BURRITT, ELIHU

born Dec. 8, 1810, New Britain, Conn., U.S. died March 6, 1879, New Britain American crusader for peace and a code of international law. Burritt came to be known as the learned blacksmith in reference to his early trade. Teaching himself 50 languages by the age of 30, he acquired an awareness of comparative philology and the interdependence of languages that partially inspired his belief in the interdependence of peoples and the irrationality of war. He supported the plan of William Ladd, founder of the American Peace Society (1828), for a congress of nations to formulate international law and for a court of nations to interpret that law. From 1848 he organized peace congresses in Brussels, Paris, Frankfurt am Main, London, and other cities. For several years he wrote, for insertion in European newspapers, a succession of single pages called Olive Leaves, presenting pacifist arguments with emphasis on an international law code.