Nobel Peace Prize Winners: Do you know who the first ten Peace Laureates were?

The Nobel Prize medal (AP Photo)

The 2017 Nobel Peace Prize will be announced in Oslo today at 2.30 pm IST. Started in the year 1901, the award recognises individuals and organisations for efforts promoting peace across the world.

Here is a list of the first ten Nobel Peace Prize Winners:

1. Nobel Peace Prize Winners 1901 – Jean Henry Dunant and Frédéric Passy
Jean Henry Dunant – The Founder of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Originator of Geneva Convention was awarded the very first Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work.
Frédéric Passy – Regarded as the “dean” of the international peace movement during his time, Passy founded the first French Peace Society. Maintaining that free trade between independent nations promoted peace, Passy was also one of the founders of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization for cooperation between the elected representatives of different countries.

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2. Nobel Peace Prize Winners 1902 – Élie Ducommun and Charles Albert Gobat
Élie Ducommun – From the establishment of the International Peace Bureau in Berne in the year 1890, Élie Ducommun was its honorary Secretary-General until his death. The Bureau served as the link between peace organizations in different countries.
Charles Albert Gobat – Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts to bring popularly elected representatives from various countries together at meetings and congresses, Gobat participated in the Inter-Parliamentary Union from its beginnings in 1889 and became its Secretary-General three years later. Gobat also took over as Secretary-General of the International Peace Bureau when Élie Ducommun died in 1906.

3. Nobel Peace Prize Winner 1902 – William Randal Cremer
William Randal Cremer – Nicknamed the “Member of Arbitration” by his colleagues in Parliament, he dedicated his life trying to use arbitration to resolve international conflicts, with the aim of preventing war. Cremer took the initiative for the establishment of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in 1889. HE was also the Secretary of International Arbitration League and a Member of the British Parliament.

4. Nobel Peace Prize Winner 1904 – Institut de droit international (Institute of International Law)
Founded in 1873 on the initiative of Belgian lawyer Gustave Rolin-Jaequemyns, the institute was started with the aim of building an international institute which would be an authority on international law. The organization he created is still working to make the rules of international law, not war and violence, the guidelines for relations between sovereign states.

5. Nobel Peace Prize Winner 1905 – Baroness Bertha Sophie Felicita von Suttner, née Countess Kinsky von Chinic und Tettau
First woman to be awarded with the Nobel Peace Prize, Baroness Bertha von Suttner authored one of the most influential books of nineteenth century, the anti-war novel “Lay Down Your Arms” (1889). The Peace Prize Laureate became one of the leaders of the international peace movement, and in 1891 established the Austrian Peace Society. She was also the Honorary President of Permanent International Peace Bureau. A good friend of Alfred Nobel, many credit her for influencing him to establish the peace prize.

Read: Nobel Peace Prize 2017: who are the likely nominees?

6. Nobel Peace Prize Winner 1906 – Theodore Roosevelt
Former President of the United States, he was awarded the Peace Prize for having negotiated peace in the Russo-Japanese war in 1904-5. He is also credited with resolving a dispute between US and Mexico by resorting to arbitration as recommended by the peace movement.

7. Nobel Peace Prize Winners 1907 – Ernesto Teodoro Moneta and Louis Renault
Ernesto Teodoro Moneta – President of the Lombard League of Peace, Moneta stood out as the unrivalled leader of the Italian peace movement in the 1890s.
Louis Renault – A lawyer by profession, Renault believed peace could be brought about by strengthening international law and worked towards it for his whole life. He was also the French Government’s adviser in foreign policy and international law.

8. Nobel Peace Prize Winners 1908 – Klas Pontus Arnoldson and Fredrik Bajer
Klas Pontus Arnoldson – A pioneer in the Swedish peace movement, Arnoldson was the Founder of Swedish Peace and Arbitration League.
Fredrik Bajer – Bajer is credited for the establishment of the International Peace Bureau. An elected member of the Danish national assembly, he figured prominently in inter-parliamentary work.

9. Nobel Peace Prize Winners 1909 – Auguste Marie François Beernaert and Paul Henri Benjamin Balluet d’Estournelles de Constant, Baron de Constant de Rebecque
Auguste Marie François Beernaert – One of Belgium’s most skilful lawyers, Beernaert served as King Leopold II’s Prime Minister from 1884 to 1894. He was also a member of Cour Internationale d’arbitrage, Hague and also endeavored to prevent aerial warfare towards the end of his life.
Paul Henri d’Estournelles de Constant – Founder of the Committee for the Defense of National Interests and International Conciliation and Founder and President of French parliamentary group for voluntary arbitration, d’Estournelles supported binding arbitration between states.

10. Nobel Peace Prize Winner 1910 – Bureau international permanent de la Paix (Permanent International Peace Bureau)
Permanent International Peace Bureau opened in 1891, located in Berne, Switzerland and was awarded the prize for coordinating and directing peace activities between various nations.