The Universal Peace Union was a

pacifist Pacifism is the opposition to war or violence. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. A related term is ''a ...

organization founded by former members of the

American Peace Society The American Peace Society was a pacifist group founded upon the initiative of William Ladd, in New York City, May 8, 1828. It was formed by the merging of many state and local societies, from New York, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, ...

Providence, Rhode Island Providence () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Rhode Island, most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The county seat of Providence County, Rhode Island, Providence County, it is o ...

with the adoption of its constitution on 16 May 1866; it was chartered in

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, on 9 April 1888. It ceased operations in 1913, shortly after the death of Alfred H. Love, who served as the organization's president from its founding. Other founders and officers included ministers and reformers Adin Ballou and Walter Walsh, American Red Cross founder

Clara Barton Clarissa Harlowe Barton (December 25, 1821 – April 12, 1912) was an American nurse who founded the American Red Cross. She was a hospital nurse in the American Civil War, a teacher, and a patent clerk. Since nursing education was not then very ...

, politician and author Belva Ann Lockwood, reformer

Lucretia Mott Lucretia Mott (née Coffin; January 3, 1793 – November 11, 1880) was an American Quakers, Quaker, Abolitionism in the United States, abolitionist, women's rights activist, and social reformer. She had formed the idea of reforming the position ...

Nobel Peace Prize The Nobel Peace Prize (Swedish language, Swedish and ) is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the Will and testament, will of Sweden, Swedish industrialist, inventor, and armaments manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobe ...

winner

Frédéric Passy Frédéric Passy (20 May 182212 June 1912) was a French economist and pacifist who was a founding member of several peace societies and the Inter-Parliamentary Union. He was also an author and politician, sitting in the Chamber of Deputies fro ...

, editor Mary L. F. Ormsby, and politician and educator John Wesley Hoyt. Ella B. Ensor Wilson served as president of the Wilsonton (Kansas) branch of the UPU. The UPU's motto was: "Remove the causes and abolish the custom of war, establish and live the principles of peace." On a hill overlooking the Mystic River near Mystic, Connecticut, the UPU owned a grove and built a "Peace Temple" that could seat 1,000 people for annual summer gatherings that attracted such noted speakers as

William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison (December , 1805 – May 24, 1879) was an Abolitionism in the United States, American abolitionist, journalist, and reformism (historical), social reformer. He is best known for his widely read anti-slavery newspaper ''The ...

and

Julia Ward Howe Julia Ward Howe ( ; May 27, 1819 – October 17, 1910) was an American author and poet, known for writing the "Battle Hymn of the Republic" as new lyrics to an existing song, and the original 1870 pacifist Mothers' Day Proclamation. She w ...

. The grove eventually was mortgaged to pay for UPU programs and publications and then sold in 1914 to Mary Jobe Akeley. The property is now maintained as th
Peace Sanctuary
nature preserve, open daily from dawn to dusk. Records of the UPU, including correspondence, minutes, financial records, publications, and memorabilia, are housed at the

Swarthmore College Swarthmore College ( , ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1864, with its first classes held in 1869, Swarthmore is one of the e ...

Peace Collection.

Notable people

* Adin Ballou *

* Ida Whipple Benham * Amanda Deyo * Maria Freeman Gray * John Wesley Hoyt * Belva Ann Lockwood * Alfred H. Love * Clemence Sophia Harned Lozier * Marguerite Moore *

* Mary L. F. Ormsby *

* Ruth Hinshaw Spray * Walter Walsh * Zerah C. Whipple * Anna White

Notable people

References

Further reading