Henri Dunant

Lore & Background

Dunant was born in Geneva to a devout Calvinist family. In 1859, while traveling to petition Napoleon III, he witnessed the aftermath of the Battle of Solferino in northern Italy. Horrified by the suffering of the wounded, he organized local civilians to provide aid. After returning to Geneva, he wrote A Memory of Solferino, advocating for a neutral relief organization. In February 1863, he became a member of a five-person committee that founded the International Committee of the Red Cross. A year later, he participated in a diplomatic conference that led to the First Geneva Convention.

Dunant became embroiled in a business scandal in 1867, resulting in bankruptcy and expulsion from the International Committee. He spent decades in poverty and obscurity, living in various places across Europe before settling in Heiden, Switzerland. In 1895, a journalist rediscovered him, bringing renewed attention. In 1901, he was awarded the first Nobel Peace Prize alongside French pacifist Frédéric Passy. He died in Heiden in 1910.

Reader's Guide

Henry Dunant's significance lies in his foundational role in modern humanitarian law and the Red Cross movement. His firsthand experience at Solferino drove him to propose a neutral organization to care for wounded soldiers without discrimination, a principle enshrined in the First Geneva Convention. Despite personal ruin and expulsion from the committee he helped found, his ideas endured. The Red Cross grew into a global network, and the Geneva Conventions became cornerstones of international humanitarian law. Dunant's legacy is a testament to how individual moral outrage can reshape international norms, even when the originator is marginalized. His receipt of the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901 recognized this transformative impact.

Did You Know?

• Dunant founded the Geneva chapter of the YMCA in 1852.
• He wrote his first book, An Account of the Regency in Tunis, in 1858.
• He was expelled from the International Committee of the Red Cross in 1867 due to a business scandal.
• He was rediscovered in 1895 by a journalist after years of poverty and obscurity.