# Frederick von Baumbach *German-American politician, soldier and businessman; Minnesota Secretary of State, 1880–1887* Friedrich Wilhelm von Baumbach (August 30, 1838 – November 30, 1917), also known as Frederick William, Fritz or Fred von Baumbach, was a German-born soldier, businessman and public official in [[Minnesota]].[^1] He was county auditor of [[Douglas County, Minnesota]] from 1873 to 1880. He was then elected three times as [[Minnesota Secretary of State]] and held that office without interruption from 1880 to 1887.[^1] Under the administration of President William McKinley he was appointed collector of internal revenue. The cited article states that he died in office on November 30, 1917.[^1] ## Early life Baumbach was born on August 30, 1838, in Kirchheim in the Grand Duchy of Hesse, then part of the German Confederation. His parents were Ludwig von Baumbach zu Kirchheim and Wilhelmina "Minnie" Schenk.[^1] Ludwig was a Hessian noble who had fought in the German campaign of 1813 and sat in the Frankfurt National Assembly. He was a son of the Hessian military officer Wilhelm Lebrecht von Baumbach.[^1] In 1849, amid the German revolutions of 1848–1849, the family emigrated to the United States and eventually made its home in Ohio. Baumbach went west to Wisconsin in 1854 and settled in Milwaukee, which had a large German population. There he served as a deputy and assistant in the city treasurer's office.[^1] ## Military career At the start of the American Civil War, on June 1, 1861, Baumbach volunteered for the Union Army. He enlisted as a private in Company C of the 5th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, commanded by Captain William F. Behrens.[^1] His promotions followed in sequence: - sergeant major by December 26, 1861; - second lieutenant on July 13, 1862; - first lieutenant on July 25, 1862. He resigned his commission on January 18, 1863.[^1] He returned to the army on December 9, 1863, using the name Fritz von Baumbach. He was made a captain and given Company B of the 35th Wisconsin Infantry Regiment, a unit drawn mainly from Milwaukee, Milwaukee County and eastern Wisconsin.[^1] He later rose to major in the 35th Wisconsin and remained with it until the war ended. He mustered out with the regiment on March 15, 1866.[^1] After his discharge he ran a pharmaceutical business for a short time in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. In 1867 he moved to Alexandria, Minnesota.[^1] ## Political career Baumbach won election as Douglas County auditor beginning in 1873 and held the post from 1873 to 1880. According to the cited article, he served a second tenure as county auditor from 1889 to 1898.[^1] After his first tenure as auditor, he ran for Minnesota Secretary of State and served from 1880 to 1887. The cited article's lead gives these dates. Its political-career section instead dates his three consecutive terms "from 1890 to 1887", a range that ends before it begins.[^1] After his service as Secretary of State, he was appointed collector of internal revenue under the McKinley administration. He held that post into the first administration of Woodrow Wilson.[^1] He died on November 30, 1917, and was buried in Kinkead Cemetery in Alexandria, Minnesota.[^1] ## Personal life Baumbach married Sarah Jane Decker of Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, in 1863. They had no children.[^1] ## Legacy Two lakes in Douglas County carry the family's name. Baumbach Lake honors him, and Lake Mina honors his mother, Wilhelmina "Mina" Baumbach (née Schenk).[^1] ## In the Minnesota record ### Who - Friedrich Wilhelm von Baumbach, also known as Frederick William, Fritz or Fred von Baumbach.[^1] ### What - County auditor of Douglas County, Minnesota.[^1] - Minnesota Secretary of State.[^1] - Collector of internal revenue.[^1] ### When - Born August 30, 1838; died November 30, 1917.[^1] - County auditor, 1873–1880; a second tenure is given as 1889–1898.[^1] - Secretary of State, 1880–1887.[^1] ### Where - Born in Kirchheim, Grand Duchy of Hesse.[^1] - Moved to Alexandria, Minnesota, in 1867.[^1] - Buried in Kinkead Cemetery, Alexandria, Minnesota.[^1] ## Notes [^1]: Wikipedia contributors, *Frederick Von Baumbach* (revision 1352991682, retrieved 2026-10-25) — the only source available for this article; it supports all of the biographical, military and office-holding dates given here, and none of them have been independently verified against primary records. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederick_Von_Baumbach