Clara Guthrie d'Arcis
Clara Guthrie d’Arcis | |
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| Born | Clara Guthrie February 22, 1879 New Orleans, US |
| Died | May 12, 1937 (aged 58) Geneva, Switzerland |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | peace activist, feminist |
| Known for | founder and president of World Union of Women for International Concord |
Clara Guthrie d’Arcis (22 February 1879, New Orleans – 12 May 1937, Geneva) was an American-born Swiss peace activist, feminist and international businesswoman. She was a founder and president of World Union of Women for International Concord[1] and honorary treasurer of the Peace and Disarmament Committee of the Women's International Organizations.[2] She represented Switzerland at the 5th Quinquennial Convention of the International Council of Women. As president of a peace movement, Clara Guthrie d’Arcis has become well known internationally.[2]
Life
Clara Guthrie was born on 22 February 1879 in New Orleans in a family of James Guthrie and Clara Cocke.[3] Her father was a distinguished member of the Louisiana Bar and her grandfather, Judge Edwin T. Merrick, had served as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Louisiana.[4] Through her grandmother, Caroline E. Merrick, Guthrie early came in contact with the women's movement in the United States.[3] In 1902, Guthrie owned and managed a small factory in Mississippi.[5]
Her first husband was Philip Cocke with whom she had a daughter, Elizabeth.[6] In 1911 Guthrie married for the second time to Swiss businessman Ludovic d’Arcis. She then moved to Geneva and joined her husband in running a successful import business for American automobiles and other consumer goods.[4] Among other business activities they distributed General Motors cars in Switzerland.[7] Clara Guthrie d’Arcis died on 12 May 1937 in Geneva.[2]
Activity
In 1915 d’Arcis together with 36 other women from various countries founded World Union of Women for International Concord in Geneva.[3] The goal of the organization was to work on international concord and become a movement of women from all the countries for moral education based on individual discipline and commitment.[1] d’Arcis remained the president of World Union of Women for International Concord until her death.[3]
During World War I, d’Arcis was active in furthering industrial and economic relations between Switzerland and France and between Switzerland and the United States.[5] She also led fundraising efforts to provide food for child victims of the war in neutral Switzerland[4] and was one of the founders of the International Union of the Save the Children Fund.[2]
In the interwar period d’Arcis served as a treasurer of the Peace and Disarmament Committee of the Women's International Organizations.
Views
Clara Guthrie d’Arcis believed that education for peace, led by women, could create a peaceful world order. She asserted that women had a special role to play in peace buildings, having maternal concern for the preservation of human life.[8] Her experience as a peace activist and international businesswoman convinced her that economic causes of war were paramount.[9] She argued that bankers and industrialists who funded wars and produced arms and war materials had to be re-educated to invest in consumer and other peacetime products.[8] D’Arcis believed that moral considerations must influence business decisions and businessmen must promote peace and disarmament.[8]
References
- ^ JSTOR 23774585.
- ^ ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
- ^ a b c d e "Guthrie d'Arcis, Clara". hls-dhs-dss.ch (in German). Retrieved 2019-12-23.
- ^ ISBN 978-90-04-33318-5.
- ^ a b "Clara Guthrie 1927". The Bridgeport Telegram. 1927-04-23. p. 21. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
- ^ "Poplar Hill on His Lordship's Kindness". www.poplarhillonhlk.com. Retrieved 2019-12-23.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-691-01675-7.
- ^ ISBN 978-90-04-33318-5.
- ^ Conference On The Cause And Cure Of War Report 9-12 1934-37. Universal Digital Library. 1934.
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