Biography

In 1851, with his older brother Felipe, he obtained a lucrative contract to market Peruvian guano in the United States. Federico established an office in Baltimore, Maryland, and purchased property in Newport, and on Madison Avenue in New York. Barreda worked with the Peruvian government as a confidential agent, was an ambassador under Abraham Lincoln, and served as Peru's plenipotentiary in negotiations with the governments of Spain and Russia. From mid-1864 to early 1866, Barreda resided in Europe, and assumed the added roles of Minister to France and Great Britain. Throughout 1866 and 1867, Barreda fought off false accusations of bribery, conspiracy and theft, both from Washington and Peru. Barreda eventually responded to these accusations with his publication, "The Minister of Peru in the United States and his Caluminator," silencing further attacks upon his character. Federico turned to business, negotiating the Peruvian-Chilean joint bonds and speculating railroad stocks and U.S. Treasury Bonds, as well as investigating in the shipping business and securities trading. Following the market crash of 1873 Federico was forced to borrow from his brother, Felipe. The Barredas returned to the United States and settled down in Drum Point, a farm on the tip of the Maryland peninsula. Federico joined in a shipping and trading enterprise throughout Panama and Guatemala and set up offices in San Francisco, where he eventually moved his family. He died in 1883, leaving his wife, Matilde to raise their remaining son and two daughters. Matilde lived to help raise her grandchildren, of which Frederick Barreda Sherman, donor of these papers, was one.

His Newport home is mentioned in letters around August 1866. The Seward's were possibly staying at his home during this time