice medicine on 29 May 1849. In Heidelberg, he was a member of Corps Suevia society; in Freiburg, he joined a Turnerverein, and helped found the Alberta society.
He was a delegate to the Offenburg
Offenburg
Offenburg is a city located in the state of Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With about 60,000 inhabitants, it is the largest city and the capital of the Ortenaukreis.Offenburg also houses University of Applied Sciences Offenburg...
meetings of 12 September 1847 and 19 March 1848, and chairman of the mass meeting at Freiburg on 26 March 1848. He served as surgeon to the Army of the Republic of Baden (the revolutionaries) in the volunteer regiment of Emmendingen
Emmendingen
Emmendingen is a town in Baden-Württemberg, capital of the district Emmendingen of Germany. It is located at the Elz River, north of Freiburg im Breisgau...
during the revolution of 1849, taking part in the battle of Philippsburg
Philippsburg
Philippsburg is a town in Germany, in the district of Karlsruhe in Baden-Württemberg.-History:Before 1632, Philippsburg was known as "Udenheim".The city was a possession of the Bishop of Speyer from 1371–1718...
(20 June 1849) and Ubstadt
Ubstadt-Weiher
Ubstadt-Weiher is a municipality in northern Karlsruhe district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is located on Bertha Benz Memorial Route.The four villages that make up the municipality are : Ubstadt, Weiher, Zeutern, and Stettfeld. The area in between and around these villages is numbered with...
(23 June 1849). On the advice of a family friend to his father, he became a fugitive on 10 July 1849, Strassbourg being the initial target of his flight.
United States
He arrived in the United States on September 1849, and settled in Detroit in October, where he began the practice of medicine on the 19th of that month. He was actively interested in German-American affairs. He gave the oration for the celebration of the centennial of Friedrich SchillerFriedrich Schiller
Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller was a German poet, philosopher, historian, and playwright. During the last seventeen years of his life , Schiller struck up a productive, if complicated, friendship with already famous and influential Johann Wolfgang von Goethe...
's birth in Detroit in 1859, and was a founder of the German-American seminary, of which he was president and treasurer 1861-1872. He was a member of the Detroit Board of Education 1866-1867, and in 1882 he became a member of the Public Library Commission, being re-elected in 1883 for a term of six years, and adding to the library a large collection of German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
works. He was a regent
Board of Regents of the University of Michigan
The Board of Regents of the University of Michigan is the legal corporation that controls the University of Michigan, comprising the campuses at Ann Arbor, Flint, and Dearborn. The Board of Regents was created by the Organic Act of March 18, 1837 that established the modern University of Michigan...
of the University of Michigan
University of Michigan
The University of Michigan is a public research university located in Ann Arbor, Michigan in the United States. It is the state's oldest university and the flagship campus of the University of Michigan...
1889-1901.
He was chairman of the German Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
executive committee of Utica
Utica
Utica may refer to:*Utica, Tunisia, a Phoenician colony, on the African coast, near Carthage*Útica, a Colombian village in Cundinamarca*Utica Shale, a rock layer of shale underneath the state of New York and in the subsurface in the provinces of Quebec and OntarioIn the United States*Utica,...
in 1854, a presidential elector in 1872, and a delegate to the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
of Cincinnati in 1876. In 1883 he was appointed by President Arthur
Chester A. Arthur
Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing...
U.S. Consul to Stettin, which office he held until he resigned in 1885. He prepared valuable articles, which were published in the U. S. consular reports, and include American Trade with Stettin, How Germany is Governed, and Labor in Europe.
Family
He married Franciska Kehle of BonndorfBonndorf
Bonndorf is a town in the Waldshut district in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated in the southern Black Forest, 14 km southeast of Titisee-Neustadt. It comprises the villages Boll, Brunnadern, Dillendorf, Ebnet, Gündelwangen, Holzschlag, Wellendingen and Wittlekofen. The town is...
on 21 July 1850. She died 6 August 1909. They had nine children, of whom six, five sons and a daughter, survived into adulthood.