The Encyclopedia Americana (1920)/Passy, Frédéric

PASSY, Frédéric, French political economist and statesman: b. Paris, 20 May 1822; d. 12 June 1912. He was educated for the law but practised but a short time before accepting an appointment as auditor to the Council of State in 1846. He withdrew from politics after the coup d'etat of Napoleon III. He was one of the founders of the International and Permanent League of Peace in 1868 and became its permanent secretary. He served in the Chamber of Deputies in 1881-89; and in 1881-1902 he was professor of political economy in several colleges. He was associated with Sir. W. R. Cremer in forming the Interparliamentarian Union for Arbitration and Peace; and was a member of the International Bureau of Peace at Bern, Switzerland. He was elected to the Academy of Moral and Political Sciences of the French Institute in 1877; was a commander of the Legion of Honor; and in 1901, he, with Henri Dunant, received the first Nobel Peace Prize. He was president of the Society of Political Economy for 70 years. Author of ‘Mélanges économiques’ (1858); ‘De l'Enseignement obligatoire’ (1859); ‘La Guerre et la Paix’ (1867); ‘L'Histoire et les sciences morales et politiques’ (1879); ‘Historique du mouvement de la paix’ (1905), etc.