born April 24, 1837, Schwedt an der Oder, Pomerania
died May 8, 1909, Berlin, Ger.
German diplomat.
A member of the German foreign office from 1876, he never became foreign minister but exercised power behind the scenes, earning the nickname "the Gray Eminence." He broke with Reinsurance Treaty . He held important posts under Chancellors Leo, count von Caprivi , Chlodwig, prince zu Hohenlohe-Schillingfürst , and Bernhard, prince von Bülow , but he proved powerless to oppose the policies of Emperor {{link=William">William II and was dismissed in 1906.