Oscar S. Straus: International Court of Arbitration at The Hague

Oscar S. Straus wanted to be appointed to the court of arbitration at The Hague. The court had been established at the 1899 peace conference but existed only as a panel of judges appointed by each nation. He was finally appointed by President Theodore Roosevelt in 1902 and held this position until his own death in 1926. Naomi Cohen wrote, "Of all the positions Straus filled this was the one he held in greatest esteem. For him personally the appointment meant recognition as a jurist, an office of international dignity, and the kind of respect usually reserved for elder statesmen. Far more important, it meant his participation in an institution, "the crowning act of the nineteenth century," which could help lead the world to everlasting peace."

The peace movement was gaining ground all over the world and Oscar took a prominent role in many new peace organizations. He wrote, "Let the nations exact the same standard from one another that they exact from their subjects, substituting international morality for international expediency, and they will have, instead of the arbitrament of war, the arbitrament of law." He advocated for a stronger role for the Court of Arbitration at The Hague and felt that domestic policy and international concerns should be linked.