Henri La Fontaine
Facts
Photo from the Nobel Foundation archive.
Henri La Fontaine
The Nobel Peace Prize 1913
Born: 22 April 1854, Brussels, Belgium
Died: 14 May 1943, Brussels, Belgium
Residence at the time of the award: Belgium
Role: Member, Belgian Parliament (Sénateur); President, Permanent International Peace Bureau, Berne, Switzerland
Prize motivation: “for his unparalleled contribution to the organization of peaceful internationalism”
Prize share: 1/1
Socialist, Lawyer, Parliamentarian
Henri La Fontaine was the first socialist to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. He held a doctorate in law, and in the Belgian parliament took a special interest in social policy and foreign affairs. But La Fontaine's greatest work was as an activist in the international peace movement. He was a strong champion of internationalism. He set up an institute which collected documentation from all over the world on international matters. In 1910 he also organized a world conference for international organizations. Its purpose was to create “an intellectual parliament” for humanity.
La Fontaine held high positions of trust in the peace movement. He was president of the International Peace Bureau from 1907 until his death. When he was awarded the Peace Prize in 1913, he was the effective leader of the peace movement in Europe.
Nobel Prizes and laureates
Six prizes were awarded for achievements that have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind. The 12 laureates' work and discoveries range from proteins' structures and machine learning to fighting for a world free of nuclear weapons.
See them all presented here.
