General Frederick Augustus Starring

General Frederick Augustus Starring (1834-1904) was an American civil engineer, lawyer, and soldier. After the American Civil War, he entered public service as an agent for the US Treasury and examined US consular and diplomatic affairs in Europe.

His father was civil engineer, Sylvanus Seaman Starring, descended from Dutch pioneers; his mother was Adeline Morton Williams from Fredonia, New York.

Starring was born in Buffalo 24 May 1834. He was educated at Harvard and also Paris, Heidelberg and Vienna. In 1859 he was admitted to the Bar in New York. Before the American Civil War he worked for the Illinois Central railroad and the Cairo & Fulton Railroad Company. He was also involved with surveying the boundary lines between Arkansas, Texas and the Indian Territory.

At the start of the American Civil War he volunteered to fight with the Union army, being first an aide at the battle of Bull-Run. He was then appointed major in the 46th Illinois Infantry, after which he served in the 2d Illinois Artillery and later became Colonel of the 72d Illinois Infantry. During the war he was involved in numerous actions with the 72d including the siege and surrender of Vicksburg. In 1865 he became the Provost Marshal General of the Department of the Gulf and in the same year was appointed brevet brigadier general for gallant and meritorious services. He left the army and travelled to Europe returning to help form the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization for the veterans of the American Civil War who fought for the Union. He became their first Inspector General and was also involved with the design of the medal.

Starring took up the post of US diplomatic and consular agent in 1869, visiting consulates in foreign countries and was a special agent for the US Treasury in Europe. He investigated and reported on the market price and dutiable value of steel imported into the United States from Europe. In 1871 he investigated the activities of the Consul General to Egypt, ex-journalist George H. Butler. He was the nephew of General Benjamin F. Butler, who had secured the position for him. Butler’s eccentric behaviour whilst in Egypt had been widely reported and led to his dismissal.

Starring married Olivia (Conine) Ellis from Baltimore on 14 November 1874 in St George’s, Hanover Square, London. Following a divorce he remarried in July, 1889, at New York City, to Louisa Perle Whitehouse from Farmington. She died in 1903 and Starring died a few months later on the 11 April 1904 in Pasadena, California.

During his life he travelled extensively to Africa, India, South America, Europe and beyond. He is buried in the Woodland Cemetery, Bronx.