Georg von und zu Franckenstein

Who was Georg von und zu Franckenstein?

Georg Freiherr von und zu Franckenstein was the eldest son of Karl Baron von und zu Franckenstein and his wife, Elma née Countess von Schönborn-Wiesentheid and a member of the Franckenstein family.

His younger brother was the composer and General Intendant of Munich Clemens von und zu Franckenstein.

Georg spent his youth between Franconia and Vienna. After having visited the famous Schottengymnasium and his politics and law studies at Vienna University, he joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Austrian Empire to become a career diplomat. His first assignments led him to Washington, followed by the Russian imperial Court in St. Petersburg and to Rome. After a short intermezzo in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Vienna, he was ordered to the Japanese Imperial Court, to India and finally to Brussels before becoming „K+K Kommerzdirektor“ of the Austrian Embassy in London. The beginning of the first world war in 1914 forced him to leave Great Britain.

He was afterwards a member of the peace delegation for Austria 1919 in Saint-Germain.

On 19 October 1920 he returned to London as the diplomatic representative of the new Republic of Austria.