Jean-Henri Dunant

Swiss humanitarian

• Born: May 8, 1828
• Birthplace: Geneva, Switzerland
• Died: October 30, 1910
• Place of death: Heiden, Switzerland

One of the most effective humanitarians of his time, Dunant won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in founding the International Red Cross and was also a cofounder of the World’s Young Men’s Christian Association.

Early Life

The eldest of five children, Jean-Henri Dunant (dew-NAHN) was born in Geneva, Switzerland, at a time when there was great concern for a variety of humanitarian issues. His father, Jean-Jacques Dunant, was a prominent businessperson who held a position in the Office of Guardianships and Trusteeships, where he was charged with the welfare of prisoners and their families. His mother, Antoinette Colladon, nurtured his religious convictions and liberal humanitarian concerns. Dunant’s interest in social issues was fostered early. At the age of six, an encounter with chained convicts so moved him that he vowed someday to help them. At thirteen, he was admitted to Geneva College.

At eighteen, Dunant became active in the League of Alms, a Christian organization whose members sought to aid Geneva’s underprivileged, ill, and imprisoned, and he soon assumed a leadership role. In 1855, Dunant proposed international guidelines for a federation of Young Men’s Christian Associations.

During that same period (1853-1859), Dunant was trying to earn his living in the banking profession. In the course of his work, he was sent to Algeria to manage the bank’s interests, and there he succeeded in persuading many wealthy and influential Genevans and French to invest in the mills at Mons-Djémila. He sought additional land and water concessions from the French government but was unable to gain his ends. Undaunted, in the spring of 1859 Dunant set out to bring his ideas for Algeria to the French emperor Napoleon III, who was then on a campaign in Italy. Dunant followed the advancing French troops through northern Italy. Although he never met the emperor, his trip would set in motion a series of events that would forever change the way conflicts would be waged.

Life’s Work

On June 24, 1859, in pursuit of the emperor, Dunant arrived in the town of Castiglione. All that day, only a few miles to the west, 150,000 French and Allied forces and 170,000 Austrian troops were waging one of the bloodiest conflicts of the nineteenth century, the Battle of Solferino .

Although it is not clear whether Dunant ever saw the fighting, he did see the casualties, estimated at forty thousand. He was so moved by the carnage and suffering that he spent the next eight days treating the wounded, seeking doctors, and procuring necessary medical supplies and food for the wounded of both sides. To the hundreds of wounded Dunant helped, the slender, handsome, dark-haired man in white became their symbol of hope. These eight days would serve as the focus for the remainder of Dunant’s life.

After returning to Geneva, Dunant continued his business ventures but remained haunted by Solferino. In November, 1862, Dunant published Un Souvenir de Solferino (A Memory of Solferino , 1939), describing the plight of the wounded and proposing an organization of trained volunteers to aid them. Copies of the book were sent to influential people across Europe.

Response to Dunant’s book was profound. Gustave Moynier, a Geneva lawyer, recommended that a special committee be organized to promote Dunant’s plans on an international scale. That permanent international committee consisted of Dunant, Moynier, Guillaume-Henri Dufour, Louis Appia, and Theodore Maunoir. The committee proposed an international conference to be convened in Geneva on October 26. During the summer of 1863, Dunant traveled throughout Europe, artfully persuading government after government to send representatives to the Geneva meeting. This conference was followed in August, 1864, by a second, officially sponsored by the Swiss government. The product of this second conference was an international treaty, the first of the Geneva Conventions , which served as the foundation for the International Red Cross and set guidelines for the treatment and status of the wounded during wars.

Dunant’s role in the conference was insignificant. His strengths were in his ideas and in dealing with people on an individual basis. Some sources suggest that Dunant did not even attend the meetings of the second conference, but such accounts appear unfounded. As the conference came to a close, Dunant had to turn his attention to his own financial problems. Since his visit to Solferino, he had not paid enough attention to his Algerian investments.

Dunant’s only hope for his ailing Mons-Djémila ventures was to get concessions from the French government. However, even a meeting with the emperor in 1865 proved futile. In 1867, a rapid chain of events would lead Dunant to bankruptcy. During the early 1860’s, Geneva had been hailing Dunant as one of its greatest sons, but after 1867, as the Calvinistic principles of the time dictated for the crime of bankruptcy, Genevans turned their backs on Dunant. Under these same rigid principles, he could never return to Geneva. In addition, under extreme pressure from Moynier, from whom he had become alienated, on August 25, 1867, Dunant was forced to resign from the international committee.

The period 1867-1887 was one of steady decline for Dunant, as he became an exile wandering about Europe. There were times when he was able to afford neither housing nor regular meals, and he slept on park benches or in train stations. However, he continued to work for a variety of causes, including a Jewish homeland in Palestine, a world library, and a broadening of the Geneva Conventions to include guidelines for conducting warfare at sea and for treatment of prisoners of war.

As his means for survival slowly ebbed and a variety of health problems sapped his vitality, his brother Pierre brought him home to Switzerland. For the last twenty-four years of his life, the small village of Heiden would be Dunant’s home. Extreme bitterness and an intense paranoia made even the closest relationships difficult for Dunant.

In 1895, Dunant allowed a young Swiss journalist to interview him. Largely because of these published interviews, the world became aware that the founder of the Red Cross was still alive. Although virtually forgotten for nearly thirty years, he now received honors. The culmination of these occurred in 1901, when Dunant, along with Frédéric Passy, was awarded the first Nobel Peace Prize. Dunant died on October 30, 1910. In accordance with the conditions of his exile, Dunant’s ashes were buried in an unmarked grave in Zurich.

Significance

The life of Jean-Henri Dunant is one of profound irony. On one hand, he was an idealistic humanitarian, who changed the conduct of warfare forever and who must be credited with the saving of millions of lives. The International Red Cross, the Geneva Conventions, and the Young Men’s Christian Association stand as monuments to his great vision. On the other, he was a tragic victim of his own weaknesses. He experienced the tributes of royalty and the pain of extreme poverty.

Nevertheless, Dunant was consistent in the belief that he could make a difference in the world. In 1906 and 1926, the Geneva Conventions were expanded to cover the victims of naval warfare and prisoners of war, respectively, causes that Dunant had championed since the late 1860’s. For his many accomplishments, it is only fitting that each year the world celebrates May 8, his birthday, as World Red Cross Day.

Bibliography

Deming, Richard. Heroes of the International Red Cross. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1969. Chapter 1 provides a condensed biography of Dunant that emphasizes his role as the founder of the Red Cross.

Dunant, Jean-Henri. A Memory of Solferino. Washington, D.C.: American National Red Cross, 1959. A short, moving description of the Battle of Solferino, Dunant’s role in the aftermath, and the genesis of the principles that would ultimately inspire formation of the International Red Cross.

Gagnebin, Bernard, and Marc Gazay. Encounter with Henry Dunant. Translated by Bernard C. Swift. Geneva, Switzerland: Georg Geneva, 1963. A short, readable account of Dunant’s life, supplemented by photographs, paintings, maps, and photocopies of published and unpublished manuscripts.

Hutchinson, John F. Champions of Charity: War and the Rise of the Red Cross. Boulder, Colo.: Westview Press, 1996. Examines the organization’s operations during the twentieth century, until the end of World War I. Hutchinson argues that the Red Cross initially tried to make war more humane, but eventually supported militarism. He describes how the organization launched campaigns to encourage women’s involvement on the “home front” and to make war seem like a normal and desirable activity.

Libby, Violet Kelway. Henry Dunant: Prophet of Peace. New York: Pageant Press, 1964. A longer biography that focuses on how the evolution of the religious and business climate within Dunant’s Geneva both provided an ideal atmosphere to foster his humanitarian concerns and severely punished him for his business failings. Includes a short list of other sources.

Moorehead, Caroline. Dunant’s Dream: War, Switzerland, and the History of the Red Cross. New York: Carroll & Graf, 1999. Describes how Dunant founded the Red Cross and analyzes how the organization has responded to conflicts, issues, and moral dilemmas. Moorehead, who was given access to previously closed archival records, is critical of the International Committee that runs the organization, and charges that some of the committee’s decisions have been ambiguous and politically motivated.

Peachment, Brian. The Red Cross Story: The Life of Henry Dunant. Elmsford, N.Y.: Pergamon Press, 1977. A brief account of Dunant’s life, intended for younger readers.

Rich, Josephine. Jean Henri Dunant: Founder of the International Red Cross. New York: Julian Messner, 1956. A biography that focuses particularly on Dunant’s relationships with his family. Also emphasizes Henri’s lifelong concern with social causes.

Rothkopf, Carol Z. Jean Henri Dunant: Father of the Red Cross. New York: Franklin Watts, 1969. Follows Dunant’s life but focuses on how the principles behind the Red Cross are deeply rooted in history. Provides a modest secondary bibliography.