Henry Dunant

Jean Henri Dunan (May 8, 1828 – October 30, 1910), aka Henry Dunant, was a Swiss businessman and social activist. His memoir A Memory of Solferino inspired the creation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in 1863, of which he was a founding member. The 1864 Geneva Convention was based on Dunant's ideas. In 1901 he received the first Nobel Peace Prize together with Frédéric Passy.

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• I was a mere tourist with no part whatever in this great conflict; but it was my rare privilege, through an unusual train of circumstances, to witness the moving scenes that I have resolved to describe. In these pages I give only my personal impressions; so my readers should not look here for specific details, nor for information on strategic matters; these things have their place in other writings.
  • A Memory of Solferino; quoted in The Independent, Friday, 22 February 2002