Sir William Randal Cremer (18 March 1828 – 22 July 1908) usually known by his middle name "Randal", was a British

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

, a

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...

, and a leading advocate for international arbitration. He was awarded the

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...

in 1903 for his work with the international arbitration movement.

Early life

Cremer was born to a working-class family in the southern English town of Fareham. His father was a coachman, who abandoned the family soon after Randal Cremer was born. His mother raised him along with his two sisters, ensuring he received an education at a local

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school. He augmented his knowledge by attending free lectures, was apprenticed as a builder and became a skilled carpenter. Moving to London 1852, Cremer became active as a union organiser, swiftly becoming a recognized labour leader. Cremer was elected as the Secretary of the

International Workingmen's Association The International Workingmen's Association (IWA), often called the First International (1864–1876), was an international organisation which aimed at uniting a variety of different left-wing socialist, communist and anarchist groups and trad ...

in 1865 but resigned two years later in 1867, when the organization decided to make women eligible for membership. Being strongly opposed to women's suffrage, Cremer might have now felt that the organisation was becoming too radical. While heavily involved in campaigning for progressive causes and respected by

Karl Marx Karl Heinrich Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, economist, historian, sociologist, political theorist, journalist, critic of political economy, and socialist revolutionary. His best-known titles are the 1848 ...

, Cremer did not agree with a worker-led revolution.

Role in the international arbitration movement

From as early as his first unsuccessful run for Parliament in 1868, Cremer had advocated the expansion of international arbitration as peaceful alternative to war for the resolution of disputes. He was elected as Liberal

(MP) for

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in the Shoreditch district of Hackney from 1885 to 1895, and then from 1900 until his death from

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

in 1908. Using his platform as an MP, Cremer cultivated allies on both continental Europe and across the Atlantic, including

Frédéric Passy Frédéric Passy (20 May 182212 June 1912) was a French economist and pacifist who was a founding member of several peace societies and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. He was also an author and politician, sitting in the Chamber of Deputies fr ...

William Jennings Bryan William Jennings Bryan (March 19, 1860 – July 26, 1925) was an American lawyer, orator and politician. Beginning in 1896, he emerged as a dominant force in the History of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, running ...

and

Andrew Carnegie Andrew Carnegie (, ; November 25, 1835August 11, 1919) was a Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist. Carnegie led the expansion of the American steel industry in the late 19th century and became one of the richest Americans i ...

. Using his network of contacts and his talent for organisation, Cremer did much to create and expand institutions for international arbitration, which during his lifetime were successful in peacefully resolving numerous international disputes. This work includes co-founding the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the

International Arbitration League The International Arbitration League was a society of pacifists run by working-class men. It was initially founded out of the British Workmen's Peace Committee, by the Nobel Peace Prize winner Sir William Randal Cremer and fellows from the recently ...

; gaining acceptance for the 1897

Olney–Pauncefote Treaty The Olney–Pauncefote Treaty of 1897 was a proposed treaty between the United States and Britain in 1897 that would have required arbitration of major disputes. The treaty was rejected by the US Senate and never went into effect. The Venezuelan ...

between the United States and Britain that would have required arbitration of major disputes as the Essequibo territory (the treaty was rejected by the US Senate and never went into effect); and preparing the ground for the Hague peace conferences of 1899 and 1907. In recognition of his work in the arbitration movement, Cremer won the

, the first to do so solo, in 1903. Of the £8,000 award he donated £7,000 as an endowment for the

. He also was named a Chevalier of the French

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

,Among the world's peacemakers: an epitome of the

Interparliamentary Union The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU; french: Union Interparlementaire, UIP) is an international organization of national parliaments. Its primary purpose is to promote democratic governance, accountability, and cooperation among its members; othe ...

edited by Hayne Davis, 1908 won the

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Knighthood of Saint Olaf and was knighted in 1907. Randal Cremer Primary School, in Haggerston, is named in his honour.

Death

Cremer died on 22 July 1908, leaving an estate of £2,241 (£1,803 net).

Notes

References

* including the Nobel Lecture, January 15, 1905 ''The Progress and Advantages of International Arbitration''
About Sir Randal Cremer
on www.nobel-winners.com
The Hugh & Helene Schonfield World Service Trust

Link to article about Cremer by Simon Hall-Raleigh in Journal of Liberal History, Issue 9, December 1995
* Evans, H.: Sir Randal Cremer: his life and work. T. Fisher Unwin, 1909.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cremer, Randal 1828 births 1908 deaths Deaths from pneumonia in England Nobel Peace Prize laureates English anti-war activists English pacifists Members of the International Workingmen's Association Inter-Parliamentary Union Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur Liberal-Labour (UK) MPs Liberal Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1885–1886 UK MPs 1886–1892 UK MPs 1892–1895 UK MPs 1900–1906 UK MPs 1906–1910 English Nobel laureates Knights Bachelor