John Speyer (ca. 1771–1816) emigrated from his native Germany to New York City, where he was naturalized as an American citizen in 1789. He joined the German Society in the same year and later served as its secretary. Speyer rose from first lieutenant to captain of artillery in New York City’s militia, 1793–99. In 1793 he became a partner with Jacob Mark in the mercantile firm of Jacob Mark & Co. After the company went bankrupt in 1800, Speyer went into business on his own at 27 Wall Street, 1804–13. John Armstrong, United States minister plenipotentiary to France, appointed him about 1810 as commercial agent at Stockholm. James Madison then named him United States consul at Stockholm in 1812, a post he held until his death in Paris (Laws of the State of New-York [New York, 1789], 66–7; New-York Daily Gazette, 5 Apr. 1791; New York Daily Advertiser, 20 Apr. 1793, 19 July 1800; New York Diary; or, Loudon’s Register, 21 Oct. 1793; The Constitution and Nominations of the Subscribers to the Tontine Coffee-House [New York, 1796], 8; New York Commercial Advertiser, 18 Apr. 1799, suppl., and 5 Oct. 1803; Charter and By-Laws of the German Society of the City of New-York [New York, 1808], 6, 22; “Walter Barrett” [Joseph Alfred Scoville], The Old Merchants of New York City [1863–69; repr. 1968], 4:88; Madison, Papers, Pres. Ser., 4:47; JEP description begins Journal of the Executive Proceedings of the Senate of the United States description ends , 2:207, 211 [27 Jan., 18 Feb. 1812]; Speyer correspondence in DNA: RG 59, CD, Stockholm; New York Columbian, 31 Oct. 1816).