Élie Ducommun | |
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Born | |
Died | 7 December 1906 | (aged 73)
Relatives | Martin Brauen (great-grandson) |
Awards | Nobel Peace Prize, 1902 |
Élie Ducommun (19 February 1833, Geneva – 7 December 1906, Bern) was a Swiss peace activist. He was a Nobel laureate, awarded the 1902 Nobel Peace Prize, which he shared with Charles Albert Gobat. [1]
Born in Geneva, 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. 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. [2]
His keen organizational skills ensured the group's success. He was awarded in the Nobel Peace Prize in 1902, and served as director of the organization until his death in 1906.