Christian Lous Lange | |
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| Born | (1869-09-17)17 September 1869 |
| Died | 11 December 1938(1938-12-11) (aged 69) Oslo, Norway |
| Awards | Nobel Peace Prize (1921)[1] |
Christian Lous Lange (17 September 1869 – 11 December 1938) was a Norwegian historian, teacher, andpolitical scientist. He was one of the world's foremost exponents of the theory and practice ofinternationalism.
He was born inStavanger; his father was a military engineer and he was the grandson of the historianChristian C. A. Lange. He graduated from secondary school in 1887 and proceeded to travel and study history,English, andFrench at theUniversity of Oslo, from which he received thecand. philol. degree in 1893. He taught at secondary schools for many years and eventually returned to the University of Oslo to receive adoctorate.
In 1899, he had his first official role in the internationalist movement when he was appointed secretary of the committee organizing anOslo conference of theInter-Parliamentary Union, an organization dedicated to fostering discussion between parliamentarians of different countries. The next year, he was made secretary of theNobel Committee of theNorwegian Parliament and, although he gave up the position in 1909, he would play a key role in the early days of theNorwegian Nobel Institute. During this time he was the Norwegian technical delegate to theSecond Hague Peace Conference.
Lange rejoined the Inter-Parliamentary Union in 1909 when he was appointed secretary general of the organization, a position he would retain until 1933. As secretary general he oversaw the Union's move toBrussels, sustained it inOslo through the challenging times ofWorld War I, then moved it again toGeneva after the war. He remained active in numerous other organizations as well, acting as Norway's delegate or alternate delegate to theLeague of Nations from its founding until 1938, writing reports and acting as a correspondent for theCarnegie Endowment for International Peace, and participating in the Dutch sponsoredCentral Organisation for Durable Peace, among other activities. He was often called upon for his expertise in arbitration and arms control, in particular.
His intellectual support of internationalism was demonstrated by the first of a three volume historical treatise (Histoire de l'internationalisme). The work, published in 1919, was said to contribute to the ideological preparation for theLeague of Nations.[2] For this and all his other activities, Lange shared theNobel Peace Prize withHjalmar Branting in 1921.
Lange died at the age of 69, one day after the 17th anniversary of his receipt of the Nobel Prize. He was the father ofCarl Viggo Manthey Lange,Halvard Lange andChristian August Manthey Lange.
His daughter Thora was a history and language teacher, from 1938 atOslo Cathedral School. During theoccupation of Norway by Nazi Germany she joined theresistance movement while her husband went in exile. She was imprisoned atGrini concentration camp in September 1943, but fell ill and died atUllevål Hospital in December.[3][4]
Lange was a member of theNorwegian Association for Women's Rights.[5]
including the Nobel Lecture, December 13, 1921Internationalism| International | |
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