Eugénie Hamer
Belgian writer and activist (1865–1951) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eugénie Hamer (15 November 1865 – April 1951) was a Belgian journalist, writer and activist. Her father and brother served in the Belgian military, but she was a committed pacifist. Involved in literary and women's social reform activities, she became one of the founders of the Alliance Belge pour la Paix par l'Éducation (Belgian Alliance for Peace through Education) in 1906. The organization was founded in the belief that education, political neutrality, and women's suffrage were necessary components to peace. She was a participant in the 18th Universal Peace Congress held in Stockholm in 1910, the First National Peace Congress of Belgium held in 1913, and the Hague Conference of the International Congress of Women held in the Netherlands in 1915. This led to the creation of the International Committee of Women for Permanent Peace, subsequently known as the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF). Hamer co-founded the Belgian chapter of the WILPF that same year. During World War I, she volunteered as a nurse and raised funds to acquire medical supplies and create an ambulance service.
Eugénie Hamer | |
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Born | (1865-11-15)15 November 1865 Leuven, Belgium |
Died | 28 April 1951(1951-04-28) (aged 85) Antwerp, Belgium |
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Hamer published in various journals and magazines, writing on diverse topics including art, literature, music, the economy, education, history, and politics. As a journalist, she collaborated with several newspapers, including La Métropole [fr] (The City), L'Écho du Soir (The Evening Echo), and L'Avenir du Luxembourg (The Future of Luxembourg). As an internationalist, she later joined organizations with fostered friendship and cooperation between nations. Since her own pacifist leanings had been tested during the Occupation of Belgium, she often wrote about both domestic and international politics. She also published two books. Hamer was awarded the Victory and Commemoration Medal, the Civic Cross (1st class), and the Plaque of Honor by the Red Cross. Poland honored her as a knight of the Order of Polonia Restituta and Estonia bestowed upon her the level of knight of the Order of the White Star.