Arthur Henderson was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his tireless efforts as Chairman of the World Disarmament Conference.

Full name: Arthur Henderson
Born: 13 September 1863, Glasgow, Scotland
Died: 20 October 1935, London, United Kingdom
Date awarded: 10 December 1934

Henderson as foreign secretary

As Foreign Secretary in Ramsay MacDonald’s government from 1929 to 1931, Arthur Henderson spent a lot of energy establishing diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union. He was also able to persuade Parliament to accept the Young Plan which reduced German reparations after WWI. Henderson was also a strong spokesperson for Egyptian independence. An agreement on this was first signed in 1936.

Disarmament for a lasting peace

Henderson grew up in poverty in the Scottish city of Glasgow. He never completed his primary education because he had to help his family earn a living, but his work in the labour union and the Methodist church laid the foundation for an impressive political career. Henderson helped to found the British Labour Party, and he served as party secretary, chairman of the party’s executive committee, member of Parliament and foreign secretary. Henderson was a driving force behind the League of Nation’s World Disarmament Conference in Geneva. Elected conference president, he kept negotiations alive despite opposition from major powers and his own government. It is for these efforts that he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Collapse of the 1930s negotiations on disarmament

Arthur Henderson’s great project, disarmament negotiations in Geneva under the auspices of the League of Nations, failed for several reasons. None of the major powers were willing to relinquish national control of their military forces. Even more importantly, fears of a German rearmament were increasing. In the autumn of 1933, Hitler withdrew Germany from the League of Nations. Two years later he violated the WWI peace treaty by implementing compulsory military service and expanding the air force and navy. A new and dangerous arms race had begun.

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Biography of Arthur Henderson

Arthur Henderson was born in Glasgow, the son of David Henderson, a manual worker. When his father died in 1872, leaving the family in poverty, Arthur left school to work in a photographer’s shop ...

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