Tobias M.C. Asser

The Asser Institute is named after Tobias M.C. Asser (1838-1913). Tobias Asser was the first, and until now the only, Dutch citizen to be honoured with this prestigious prize. He was an expert in private international law and also active in many fields of international law and the peaceful settlement of international conflicts. Tobias Asser initiated the Hague Conference on Private International Law, and also played a significant role in bringing the Peace Conference to The Hague in 1899.

Together with Alfred Hermann Fried (1864-1921), an Austrian journalist and well-known pacifist who was the founder of the peace journal 'Die Friedenswarte', Tobias Asser received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1911, above all for his devoted work for the Hague Conferences on Private International Law.