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Auguste Marie François Beernaert (1909)(54)
He held the post of president of the International Law Association from 1903 to 1905. He was Belgium’s first representative at The Hague peace conferences in 1899 and 1907. In 1909, when he was 80 years old, Beernaert was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Auguste Beernaert was a Belgian statesman, lawyer and a member of the International Arbitral Tribunal in The Hague who won the 1909 Nobel Peace Prize. He was born in 1829 in Ostend, Belgium and died in 1912 in Lucerne, Switzerland. He was homeschooled by his mother and later attended the University of Louvain in 1846. He received his doctoral degree in Law in 1851. Because of the merits he had, he was awarded a traveling fellowship, through which he studied the status of legal education at the universities of Paris, Heidelberg and Berlin for two years. After returning to Belgium, he submitted a report of his findings to the Ministry of Interior, which was later published.
In 1853, he started working as a clerk for a prominent lawyer Hubert Dolez, who was also the former president of Chamber of Representatives. Then Beernaert begun an independent practice. He published essays and articles in legal journals through which he became a famous scholar. In 1873, he became the Minister of Public Works and improved the infrastructure of the country such as railways, streets, canals, and so on.
In 1884, Beernaert was elected as a member of Senate as a member of Catholic Party. Later, he became the head of the government and the minister of finance. During his ten years as prime minister, major work was carried out in various sectors, and reforms were introduced in the social and judicial sectors. In 1894, he returned to his law practice, but still continued to serve in the government as an advisor of minister of state from 1895 to 1900, and later as the president of the Chamber of Representatives.
Founded in 1889 to bring together representatives from various national assemblies for annual debates. Headquartered in Geneva. Works for the peaceful resolution of conflict between nations. Addresses topics such as disarmament, environmental protection, gender equality and current world conflicts.
Beernaert attended the meetings of the Inter-Parliamentary Union, which organized annual conferences for elected representatives from different countries. The purpose was to promote peace and understanding between nations. Beernaert presided over a number of conferences, and he supported the use of arbitration when conflicts arose. Although he believed in the value of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, he did not agree that the court should have permanent judges. Instead he maintained that judges should be elected for each case and approved by the parties. Beernaert feared that permanent judges could be exploited by major powers to exert pressure on small nations.
Beernaert became an active member of the Interparliamentary Union and led several of its conferences and served as the president of it’s council in 1899. Beernaert led the first Commission of the Peace Conference at The Hague in 1899 on arms and limitation, and over the Second Commission on regulation of land war in the conference of 1907. He served as a member of the Permanent Cour of Arbitration and in 1902 represented Mexico in the conflict with the U.S.
Auguste Beernaert was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1909 for his contributions to the development of international arbitration and his commitment to promoting peace. The award recognized his efforts to strengthen international law and prevent conflicts through diplomatic channels.
One of the most notable aspects of Beernaert’s legacy is his commitment to peace and diplomacy. He was a strong advocate for international arbitration and conflict resolution through peaceful means. His efforts contributed to the establishment of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague.
He was the primary force behind proposals to unifyinternational maritime law. A number of conventionsdealing with collision and assistance at sea drawn up in1910 were soon signed by many nations
During his time as Prime Minister, Beernaert focused on various domestic reforms, including labor legislation and social welfare programs. He was also committed to improving Belgium’s international relations and played a significant role in various international conferences. In 1909, Beernaert received the Nobel Peace Prize, jointly with French diplomat and internationalist, Paul Henri Benjamin Balluet d’Estournelles de Constant. In 1912, Beernaert attended the Interparliamentary Conference in Geneva and then while returning back to home he was hospitalized and later died in Lucerne, Switzerland. He was buried in Boitsfort, Belgium.
