Frederic Passy

Frédéric Passy was a French economist and pacifist who was a founding member of several peace societies and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. He was also an author and politician, sitting in the Chamber of Deputies from 1881 until 1889. He was a joint winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1901 for his work in the European peace movement. Passy was born in Paris in 1822 to an aristocratic Catholic family, which had strong ties to Orléanist politics. His father was a veteran of Waterloo and his uncle was a cabinet minister under Louis Philippe and Louis Napoleon. He studied law and worked as an accountant for the State Council, but left after three years to devote himself to writing, lecturing, and organizing on behalf of free trade and economic liberalism. He published several books and articles on economics, such as Mélanges économiques (1857), Leçons d’économie politique (1860–1861), and L’Histoire du travail (1873). Passy was also a passionate advocate of international arbitration and peace. He was influenced by Richard Cobden, a British free trader and pacifist, who visited France in 1846 and 1849. He founded the first French Peace Society in 1867, which held a congress in Paris during the 1878 World Exhibition. He also founded the Société Française des Amis de la Paix in 1872 and the Société Française pour l’Arbitrage entre Nations in 1889. He was one of the founders of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, an organization for cooperation between the elected representatives of different countries, along with William Randal Cremer, a British MP and peace activist. Passy was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in 1881 and again in 1885, representing the 8th arrondissement of Paris. He supported legislation favorable to labor, especially an act relating to industrial accidents. He opposed France's colonial policy, which he considered contrary to the ideals of free trade and peace. He drafted a proposal for disarmament and presented a resolution calling for arbitration of international disputes. He also advocated for women's rights and education. Passy received several honors and awards for his contributions to economics and peace. He was elected to the Académie de sciences morales et politiques in 1877. He was awarded the Legion of Honour in 1895. He shared the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901 with Henry Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross. He continued his work for peace until his death in 1912 at the age of 90.