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The 2002 Nobel Prize for Peace was awarded to former President Jimmy Carter, who spoke at Hamilton in April 2001 as part of the College's Sacerdote Great Names Series.

According to the Norwegian Nobel Committee, President Carter received this year's prize "for his untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development."

The Nobel Committee specifically mentioned President Carter's efforts that led to the Camp David Accords between Israel and Egypt, an outcome that was due, in part, to the diplomatic skills of Ambassador Sol Linowitz '35, who served as Carter's special representative to the Middle East in the years leading up to the Camp David Accords. For those efforts, and other diplomatic successes, Ambassador Linowitz was presented the Medal of Freedom, the country's highest civilian honor, by President Clinton in 1998.

President Carter's award comes 90 years after 1864 Hamilton graduate Elihu Root, who served his country as Secretary of State, Secretary of War and U.S. Senator, won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 1912. Hamilton's Office of Admission and Financial Aid is located in the Elihu Root House, which served as the former Nobel Prize winner's summer home from 1893 until his death in 1937. Originally built in 1817, the home has been expanded over the years and is recognized as a National Historic Landmark. 

Hamilton's second and most recent Nobel laureate is Paul Greengard '48, who shared the 2000 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Dr. Greengard, a neuroscientist at The Rockefeller University in New York, and two colleagues received the award for their insights into the way information is communicated within cells. By uncovering the fundamental rules governing neuronal signaling and elucidating the many specific molecular devices by which that is achieved, Greengard has revolutionized the way in which neuroscientists investigate brain function. He returned to Hamilton in 2001 to receive an honorary degree and present the Convocation address.

Another Hamilton alumnus with ties to the Nobel Prize is Dr. James Cobey '65. As an active member of Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), his research in Cambodia and elsewhere around the world has documented the devastating effect of landmines.  In large part due to Dr. Cobey's work, Physicians for Human Rights was one of six organizations that came together in October 1992 to form the International Campaign to Ban Landmines, which in 1997 shared the Nobel Peace Prize with Jody Williams.

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