Henry Ford Peace Expedition 1915-1916

BIOGHIST REQUIRED The purpose of the Henry Ford Peace Expedition was to call a conference of delegates from non-combatant countries during World War I. In the winter of 1915-1916, the Ford Peace Expedition carried a delegation of Americans to Norway, Sweden, and Holland to meet with fellow European pacifists. Henry Ford hosted the "Peace Ship," which served as both a vehicle for travel and for collaboration amongst its passengers.

BIOGHIST REQUIRED During the months prior to the expedition, Hungarian feminist and pacifist Rosika Schwimmer encouraged Ford to commission the expedition. On December 4th, 1915, Henry Ford and members of the peace voyage boarded Oscar II, also known as the Peace Ship, in Hoboken, New Jersey for the expedition. The delegates for the peace expedition traveled first to Christiania (present day Oslo), Norway, and later met with fellow pacifists in Sweden and Holland. In February, 1916, members of the neutral nations from Europe met with the Ford party in Stockholm, Sweden, to form the Neutral Conference for Continuous Mediation. The expedition returned from Europe in February of 1916, but work within the Neutral Conference for Continuous Mediation continued until the end of that year. Among many active figures that influenced the expedition were Rosika Schwimmer, Ellen Key, and Louis P. Lochner.