Eugene Plumacher


Eugene Hermann Plumacher was U.S. consul to Maracaibo from 1877 until 1890. He was born in Prussia and emigrated to the U.S. where he settled in Tennessee. He survived a bout of yellow fever and relayed reports on upheavals and conflicts in the region which is now part of Venezuela. He studied lepers and leprosy, postulating that it was a hereditary condition. He also served as a university professor in Tennessee.
The Inter Ocean ran a story in 1903 about how Plumacher discouraged others seeking his consul post by highlighting the deadly diseases and dangers surrounsing the post. Plumacher corresponded with Dr. Charles Sajous. In his memoirs he discusses various aspects of life in Maracaibo.
He retired from his consul position in 1910 and died in Washington D.C. the same year.