He descended from a line of Rhenish knights and nobles dating back to the 13th century.
He was the uncle of the composer Victor von Boos zu Waldeck (1840-1916).
In April 1842 Boos-Waldeck and a few other nobles met at Biebrich on the Rhine, near Mainz, to organize a society, which they called the Adelsverein, to promote German immigration to Texas.
In 1843 Boos-Waldeck bought and developed the Nassau Plantation near Round Top, Texas on behalf of the Adelsverein.
In addition to his native German, he spoke Spanish and English when Texas came under Mexican and U.S. rule.