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William Carmichael | |
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| United States Chargé d'Affaires to Spain | |
| In office February 20, 1783 – September 5, 1794 | |
| President | George Washington |
| Preceded by | John Jay |
| Succeeded by | William Short |
| Personal details | |
| Born | around 1739 |
| Died | February 9, 1795 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | statesman and diplomat |
William Carmichael (c. 1739–1795) was an American statesman and diplomat fromMaryland during and after theRevolutionary War. He participated inBenjamin Franklin's mission to Paris in 1776-8, represented Maryland in theContinental Congress in 1778 and 1779 and was the principal diplomat for the United States toSpain from 1782 to 1794.
Carmichael was born sometime around 1739 at the family home (Round Top) inQueen Anne's County, Maryland, on the Chester River just oppositeChestertown. Apparently, he was sent to Europe for his education, at theUniversity of Edinburgh inScotland. He was living in Chestertown in 1774 and was a member of itsCommittee of Correspondence during theChestertown Tea Party. But by the time theRevolutionary War began, he had decamped toLondon, England, and soon after, in 1776, made his way to Paris, carrying letters to the Continental Congress sewn inside the cover of a pocket dictionary.
In 1776, Congress named Carmichael as aSecret Agent, first as an assistant toSilas Deane. He is credited with befriending the Marquis deLafayette and recruiting the teenage aristocrat to the American cause; when Lafayette traveled to America, he carried with him a letter of introduction from Carmichael to George Washington's aideTench Tilghman, a fellow Marylander from the Eastern Shore. Carmichael later represented American interests at the court ofFrederick II of Prussia inBerlin. He returned to America in February 1778 and the Maryland Assembly sent him as a delegate to the Continental Congress. He was elected to theAmerican Philosophical Society in 1780.[1]
Carmichael clashed repeatedly with many of his fellow countrymen, particularly Arthur Lee and John Jay, and his tenure in Congress was a brief and stormy one. His true milieu was the world of European courts and high society, and his principal value to his native country was as an astute and well-informed observer of European political intrigues. In 1779, then, Carmichael returned to the Old World, this time toMadrid as a diplomatic representative to Spain for the United States. At first, he was Secretary to the Legation headed byJohn Jay. When Jay returned in April 1782 Carmichael becameChargé d'Affaires, remaining in this post at the Spanish royal court until illness forced his replacement in 1794.
In 1792, PresidentGeorge Washington appointed Carmichael a commissioner plenipotentiary (together withWilliam Short) to negotiate a treaty with Spain protecting American navigation rights to the Mississippi River. The treaty was concluded shortly after Carmichael's death and became known as theTreaty of San Lorenzo orPinckney's Treaty,Thomas Pinckney having stepped in to complete the negotiations. Carmichael was also involved in negotiations to free American mariners who had been taken captive by the Dey ofAlgiers, a situation that later led to theBarbary Wars.
William Carmichael died in Madrid, Spain on February 9, 1795, and is buried in the Protestant cemetery there. He left a Spanish wife and daughter, who returned to theEastern Shore of Maryland and were eventually compensated by the U.S. Congress for Carmichael's services. His great-nephew wasRichard Bennett Carmichael, a pro-Confederate judge and politician.
| Diplomatic posts | ||
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| Preceded by | United States Chargé d'Affaires to Spain 1783–1794 | Succeeded by |
| Ministers Plenipotentiary to Spain (1779–1825) | |
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| Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to Spain (1825–1913) | |
| Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Spain (1913–present) | |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
