Irwin Abrams
(1914-2010)

American Peace Historian

birthdate: February 24
birthplace:
San Francisco, CA

Professor Irwin Abrams was one of the world's leading authorities on the Nobel Peace Prize, and is regarded as one of the groundbreaking pioneers of peace research. In the mid-1930s he went to Europe to do research for his Ph.D. dissertation on the history of European Peace Societies, and met with many of the leading contemporary scholars and leaders of the many national and international peace movements. His dissertation won him the Charles Sumner Peace Prize. This experience greatly influenced his already liberal outlook and his commitment to nonviolence and pacifism convinced him and his wife to become Quakers (The Society of Friends). As a conscientious objector during World War II, he worked with the American Friends Service Committee, helping to train relief workers. After the War, he became a history professor at Antioch College and promoted the concept of studying abroad as a valuable way for students to broaden their worldview and gain an understanding and appreciation of other cultures. After retiring, he began writing about the Nobel Peace Prize as a way to educate and inspire future generations by bringing to light the words and actions of the world's most honored peacemakers.

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