Lake Mohonk Conference on International Arbitration

These meetings, which took place between 1895 and 1916, were instrumental in the creation of the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague, Netherlands.

Fifty individuals selected by Albert K. Smiley, a Quaker and the owner of the Mohonk Mountain House, one of the most prestigious summer resorts of the day, convened at the initial sessions at the resort.

The annual conferences soon grew to attract 300 leaders of government, business, religion, the press, and education.

Plans for a 1917 conference were made, but it was never held, partly due to World War I.

The conference papers were later donated by the Smiley Family to Swarthmore College for study and research.