A Valuable Consul: The Economic Importance of the First German Professional Consul in the Philippines (1881-1885)

Abstract

Among the duties of a consul in the 19th century were the representation of their State, the protection of their nationals, and the communication with their governments, serving their country at both the political and economic levels. This article addresses the function of the German consul from an economic perspective and aims to highlight their usefulness for the government and the economy of their country. The focus is on the first professional consul of the German Empire in the Philippines, Peter Kempermann (1881-1886), who periodically sent reports to Berlin. His texts have great historiographical value because they reveal the commercial considerations of his time and underscore the specific value of a career consul in East Asia. The article will present two types of reports that he regularly wrote, concerning his management and the different commercial opportunities. It will also offer an overview of the most pressing concerns of the consulate in Manila during those years and, in the end, present a specific study by Kempermann on the situation of German export trade, ways to increase it, and possible contributions from the consuls. His analyses and recommendations are highly insightful for understanding the economy of the Philippines and the concerns of overseas trade during Germany’s industrialization boom.