History of Consular Corps Colorado

Notable Developments in the History of the Colorado Consular Corps

The following is an initial historical account of diplomacy and foreign envoys

in Colorado from 1900 to the early 1990’s.

1900's

The Times – Sept. 12, 1900. P.2. August Courvoisier is mentioned as a previous Belgian Consul in Denver.
The Times – Jan. 12, 1903. Godfrey Schirmer, secretary of the Schirmer Insurance and Investment Company, is appointed consul and agent for the German empire for CO, NM, and WY. This is the first appointment of consul for these states made by the German government. Mr. Schirmer has grown up in Denver. The Consul’s business address in 1430 16^th St. His residence is 2848 Humboldt St.
Post – Oct. 29, 1907. P.1-2. Presence of Swedish Consul in Denver. Swedish Vice Consul attacks wife in delirium, is confined in hospital. Swedish Vice Consul H. L. Sahlgaard apparently suffered from dementia as the result of a fever. He reportedly made a murderous attack on his wife.

1910’s

Post – May 24, 1914. P.8. Austro-Hungarian Consul appointment. Dr. Nikolaus Manojlovits is appointed Austro-Hungarian consul for Colorado. No mention if this is the first such appointment for Austro-Hungarian Empire. Dr. Manojlovits came from Denver from the Vienna foreign office. He has served in Cairo, Tangier, and New York.

1930’s

RMN – May 20, 1936. P.6. Cavaliere Remingio Grillo is appointed new Italian consul in Denver. The new consul is a 32 year old bachelor and one of the original Fascists who participated in the historic march on Rome with Mussolini in 1922. He has served in Alexandria, Belgium-Congo, Barcelona, and Lucerne. He bears the honorary title of Cavaliere through a decoration from the King of Italy.
RMN – June 5, 1936. P.2. New Italian Consul Grillo will represent the CO, WY, UT, NE, and NM regions. Grillo stated, “As Italian Consul here, it is my intention not to spread Fascist political propaganda but to promote friendliness toward Italy.” Grillo replaced Count L.G. di San Marzano, who left Denver for a post in Manila, Philippines.
Post – May 3, 1939. P.6. The new Mexican Consul is Gonzalo Obregon, a nephew of the twice president of Mexico, Alvaro Obregon. Gonzalo Obregon has served in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Laredo, TX. His first notable act was a new plan to aide Mexicans unable to support themselves in the U.S. to relocate in Mexico with government assistance.
Post – Sept. 26, 1939. P.16. Italian Consul Grillo is ordered to return to Rome. No reason is given for the orders or any mention of his replacement, although the impending World War II is suspected as the cause.

1940’s

Post – Oct. 1, 1942 – P.11. British Consul opens Denver region office. For the first time since 1932, Denver has a British consulate office, now managed by Roger Stevens of London. He set up his office in the Brown Place Hotel. Stevens expects to have a staff of 3 – 4. Stevens is the first non Colorado resident to run the office. Stevens mentioned he is interested in a scrap drive to recycle as much as possible.
RMN – June 29, 1945. P.5. Frank O. Darvall, new British Consul, arrives in Denver. Darvall is a well known London newspaper man and author. He studied at Columbia University. Darvall will succeed Stevens.
Post – April 26, 1947. P.3. Santiago Suarez is the newly appointed Mexican Consul in Denver. Consul Suarez notices a housing shortage in Denver. Suarez succeeds Federico Pastor in Denver. Suarez has served in New York, San Francisco, Belgium, Sweden, Poland, Germany, and Japan.

1950’s

Post – Dec. 14, 1956. P. 18. Swiss Consul ordered to close office. William C. Weiss was Swiss consul for the past 16 years. Weis is a U.S. native, his father was born in Switzerland. During the years immediately following WWI, the consular agency was “quite busy.’ However, Wiess states, “There hasn’t been much business for the agency in recent years.” Weiss is a member of an optical firm at 1620 Arapahoe St.
Post – Jan. 23, 1957. P.21. Holland (Netherlands) names Consul in Denver. Denver previously has maintained a vice consulate, however this appointment elevates it to a full consulate in recognition “of the Rocky Mountain Empire’s expanding population and industry. Allen Redeker, 2700 E. Dartmouth Ave, a certified public accountant, has been named honorary consul of the new Netherlands consulate in Denver.
Post – May 22, 1958. P.17. New Italian Consul arrives in Denver. Emilio Paolo Bassi is the new Denver Italian Consul. Bassi has a law degree from the Univ. of Florence and has been in the diplomatic service since 1951. Prior assignments have been in Rome and Vienna.
Post – July 15, 1958. P.16. Departing French Consul decorates 2 Denverites. French consul Baron Louis de Cabrol presented decorations in the French Legion of Honor to 2 Denverites, Blake Hiester, president of Alliance Francaise, and Lt. Gen. Henry Larsen, who will head the American Society of the French Legion of Honor. Baron Cabrol is leaving to accept a post in Charles de Gaulle’s government.
RMN – Aug. 15, 1958. P.70. New French Consul, Claude Batault. His previous posts have been Baghdad and Lisbon. Consul Batault’s wife is American.
Post – July 10, 1959. P.22. Costa Rican Consul is only Woman Consul in Denver. Mrs. Julio Bejarno has been appointed official representative to the Rocky Mountain Empire of her native Costa Rica. She has lived in Denver for 7 years and is now an American citizen.

1960’s

RMN – Feb. 5, 1960. P.56. Germany reappoints Godel as Denver Consul. William F. Godel, a Denver insurance man, reassumed the job he resigned 20 years ago, German Consul to Denver. This marks the first time Denver has had a German Consul since 1940. Godel stated, “I am very pleased to be back in my old job again.”
Post – Feb. 14, 1960. P.4. A focus on William Godel. Born in Stuttgart in 1900, Godel served briefly in WWI for Germany. Moved to U.S., studied at Columbia. Godel was next hired by the Colorado Herold, a German language newspaper. German consul at the time, Sherman, hired Godel in a position at his bank and appointed him assistant consul. Sherman died in 1928 and Godel became the next German Consul. Godel resigned in 1940 in opposition to Hitler and German aggression. Godel’s son is a retired American Marine.
Post – Oct. 18, 1964. P.19 Contemporary. Colorado Diplomatic Corps of 1964. 13 nations officially represented in Denver. 4 are full-time: Britain, Mexico, France, and Italy. A tour of 5 consulate’s homes will be offered on Oct. 31. (British, French, Dominican Republic, Finnish, and German) Visitors will be treated to a beverage and food sample typical of the country represented.
Post – Sept. 21, 1969. P.26. Italian Consulate closing. A reorganization of the Italian consular personnel in the U.S. will mean the closing of the Italian Consulate in Denver.

1970’s

Post – May 18, 1978. P.24. Italian Honorary Consul Zarlengo steps down. Zarlengo served as dean of the Consular Corps of Colorado in 1976-1977. Zarlengo is also a member of the Denver law firm Zarlengo, Mott, and Zarlengo.
Post – Oct. 1, 1978. P.2. Lesotho Consul in Colorado. (At this time, only the Mexican Consul is full time, all 24 others are honorary) (Former astronaut Walter Schirra is the Honorary Consul for Belgium). Samuel H. Brown is Honorary Consul of Lesotho. Brown serves as a counselor to several students from Lesotho studying at CU and CSU. Brown’s main job is in real estate. His Consulate office doubles as his real estate office. Brown went to undergrad at CU, Law School at Stanford, and won a fellowship through the Ford Foundation’s Africa-Asia Program where he spent a year as the lead legal counsel to the Ministry of Agriculture in the British Protectorate of Basutoland (now Lesotho). Brown became King Moshoeshoe’s tennis partner, as the king requested his participation in tennis. Lesotho shares some characteristics with Denver, CO, such as altitude, mountains reaching 12,000 feet, and similar distance from the equator.
Post Contemporary – Sept. 30, 1979. P.12-13. Info on several Honorary Consuls:
- Dr. Robert Louis Gasser – Switzerland.
- Mrs. Caterina Gilda Noya Scordo – Italy
- Dr. Guillermo E. Aragon – Costa Rica
- Samuel Brown – Lesotho
- Walter M Schirra Jr. – Belgium
- Randall A. Forselius – Finland
- William K. ‘Bill’ Hosokawa – Japan
- Robert Joseph Stroessner – Paraguay

1980’s

RMN – Sept. 26, 1981. P.68. List of Consulates in Colorado:
Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Germany, Finland, France, Guatemala, Haiti, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lesotho, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Sweden, Switzerland.
RMN – Sept. 26, 1981. P.68. Highlight on Swedish Consul. Glenn D. Peterson is dean of the Consular Corps of Colorado. He spends about 25 hours a week fulfilling the obligations of his non-paying post. Peterson has served divorce papers, been involved in a murder case, helped victims of auto accidents, reported a death, assisted stranded travelers and arranged for a Swedish couple to adopt an American child. “We are an information center. There is a lot more foreign activity going on in Colorado than most people realize, and emergencies do arise.”
RMN – July 8, 1986. P.12. Gambia Consulate in Aspen. Only Consulate in Colorado located outside of Denver. Flavy Davis is the Honorary Consul, a 74 year old retired Houston oil man who has had previous business dealings with Gambian president Dawda Kairaba Jawara. Davis handles about 16 or 17 visa requests annually.

1990’s

RMN. Oct. 18, 1990. Style 9-S. Mexican Consul embraces Colorado. Francisco Gonzalez de Cossio is now full time Consul in Denver. Francisco was recently transferred from offices in Saudi Arabia (Riyadh and Jeddah). He served in Mexico’s mission to the United Nations from 1973-1979. Francisco discovered skiing last winter. He and his wife purchased a condo in Breckenridge. The two are enjoying life in Colorado.
RMN. Jan. 20, 1991. P.12-15 Sunday Magazine. List of Honorary Consuls in Denver: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Chile, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvadore, Finland, France, Gambia, Germany, Haiti, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Yugoslavia. Mexico has only Consulate General (non-honorary)
RMN. Jan 14, 1992. P.29. Rwandan Consulate Opens.
RMN – June 25, 1993. P.56. Australia opens Consulate. Australia is the number 2 overseas investor in Colorado behind only Japan, with 27 businesses in Colorado. Brent Emmett, vice president of the Denver based corporation Ampolex, was named honorary Consul.

The Colorado Consular Corps currently consists of 36 diplomats representing various regions such as Europe, Asia, Australia, and South and Central America. The latest member to join the Colorado Consular Corps was the Russian Federation in 2007. In 2000, the British re-established their consulate office in Colorado. The ever-increasing economic and cultural ties between Colorado and the world continue to strengthen the diplomatic presence of the Corps. The Corps maintains an active role in both local and diplomatic affairs and meets monthly from September to May.

Notable Developments compiled by Bill Hanifen, School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado - Denver


The Colorado Consular Corps (CCC) dates back to at least 1955, and enjoys a long and illustrious history. The organization was active in promoting international awareness, and in educating the Denver community about far away cultures and traditions. The photos reflect a group from the 1950s, many who have survived and are active in the Corps today. The Consular Corps has begun a project to trace its rich history, including a determination when the first foreign envoy arrived in the State of Colorado, the major activities and achievements of the Corps, and key figures over its long history.
Distinguished members of the Colorado Consular Corps, mid-1950s. The Colorado Consular Corps hosting Gala Function in Denver, 1955. Photos compliments of Dr. Guillermo Aragon, Consul General of Costa Rica emeritus.
One head of the CCC in the 1950s that many remember with a great degree of fondness was Baron de Cabrol, then Consul General of France (in the above photo, first row, left to right, the third person and his wife is next to him). Baron de Cabrol was born into a royal French family. As did most young European men who where of fighting age during the time of the Second World War, he went to fight against fascism. While on a jeep patrol, a German soldier fired a bazooka, which blew off both legs of the Baron just before the war ended. Even with his prosthesis the Baron was an excellent dancer, and he married a Denver pathologist. During the 1950s, the CCC was comprised mainly of career foreign service officers, from France, Italy, Great Britain and Mexico. The rest were Honorary Consuls.
Distinguished members of the Colorado Consular Corps, mid-1950s.
Another long-time veteran of the CCC (pictured) is Dr. Guillermo Aragon, formerly Consul General of Costa Rica in Colorado, now Emeritus. Dr. Aragon, a prominent cardiac surgeon, began his medical career in Denver at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and Denver General Hospital , after receiving his medical degree from Columbia University in New York City. Dr. Aragon and his wife were active in the Corps throughout the fifties, and then following a hiatus when he lived in Costa Rica and Puerto Rico, again in the 1970s to the present day. He promoted a special awareness of Latin culture and politics. The CCC has long acted as a focal point for international efforts in Colorado and currently has a membership of 36. Notable Developments in the History of the Colorado Consular Corps The following is an initial historical account of diplomacy and foreign envoys in Colorado from 1900 to the early 1990’s. 1900's The Times – Sept. 12, 1900. P.2. August Courvoisier is mentioned as a previous Belgian Consul in Denver. The Times – Jan. 12, 1903. Godfrey Schirmer, secretary of the Schirmer Insurance and Investment Company, is appointed consul and agent for the German empire for CO, NM, and WY. This is the first appointment of consul for these states made by the German government. Mr. Schirmer has grown up in Denver. The Consul’s business address in 1430 16^th St. His residence is 2848 Humboldt St. Post – Oct. 29, 1907. P.1-2. Presence of Swedish Consul in Denver. Swedish Vice Consul attacks wife in delirium, is confined in hospital. Swedish Vice Consul H. L. Sahlgaard apparently suffered from dementia as the result of a fever. He reportedly made a murderous attack on his wife. 1910’s Post – May 24, 1914. P.8. Austro-Hungarian Consul appointment. Dr. Nikolaus Manojlovits is appointed Austro-Hungarian consul for Colorado. No mention if this is the first such appointment for Austro-Hungarian Empire. Dr. Manojlovits came from Denver from the Vienna foreign office. He has served in Cairo, Tangier, and New York. 1930’s RMN – May 20, 1936. P.6. Cavaliere Remingio Grillo is appointed new Italian consul in Denver. The new consul is a 32 year old bachelor and one of the original Fascists who participated in the historic march on Rome with Mussolini in 1922. He has served in Alexandria, Belgium-Congo, Barcelona, and Lucerne. He bears the honorary title of Cavaliere through a decoration from the King of Italy. RMN – June 5, 1936. P.2. New Italian Consul Grillo will represent the CO, WY, UT, NE, and NM regions. Grillo stated, “As Italian Consul here, it is my intention not to spread Fascist political propaganda but to promote friendliness toward Italy.” Grillo replaced Count L.G. di San Marzano, who left Denver for a post in Manila, Philippines. Post – May 3, 1939. P.6. The new Mexican Consul is Gonzalo Obregon, a nephew of the twice president of Mexico, Alvaro Obregon. Gonzalo Obregon has served in San Francisco, Phoenix, and Laredo, TX. His first notable act was a new plan to aide Mexicans unable to support themselves in the U.S. to relocate in Mexico with government assistance. Post – Sept. 26, 1939. P.16. Italian Consul Grillo is ordered to return to Rome. No reason is given for the orders or any mention of his replacement, although the impending World War II is suspected as the cause. 1940’s Post – Oct. 1, 1942 – P.11. British Consul opens Denver region office. For the first time since 1932, Denver has a British consulate office, now managed by Roger Stevens of London. He set up his office in the Brown Place Hotel. Stevens expects to have a staff of 3 – 4. Stevens is the first non Colorado resident to run the office. Stevens mentioned he is interested in a scrap drive to recycle as much as possible. RMN – June 29, 1945. P.5. Frank O. Darvall, new British Consul, arrives in Denver. Darvall is a well known London newspaper man and author. He studied at Columbia University. Darvall will succeed Stevens. Post – April 26, 1947. P.3. Santiago Suarez is the newly appointed Mexican Consul in Denver. Consul Suarez notices a housing shortage in Denver. Suarez succeeds Federico Pastor in Denver. Suarez has served in New York, San Francisco, Belgium, Sweden, Poland, Germany, and Japan. 1950’s Post – Dec. 14, 1956. P. 18. Swiss Consul ordered to close office. William C. Weiss was Swiss consul for the past 16 years. Weis is a U.S. native, his father was born in Switzerland. During the years immediately following WWI, the consular agency was “quite busy.’ However, Wiess states, “There hasn’t been much business for the agency in recent years.” Weiss is a member of an optical firm at 1620 Arapahoe St. Post – Jan. 23, 1957. P.21. Holland (Netherlands) names Consul in Denver. Denver previously has maintained a vice consulate, however this appointment elevates it to a full consulate in recognition “of the Rocky Mountain Empire’s expanding population and industry. Allen Redeker, 2700 E. Dartmouth Ave, a certified public accountant, has been named honorary consul of the new Netherlands consulate in Denver. Post – May 22, 1958. P.17. New Italian Consul arrives in Denver. Emilio Paolo Bassi is the new Denver Italian Consul. Bassi has a law degree from the Univ. of Florence and has been in the diplomatic service since 1951. Prior assignments have been in Rome and Vienna. Post – July 15, 1958. P.16. Departing French Consul decorates 2 Denverites. French consul Baron Louis de Cabrol presented decorations in the French Legion of Honor to 2 Denverites, Blake Hiester, president of Alliance Francaise, and Lt. Gen. Henry Larsen, who will head the American Society of the French Legion of Honor. Baron Cabrol is leaving to accept a post in Charles de Gaulle’s government. RMN – Aug. 15, 1958. P.70. New French Consul, Claude Batault. His previous posts have been Baghdad and Lisbon. Consul Batault’s wife is American. Post – July 10, 1959. P.22. Costa Rican Consul is only Woman Consul in Denver. Mrs. Julio Bejarno has been appointed official representative to the Rocky Mountain Empire of her native Costa Rica. She has lived in Denver for 7 years and is now an American citizen. 1960’s RMN – Feb. 5, 1960. P.56. Germany reappoints Godel as Denver Consul. William F. Godel, a Denver insurance man, reassumed the job he resigned 20 years ago, German Consul to Denver. This marks the first time Denver has had a German Consul since 1940. Godel stated, “I am very pleased to be back in my old job again.” Post – Feb. 14, 1960. P.4. A focus on William Godel. Born in Stuttgart in 1900, Godel served briefly in WWI for Germany. Moved to U.S., studied at Columbia. Godel was next hired by the Colorado Herold, a German language newspaper. German consul at the time, Sherman, hired Godel in a position at his bank and appointed him assistant consul. Sherman died in 1928 and Godel became the next German Consul. Godel resigned in 1940 in opposition to Hitler and German aggression. Godel’s son is a retired American Marine. Post – Oct. 18, 1964. P.19 Contemporary. Colorado Diplomatic Corps of 1964. 13 nations officially represented in Denver. 4 are full-time: Britain, Mexico, France, and Italy. A tour of 5 consulate’s homes will be offered on Oct. 31. (British, French, Dominican Republic, Finnish, and German) Visitors will be treated to a beverage and food sample typical of the country represented. Post – Sept. 21, 1969. P.26. Italian Consulate closing. A reorganization of the Italian consular personnel in the U.S. will mean the closing of the Italian Consulate in Denver. 1970’s Post – May 18, 1978. P.24. Italian Honorary Consul Zarlengo steps down. Zarlengo served as dean of the Consular Corps of Colorado in 1976-1977. Zarlengo is also a member of the Denver law firm Zarlengo, Mott, and Zarlengo. Post – Oct. 1, 1978. P.2. Lesotho Consul in Colorado. (At this time, only the Mexican Consul is full time, all 24 others are honorary) (Former astronaut Walter Schirra is the Honorary Consul for Belgium). Samuel H. Brown is Honorary Consul of Lesotho. Brown serves as a counselor to several students from Lesotho studying at CU and CSU. Brown’s main job is in real estate. His Consulate office doubles as his real estate office. Brown went to undergrad at CU, Law School at Stanford, and won a fellowship through the Ford Foundation’s Africa-Asia Program where he spent a year as the lead legal counsel to the Ministry of Agriculture in the British Protectorate of Basutoland (now Lesotho). Brown became King Moshoeshoe’s tennis partner, as the king requested his participation in tennis. Lesotho shares some characteristics with Denver, CO, such as altitude, mountains reaching 12,000 feet, and similar distance from the equator. Post Contemporary – Sept. 30, 1979. P.12-13. Info on several Honorary Consuls: Dr. Robert Louis Gasser – Switzerland. Mrs. Caterina Gilda Noya Scordo – Italy Dr. Guillermo E. Aragon – Costa Rica Samuel Brown – Lesotho Walter M Schirra Jr. – Belgium Randall A. Forselius – Finland William K. ‘Bill’ Hosokawa – Japan Robert Joseph Stroessner – Paraguay 1980’s RMN – Sept. 26, 1981. P.68. List of Consulates in Colorado: Belgium, Chile, Costa Rica, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Germany, Finland, France, Guatemala, Haiti, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Lesotho, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Sweden, Switzerland. RMN – Sept. 26, 1981. P.68. Highlight on Swedish Consul. Glenn D. Peterson is dean of the Consular Corps of Colorado. He spends about 25 hours a week fulfilling the obligations of his non-paying post. Peterson has served divorce papers, been involved in a murder case, helped victims of auto accidents, reported a death, assisted stranded travelers and arranged for a Swedish couple to adopt an American child. “We are an information center. There is a lot more foreign activity going on in Colorado than most people realize, and emergencies do arise.” RMN – July 8, 1986. P.12. Gambia Consulate in Aspen. Only Consulate in Colorado located outside of Denver. Flavy Davis is the Honorary Consul, a 74 year old retired Houston oil man who has had previous business dealings with Gambian president Dawda Kairaba Jawara. Davis handles about 16 or 17 visa requests annually. 1990’s RMN. Oct. 18, 1990. Style 9-S. Mexican Consul embraces Colorado. Francisco Gonzalez de Cossio is now full time Consul in Denver. Francisco was recently transferred from offices in Saudi Arabia (Riyadh and Jeddah). He served in Mexico’s mission to the United Nations from 1973-1979. Francisco discovered skiing last winter. He and his wife purchased a condo in Breckenridge. The two are enjoying life in Colorado. RMN. Jan. 20, 1991. P.12-15 Sunday Magazine. List of Honorary Consuls in Denver: Austria, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Chile, Denmark, Dominican Republic, El Salvadore, Finland, France, Gambia, Germany, Haiti, Honduras, Italy, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Yugoslavia. Mexico has only Consulate General (non-honorary) RMN. Jan 14, 1992. P.29. Rwandan Consulate Opens. RMN – June 25, 1993. P.56. Australia opens Consulate. Australia is the number 2 overseas investor in Colorado behind only Japan, with 27 businesses in Colorado. Brent Emmett, vice president of the Denver based corporation Ampolex, was named honorary Consul. The Colorado Consular Corps currently consists of 36 diplomats representing various regions such as Europe, Asia, Australia, and South and Central America. The latest member to join the Colorado Consular Corps was the Russian Federation in 2007. In 2000, the British re-established their consulate office in Colorado. The ever-increasing economic and cultural ties between Colorado and the world continue to strengthen the diplomatic presence of the Corps. The Corps maintains an active role in both local and diplomatic affairs and meets monthly from September to May. Notable Developments compiled by Bill Hanifen, School of Public Affairs, University of Colorado - Denver 19 Consular Corps Home