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Hugo William Koehler (July 19, 1886 – June 17, 1941) (pronounced [ˈkøːlɐ]) was a United States Navy commander, secret agent and socialite. Following the First World War, he served as an Office of Naval Intelligence and State Department operative in Russia during its civil war, and later as naval attaché to Poland.
Hugo William Koehler was a United States Navy commander, secret agent and socialite. Following the First World War, he served as an Office of Naval Intelligence...
CDR Hugo William Koehler. US Navy Officer. He attended Philips Exeter Academy and Harvard University before beginning at the US Naval Academy. He graduated in 1909 and was a career officer, receiving the Navy Cross during World War I.
Abstract. CDR Hugo William Koehler (1886?-1941), a career officer in the U.S. Navy, was also a prolific writer of letters and despatches. This edited collection of his writings spans the years from 1902 to 1925.
- Biography
- Personality
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Early life
Hugo William Koehler was born on July 19, 1886, in St. Louis, Missouri. His father was St. Louis brewer and entrepreneur Oscar C. Koehler (1857-1902). Although it was rumored for much of his life that he was the illegitimate son of Rudolf, Crown Prince of Austria, who committed suicide in 1889, no confirming evidence of this has been found. Factors which led to this speculation include Koehler having a chin which was characteristic of the Hapsburgs, his ease in associating with European royal...
Navy career
He graduated from Annapolis in 1909 and was assigned to the armored cruiser USS New York (ACR-2) on October 29 of that year. With the New York Koehler went on two cruises to the Mediterranean Sea and sailed to the Philippines in 1911. New York was renamed Saratogain February of that year. He was promoted to ensign on June 5, 1911, and assigned to the gunboat USS Villalobos (PG-42) which was assigned to the Yangtze River Patrolin China. On June 5, 1914, Koehler was promoted to lieutenant (juni...
World War I
Following the United States entry into World War I, Koehler was promoted to lieutenant on June 5, 1917. He was transferred from the South Carolina to serve as an aide to the Commandant of the 3rd Naval District in New London, Connecticut on January 30, 1918. While in New London he shared an apartment with Lieutenant (junior grade) Harold S. Vanderbiltwhose family fortune stemmed from the New York Central Railroad. When Vanderbilt left Koehler a note which appointed him furniture mover for the...
Commander Koehler, by all accounts, had a highly engaging and charismatic personality. He was described by his stepson as, "a very gifted, very unusual person." He was noted for his talents as a raconteur and was often referred to as a "ladies man". Although his royal parentage is, at best, questionable, it is entirely possible he encouraged the sp...
In 1992 the book "Our Man in the Crimea: Commander Hugo Koehler and the Russian Civil War" was published by author P.J. Capelotti. The book represents the culmination of years of research by Capelotti into the life of Koehler at the behest of Koehler's stepson, Senator Claiborne Pell. It focuses on Koehler's work in Russia after World War I.
Jan 1, 1992 · This is the story of Hugh Koehler, scion of the St. Louis brewing family, and reputed illegitimate son of the crown prince of Austria. (Remember Mayerling.) He grew up in society, attended Harvard, and then the US Naval Academy.
Our Man in the Crimea: Commander Hugo Koehler and the Russian Civil War: Capelotti, P. J.: 9780872498341: Books - Amazon.ca
