Charles Albert Gobat facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Albert Gobat
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| Born | 21 May 1843 |
| Died | 16 March 1914 (aged 70) |
| Awards | Nobel Peace Prize, 1902 |
Charles Albert Gobat (born May 21, 1843 – died March 16, 1914) was a Swiss lawyer, an important leader in education, and a politician. He won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1902 along with Élie Ducommun. They received this award for their work leading the Permanent International Peace Bureau, an organization that worked for peace around the world.
Contents
Early Life and School
Charles Albert Gobat was born on May 21, 1843, in Tramelan, Switzerland. His father was a Protestant pastor. His uncle, Samuel Gobat, was a missionary who later became a bishop in Jerusalem.
Charles Albert Gobat went to several universities, including the University of Basel, University of Heidelberg, University of Bern, and University of Paris. He studied law and earned his doctorate degree from the University of Heidelberg in 1867. He graduated with top honors.
Career in Law and Public Service
After finishing his studies, Gobat started working as a lawyer in Bern. He also taught French civil law at Bern University. Later, he opened his own law office in Delémont, which became very successful.
After working as a lawyer for 15 years, he became interested in politics and education. In 1882, he was chosen to be the superintendent of public instruction for the canton (region) of Bern. This meant he was in charge of the public school system. He held this job for 30 years.
Gobat believed in new and better ways of teaching. He made many important changes to the education system. For example, he improved how teachers were trained. He also got more money for schools to hire more teachers, which meant fewer students per teacher. He encouraged students to learn living languages, like French or German, instead of only old languages like Latin. He also created programs for vocational and professional training, giving students more choices than just traditional academic subjects.
He also wrote important books. In 1891, he published a well-known book about the Republic of Bern and France during the religious wars. In 1900, he wrote "A People's History of Switzerland," which was also very popular.
Gobat also had a busy career in politics. He was elected to many important positions. In 1882, he joined the Grand Council of Bern. From 1884 to 1890, he was a member of the Council of States of Switzerland. From 1890 until his death in 1914, he was a member of the National Council. Both of these councils are parts of the Swiss government. In both education and politics, he worked for liberal reforms, meaning he wanted to make things more fair and modern. In 1902, he helped pass laws that used the idea of arbitration (solving disagreements with a neutral third party) for trade agreements between countries.
Gobat also worked closely with the Inter-Parliamentary Union. This group was started in 1889 by William Randal Cremer, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1903. In 1892, Gobat became the president of the union's fourth meeting, which took place in Bern. At this meeting, they created the Bureau Interparlementaire. Gobat became the general secretary of this bureau. It was an office that shared information about peace movements, how countries could solve problems peacefully, and how different national parliaments could communicate. Another group, the International Peace Bureau, was started in 1891. Gobat was its director when it won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1910.
Later Years and Nobel Prize
In 1902, Charles Albert Gobat received the Nobel Peace Prize along with Élie Ducommun. They were honored for their strong leadership of the Permanent International Peace Bureau.
After Élie Ducommun passed away in 1906, Gobat took over as the main leader of the International Peace Bureau.
Charles Albert Gobat died on March 16, 1914, in Bern, Switzerland. He was at a peace conference meeting in Bern when he stood up as if to speak, but then collapsed. He passed away about an hour later.
See also
In Spanish: Charles Albert Gobat para niños
