Alexander de Bodisco

Alexander de Bodisco (sometimes Alexander Bodisco[1]) (October 30, 1786 – January 23, 1853) was the Russian ambassador to the United States from 1837 to his death in 1854. In 1840, at the age of 53, he married the 16-year old Harriet Beall Williams, which was a popular subject of gossip in Washington, D.C., at the time.

Alexander de Bodisco
Russian Minister to the United States
In office
1837–1853
Succeeded byEduard de Stoeckl
Personal details
Born(1786-10-30)October 30, 1786
Moscow, Russia
DiedJanuary 23, 1854(1854-01-23) (aged 67)
Georgetown, Washington, D.C., U.S.
Resting placeOak Hill Cemetery
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Spouse
Harriet Beall Williams
​
​
(m. 1840)​
Children7
Occupation
  • Diplomat
  • landowner

Early life

Alexander de Bodisco was born on October 30, 1786, in Moscow, Russia.[2][3] He was born as a Wallachian noble.[4]

Career

His career started in the Bureau of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in Saint Petersburg, Russia.[4] In 1814, de Bodisco went to Paris and then attended the Congress of Vienna with Count Jan Pieter van Suchtelen. Afterward, Count Suchtelen was appointed the Russian Envoy and de Bodisco became Secretary of Legation at Stockholm. After Count Suchtelen died, he became the charge d'affaires at Stockholm.[3][4] de Bodisco served as Russian ambassador to the United States from 1837 until his death.[5] He was succeeded by Eduard de Stoeckl.[6]

Personal life
Portrait of Harriet Bodisco (1844)
Passage in The Columbia Democrat on March 21, 1840, referencing the de Bodisco–Williams engagement

de Bodisco married Harriet Beall Williams, of Washington, D.C., on April 9, 1840. She was descended from two well known families in Georgetown, the Brookes and the Bealls. She was 16 years old and he was 53 years old at the time of their marriage.[2][7][8][9] The age difference caused considerable gossip in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere.[2][10][11] The wedding was at St. John's Episcopal Church and was attended by famous people of the time, including U.S. President Martin Van Buren, future U.S. President James Buchanan, Henry Clay and Jessie Benton Frémont.[5][1][12] They had seven children.[2] After his death, his wife remarried in 1860 to Captain Gordon Scott.[1]

Bodisco House at 3322 O St. NW., in Washington, D.C. (2022)

In 1840, as a wedding present, he bought his wife the Bodisco House at 3322 O Street NW., in Washington, D.C.[7][8] The house served as the Russian embassy for a time.[5] His wife remained in the house after his death until she remarried in 1860.[3]

de Bodisco purchased a parcel of land in 1845 in the modern day Crestwood neighborhood in Washington, D.C. He sold it before his death.[13] He also owned another house at 3142 P Street.[14]

de Bodisco died on January 23, 1854, at his house in Georgetown.[2][3] He was buried at Oak Hill Cemetery in Washington, D.C.[15]

References
  1. Grimmett, Richard F. (2009). St. John's Church, Lafayette Square: The History and Heritage of the Church of the Presidents, Washington, DC. pp. 61–64. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  2. "Alexander de Bodisco". sewardproject.org. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  3. Peter, Grace G. D. (1951). A Portrait of Old George Town. pp. 202, 295. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  4. "Death of the Russian Minister". Evening Star. January 23, 1853. p. 2. Retrieved August 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  5. Carrier, Thomas J. (1999). Historic Georgetown: A Walking Tour. p. 53. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  6. "Edouard Stoeckl, 1814-1869". University of Glasgow. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  7. "Photographs Written Historical and Descriptive Data - District of Washington D.C." (PDF). loc.gov. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  8. "Meet Some Notorious Washingtonians from the 19th Century". The Washington Post. July 23, 2015. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  9. "Secretary and shoes belonging to Harriet Beall Williams de Bodisco". Winterthur Museum. Retrieved August 19, 2022.
  10. "From Our Correspondent". The Baltimore Sun. February 24, 1840. p. 4. Retrieved August 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  11. "Bedisco's marriage". The Columbia Democrat. Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. March 21, 1840. p. 3. Retrieved August 20, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.open access
  12. "Public Wife: The Life of Jessie Benton Fremont". tennessee.edu. 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  13. "Crestwood: 300 Acres, 300 Years". crestwood-dc.org. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  14. "Love of History and Home: Georgetown House Tour 2013". Georgetowner. September 21, 2015. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  15. "Oak Hill Cemetery, Georgetown, D.C. (Chapel Valley) - Lot 396 1/2 (DeBodisco Circle)" (PDF). Oak Hill Cemetery. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 2, 2022. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
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