Elihu Washburne

Elihu Washburne was the American foreign minister to Paris during the sometimes turbulent years of the 1860s. It was during his tenure that the Prussian-Franco War took place. When Washburne was named ambassador to France, he was 54 years old and had been a US congressman for nearly twenty years. During much of his tenure as ambassador, Paris was beset with political unrest and military conflict. He was a brave and dedicated government servant who never considered abandoning his post despite the personal risk to him and his family. When hostilities escalated in the City of Lights, Washburne was the only minister of a major power to remain in the city.

Washburne made the decision to do everything possible to help Americans in Paris and others who were suffering and caught in the cross-fire of an all out war. He worked tirelessly and often put in eighteen-hour days...