Ducommun, Elie (1833–1906)

Swiss teacher, journalist, writer, and politician. Ducommun was awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1902 with Swiss lawyer and statesman Charles-Albert Gobat for his dedicated work as head of the Berne Peace Bureau and therefore head of the united work of all the peace societies of the world.

Much of his writing was on the subject of peace and he edited several journals devoted to peace. His publications include Precis Historique du Mouvement en Faveur de la Paix (1899), The Permanent International Bureau of Peace (1903), Dernie(grave)res Sourires: Poesies Precede(acute)es d'une notice biographique (1908). He attended many meetings on the topic of peace and became director of the Berne Peace Bureau.

Born in Berne, Switzerland, Ducommun attended public schools in Geneva and worked briefly as a teacher from 1855 to 1857. From 1857 to 1906 he was a journalist and writer and he was also an important political figure in Switzerland, holding various posts between 1855 and 1875. He was a poet and also a businessman holding the post of secretary general of the Jura–Berne–Lucerne Railroad from 1875 to 1903.