Élie Ducommun (19 February 1833,
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
– 7 December 1906,
Bern
Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
) was a Swiss
peace activist. He was a Nobel laureate, awarded the 1902
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...
, which he shared with
Charles Albert Gobat
Charles Albert Gobat (; 21 May 1843 – 16 March 1914) was a Swiss lawyer, educational administrator, and politician who jointly received the Nobel Peace Prize with Élie Ducommun in 1902 for their leadership of the Permanent International P ...
.
Born in
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
, he worked as a tutor, language teacher, journalist and a translator for the Swiss federal Chancellery (1869–1873).
In 1867 he helped to found the Ligue de la paix et de la liberté (
League of Peace and Freedom), though he continued working at other positions, including secretary for the Jura-Simplon Steel Company from 1873 to 1891. That year, he was appointed director of the newly formed
International Peace Bureau, the first non-governmental international peace organization, based in
Bern
Bern (), or Berne (), ; ; ; . is the ''de facto'' Capital city, capital of Switzerland, referred to as the "federal city".; ; ; . According to the Swiss constitution, the Swiss Confederation intentionally has no "capital", but Bern has gov ...
. He refused to accept a salary for the position, stating that he wished to serve in this capacity solely for reasons of idealism. From 1895 he was made the director of ''
Correspondance bi-mensuelle'', journal of the International Peace Office.
His keen organizational skills ensured the group's success. He was awarded in the
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...
in 1902, and served as director of the organization until his death in 1906.
See also
*
List of peace activists
This list of peace activists includes people who have proactively advocated Diplomacy, diplomatic, philosophical, and non-military resolution of major territorial or ideological disputes through nonviolent means and methods. Peace activists usua ...
References
External links
*
* including the Nobel Lecture, 16 May 1904 '' The Futility of War Demonstrated by History''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ducommun, Elie
1833 births
1906 deaths
People from Geneva
Nobel Peace Prize laureates
Swiss Nobel laureates
19th-century Swiss journalists
Swiss Protestants
20th-century Swiss journalists
Swiss Christian pacifists