Philipp Otto Grumbkow

Philipp Otto von Grumbkow (12 May 1684 – 26 August 1752) was a statesman who served in the Province of Pomerania, Kingdom of Prussia. He was the chancellor of the Province of Pomerania from 1721 to 1747, and the president of the General Directory of War and Finance from 1723 to 1742. He also served as the supreme president of the Province of Pomerania until 1747. Early life Philipp Otto von Grumbkow was born on 12 May 1684 in Berlin, Margraviate of Brandenburg (now part of Germany). He came from Pomeranian noble family of Grumbkow. His father was Joachim Ernst von Grumbkow (1637–1690), who was a general and statesman. His mother was Gertrude Sophie von Grumbkow (1637–1690; née von Grote), a daughter of nobleman Otto von Grote. He had three brothers. Friedrich Wilhelm von Grumbkow (1678–1739), Friedrich Ludwig von Grumbkow (1683–1745), and Karl Ernst von Grumbkow (died 1703). Friedrich Wilhelm was a field marshal general in the Royal Prussian Army, and Friedrich Ludwig was a lieutenant general in the Royal Saxon Army. Career Philipp Otto von Grumbkow graduated from the Brandenburg University of Frankfurt in 1697. Following that, he enrolled in the Crown Army of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, where he reached the rank of colonel. In 1712, he switched to the service in the Royal Prussian Army of the Kingdom of Prussia. In 1713, he became a member of the council of Province of Pomerania, which was seated in Stargard. The government's responsibilities were limited to legal, education, and church matters. He later received the title of the Geheimrat, which was the highest advising official title in Prussia. In 1718, he became chief captain of the Lauenburg and Bütow Land. In 1720, he became the vice-chancellor of the Province of Pomerania, and then chancellor in 1721. In 1723, he also became the first president of the newly formed General Directory of War and Finance. The same year, the seat of the provisional government and the general directory were moved from Stargard to Szczecin. Eventually, he became the supreme president of the Province of Pomerania. In 1973, he was awarded the Order of the Black Eagle by the king Frederick William I of Prussia.