Wilhelm von Schoen

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Wilhelm von Schoen (3 June 1851 – 24 April 1933) was a German diplomat who played a key role before and at the start of World War I. He served as Germany’s State Secretary for Foreign Affairs from 26 October 1907 to 27 June 1910 under Kaiser Wilhelm II, working with Chancellors Bernhard von Bülow and Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg. He later became the German ambassador to France, serving from 1 July 1910 until 3 August 1914.

In Paris, Schoen tried to prevent a wider war. He argued that if Germany pressed Serbia with an ultimatum, any fighting in the Balkans should be localized to avoid a general conflict, while Germany remained determined to keep its Central Powers alliance. He also worried that Britain might side with Russia and France, pulling Europe into war. On 26 June 1914 he sent a telegram to Berlin saying France was ready to negotiate, hoping talks could avert war.

As events moved quickly, Schoen faced the difficult duty of relaying Germany’s plans and trying to stop the conflict. He felt the situation was slipping away when violence spread to Paris. In the first week of August he visited the Quai d’Orsay eleven times in seven days as he and others tried to halt the war. Although French Premier Poincaré favored peace, Schoen believed the Entente powers would not split their alliances. He reportedly acknowledged that the Entente treaties made compromise unlikely.

Schoen was born in Worms, spoke several languages, and was married to Baroness Bertha de Groote; they had two children. He was distressed when American diplomacy took over the Paris embassy. He died in Berchtesgaden, Bavaria, in 1933 at age 81.