American diplomat and international lawyer Richard Paul Momsen was
born on September 12, 1890, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. After completing his secondary education, Momsen became private secretary to Wisconsin Congressman William J. Cary, during which time he also completed the requirements for a Bachelor of Law Degree at George Washington University. In 1913, Momsen was appointed Deputy-Consul General at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He was promoted to vice-consul in 1915; and, in 1918, he assumed the position of Consul General ad interim . While serving with the Diplomatic Corps, Momsen became interested in the legal structure and traditions of Brazil; after four years of study, he was admitted to the Brazilian Bar, having received a B.S.J.S. from the “Faculdade de Ciencias Juridicas e Sociais” in Rio de Janeiro. In February 1919, Momsen resigned from the American Diplomatic Service and established a law firm in Rio de Janeiro. The same year he was elected to the “Instituto da Ordem dos Advogados Brasileiros.”
During the course of his career, Momsen actively promoted economic and commercial relations between the United States and Brazil. He was a founder of the American Chamber of Commerce for Brazil and served as director of the organization for more than twenty-five years. In that capacity he was instrumental in disseminating information to American business interests regarding the legal aspects of commercial enterprise in Brazil. Momsen also served as director of a number of American subsidiary companies in Brazil, including American Express Company, International Harvester, and Radio Corporation of America. He also participated actively in local and civic affairs. He was interested in elementary education in Brazil. Through the Rotary Club of Rio de Janiero, of which he was a member, Momsen initiated a campaign which resulted in the construction of Escola Rotary, which was later presented to the City of Rio de Janeiro. For his unfailing interest in the development of Brazil and its relations with the United States, the Brazilian government in 1950 decorated him with the Order of the Southern Cross.
Momsen authored a number of articles and pamphlets on law and trade in Brazil; and, as an expert on United States-Brazilian commercial relations, he testified before legislative committees of both governments concerning treaties, taxes, and tariffs. Momsen also served on a number of inter- American commissions. He died in 1964.
