Arthur Sweetser (1888–1968) was an international journalist and statesman. Capt

Early life

Born in 1888, Arthur Sweetser was a member of a generation that saw the nations of the world engaging in violent bloodshed in what was labelled optimistically as the

War to End all Wars "The war to end war" (also "The war to end all wars"; originally from the 1914 book '' The War That Will End War'' by H. G. Wells) is a term for the First World War of 1914–1918. Originally an idealistic slogan, it is now mainly used sardonic ...

. This was a period when contemporary principles of international law were first taking form and beginning to be put into practice. Following on the heels of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, there were many people who saw the urgency of developing greater cooperation among nations. Arthur Sweetser was one of these. He came from a family that valued travel. His father wrote New England guidebooks. His uncle was a broker for a shipping firm. He traveled the world after graduating from college, then became a reporter, first for the Springfield Reporter and then for the Associated Press.

Journalism career

In 1914, when war was declared in Europe, Arthur Sweetser worked as a war correspondent, traveling through the thick of the battle zones. His book, "Roadside Glimpses of the Great War," was a study of

from the vantage point of a reporter in the middle of the action. He was assigned to the State Department by the Associated Press. He walked the halls with such great figures as Theodore Roosevelt, Henry Cabot Lodge, and Howard Taft. This was a period when U.S. isolationism was being questioned. The

League to Enforce Peace The League to Enforce Peace was a non-state American organization established in 1915 to promote the formation of an international body for world peace. It was formed at Independence Hall in Philadelphia by American citizens concerned by the outbr ...

was one effort to bring the U.S. and other countries into accord. Although this effort was not to succeed, the more successful League of Nations followed soon after. Arthur Sweetser was present at the inception of the League of Nations in Paris in 1920. He was a member of the American Peace Commission appointed by Woodrow Wilson. Sweetser was directly involved in the League's development as a member of its provisional Secretariat in London and subsequently joined the permanent Secretariat in the League's Public Information Section.

Role in education

His work with the League led to his involvement with the

International School of Geneva The International School of Geneva (in French: ''Ecole Internationale de Genève''), also known as "Ecolint" or "The International School", is a private, non-profit international school based in Geneva, Switzerland. Founded in 1924 in the servic ...

, the world's first international school, which he founded together with

Ludwik Rajchman Ludwik Witold Rajchman (1 November 1881 – 13 July 1965) was a Polish physician and bacteriologist. He is regarded as the founder of UNICEF, and served as its first chairman from 1946 to 1950. Family He was born to Aleksander Rajchman, the fou ...

Adolphe Ferrière Adolphe Ferrière (1879 in Geneva – 1960 in Geneva) was one of the founders of the progressive education movement. He worked for a brief time in a school in Glarisegg (TG, CH) and later founded an experimental school ('La Forge') in Lausanne, S ...

and Paul Meyhoffer.https://cdn.ymaws.com/alumni.ecolint.ch/resource/resmgr/magazines_newsletters/echo_spring10_8avril2010.pdf This school was developed to accommodate the children of diplomats as well as others seeking a more diversified education, with a program offering multiple languages and a non-political, "education for peace" approach that would enable students to succeed in their home colleges. Sweetser's involvement exemplified his belief that an international education was essential if there was ever to be communication among the world powers. One offspring of the evolution of international schools was the development of the

International Baccalaureate The International Baccalaureate (IB), formerly known as the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO), is a nonprofit foundation headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, and founded in 1968. It offers four educational programmes: the IB Dip ...

(IB). The goal of this program, according to the organization's website is, "to help develop the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world." In addition to the accomplishments mentioned, Arthur Sweetser became the first head of the United Nations Information Office in Washington following the second World War. He was the first President of the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, and he wrote a great many books and articles on subjects pertaining to global policy, communication, and education. In addition to his participation as a co-founder of the International School of Geneva in 1924, he assisted in the creation of the United Nations International School in New York, and also founded International Schools Service
(ISS)
The creation of International Schools Services came about in 1955. Sweetser noted that the insurgence of international and American schools across the globe had brought about a need for support for their educational programs, administration, and facilities. He established this non-profit group to provide these services. The company was available to help schools find high-quality faculty and materials and to provide the support that this growing sector would continue to need for future expansion.

Death

Arthur Sweetser died in 1968, but he made a strong and resounding impact on international education and global affairs.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sweetser, Arthur 1888 births 1968 deaths American male journalists