William Rappard

Who was William Rappard?

William Emmanuel Rappard was an influential academic and diplomat of the interwar-period, a passionate defender of the international scene.

He was Co-Founder of the Graduate Institute of International Studies, Professor of Economic History at the University of Geneva, Rector of the University of Geneva, Director of the Mandate Department of the League of Nations, and Swiss Representative at the International Labour Organization, as well as at the United Nations Organization and at the United States Embassy.

Rappard was a member of various Swiss diplomatic missions including service with the Swiss delegation to the peace conference in France that ended the First World War. He made a strong impression on President Woodrow Wilson and was highly influential in persuading him to choose Geneva as headquarters of the League of Nations beginning in 1920.

The headquarters of the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland and the Chemin William Rappard in Bellevue, Switzerland, have been named after him.