Zafar Shayan
Elie Ducommun was a Swiss peace activist, journalist, eloquent lecturer and the Nobel Peace Prize winner. He was born in 1833 in Geneva and passed away in 1906 in Bern, Switzerland. After completing his early studies, he started working as a tutor for a family in Saxony for three years. Then he returned to Geneva and taught in a public school for a while.
In 1855, Ducommun started his journalistic career with working as editor of Revue de Geneve, a political journal. In 1865, he went to Bern and founded the journal of Der Fortschritt (Progress). He has also edited Helvetie. In 1868, he started working as the editor of Les États-Unis d’Europe (The United States of Europe), published by International League for Peace and Freedom, which was founded in 1867.
Ducommun was engaged in political activities as well; he was a member of the Grand Council in Bern for ten years and a member of Grand Council in Geneva for 9 years. In 1857, he became the vice-chancellor and in 1862, the chancellor of state of Geneva.
In 1891, Ducommun was appointed as the director of International Peace Bureau and led the organization until his death. He refused to take salary for his peace activities. He published many works in the bimonthly journal of Bureau. Ducommun spent tireless efforts organizing conferences and speeches, and trying to bring peace societies together from around the world. In 1901, he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prized.
1. The Nobel Prize: www.nobelprize.org/prizes/peace/1902/ducommun/biographical
2. World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates: www.nobelpeacesummit.com