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General First nameOtto
LastnameVon Muller (Von Müller)
GenderMale
CountryGermany
Date of birth1875-10-17
Place of birthJülich, North Rhine-Westphalen, Germany
Date of death1976-04-02
Place of deathFürstenfeldbruck, Bayern, Germany

About

The following piece was translated and adapted from the German-language Wikipedia entry on Otto von Müller, which can be accessed here:
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_von_M%C3%BCller

Origins and family

The von Müller family came from the Grand Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin, a former territory in Northern Germany held by the House of Mecklenburg, based at Schwerin. The family line began with Adam Möller (d. 1693), who was a bailiff in Redentin near Wismar, close to the Baltic Sea coast. Otto von Müller’s parents were the Prussian Lieutenant General Eduard von Müller (1841-1932) and Marie Schweickhardt (b. 1850). The von Müller family had its own coat of arms.

Otto von Müller married Olly Wessel on 2 October 1905 in Potsdam. They had two children, a daughter called Irmgard Ingeborg (b. 1906) and a son called Wolfgang (b. 1910).

Military career

Otto von Müller served as an officer in the Prussian military service from October 1892, initially in the 1st Guards Regiment of foot. On June 17, 1893, he was promoted to non-commissioned officer with sword knot, and on 27 January 1894, he became Second Lieutenant. He completed the three-year course of studies at the War Academy on 18 March 1903, when he was promoted to first lieutenant.

On 21 March 1908, Otto von Müller was transferred to the General Staff, being simultaneously promoted to the rank of captain. Two years later he was transferred back to the 1st Guards Regiment of foot as a company commander. His last promotion occurred on 19 August 1914, when he rose to the rank of major. From 30 June 1914, he was aide-de-camp to Wilhelm, the last German Crown Prince. Otto von Müller remained in this position until he took he left the army on 26 November 1918.

By the end of World War One, Otto von Müller had been awarded the following medals and decorations:

Knight (4th class) of the Royal Prussian Order of the Red Eagle
Knight (4th class) of the Royal Prussian Order of the Crown
Knight of the Order of Saint John
Knight of the House Order of Hohenzollern with swords
Knight (1st class) of the Order of the Zähringer Lion with swords
Knight (4th class) of the Royal Bavarian Military Merit Order with swords and crown
Knight (2nd class) of the Duke of Saxony-Ernestine House Order
Knight of the Royal Greek Order of the Redeemer

Lawn tennis career

At the Olympic Games in Stockholm in 1912, Otto von Müller took part in the outdoor singles and doubles events. After three wins, he reached the quarter-finals of the men’s singles event, but was then beaten by the future Olympic champion from Bohemia, Ladislav Žemla. With Heinrich Schomburgk, Otto von Müller reached the second round of the men’s doubles competition event, but in the round of 16 they lost in four sets to the French pair of Édouard Mény de Marangue and Albert Canet, who later won the bronze medal.

Otto von Müller was active as a lawn tennis player from 1897 to 1933. In 1913, he won the men’s singles title at the International German Championships in Hamburg, defeating Heinrich Schomburgk in the final match. With few exceptions, he took part almost exclusively in tournaments held in Germany. From 1913 to 1925, he took a break from lawn tennis competitions.

Otto von Müller was the first German Olympian to live to the age of 100. When he died in April 1976, he was nearly 100 years and 6 months old.

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