Hans Hermann Eschke

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Grave stele of HH Eschke in Singapore

Hans Hermann Eschke (born November 10, 1856 in Berlin ; † July 19, 1904 in Singapore ) was the first German consul general in Singapore.

background

Hans Hermann Eschke was the son of the landscape and marine painter Hermann Eschke (1832–1900) from Berlin. The connection between his father and the emperor's surroundings were probably not insignificant for Eschke's career in the foreign service , which led to his position in Singapore.

Singapore

After joining the Prussian Ministry of Justice, the lawyer Hans Hermann Eschke was sent to Singapore as consul in 1889, making him the first full-time German diplomat . The German Reich was interested in expanding its presence in the region, particularly with a view to Tsingtau ( China ). Here Eschke moved among respected German merchants and met Olga Sohst, the daughter of the Singapore merchant and German honorary consul Theodor Sohst, right at the beginning of his stay. He married her just three months after arriving in Singapore. The young couple was able to buy a house (Mount Rosie) with Olga's dowry. With the good connections of the ancestral Sohst family, Eschke and his wife Olga quickly managed to work successfully in the interests of the local German community.

From the end of 1898 to 1899, Eschke took on the ministerial residency business in Bangkok and was represented by his father-in-law Theodor Sohst, who had previously held the position of German honorary consul in Singapore. In January 1902, Eschke was also consul for the part of the island of Borneo under British rule , the Labuan colony and the united states of protection of the Malacca peninsula , based in Singapore. In 1903 the consular office in Singapore was converted into a consulate general and Eschke was appointed Imperial German Consul General. In 1903 the district was expanded to include the Sultanate of Johore . In addition, Eschke administered the Austro-Hungarian and from December 1903 also the Turkish consulate general.

obituary

The high esteem Eschke found in representing Germany's interests in the Straits is expressed in the local press (Straits Times 1904) in an obituary for his death: “All consulates and large commercial buildings as well as the German ships in the On the occasion of his demise yesterday, the port had flagged at half mast, the banks and some other shops closed their rooms as early as 1:00 am as a token of mourning. "

Tomb

The grave of Hans Hermann Eschke was originally located in the Old Cemetery and was moved to Fort Canning (National Park) on the Canning Rise in 1971 when the cemetery was closed . There, the early European residents of Singapore are remembered in the form of ten steles. Two steles commemorate German residents, one is that of Hans Hermann Eschke.

swell

  • Hans Hermann Eschke. The first German professional diplomat in Singapore, in: Impulse, The Magazine for the German speaking Community in Singapore, October 1989 163/7/1989, pp. 16-18
  • Fort Canning Park. The National Parks Board (NPARKS), Singapore

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original from September 9, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / mein-berlin.lexikus.de
  2. ^ Auction results from Hermann Eschke - Hermann Eschke on artnet . In: artnet.de .
personal data
SURNAME Eschke, Hans Hermann
BRIEF DESCRIPTION first German consul general in Singapore
DATE OF BIRTH November 10, 1856
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH July 19, 1904
Place of death Singapore