William Kirkpatrick of Closeburn and Conheath, U.S. Consul in Malaga, Spain

William Kirkpatrick of Malaga was a remarkable man only occasionally mentioned in the numerous biographies of his famous granddaughter, the Empress Eugenie. As United States Consul in Malaga between 1800 and 1817, William Kirkpatrick was a strong advocate of the US Navy's role in combating the Barbary Corsairs. His Consular work, business enterprises and extensive European and American connections are explored using new sources. These show that the Kirkpatricks of Dumfriesshire who settled in Spain in the 1730s were an enterprising family of international merchants. Allied with similar families from across Europe, the Kirkpatricks revolutionised trade and industry in southern Spain and even had a hand in introducing grapevines to Australia. The Kirkpatrick family received wide attention when Eugenie, aided by her mother the formidable Maria Manuela, Countess de Montijo, made a spectacular marriage to Napoleon III and became Empress Regent of France, a confidante of Queen Victoria, and an iconic figure in 19th Century Europe.