William Emmanuel Rappard (April 22, 1883, New York City – April 29, 1958) was a Swiss academic and diplomat. Rappard was as a co-founder of the Graduate Institute of International Studies (now IHEID), Professor of Economic History at the University of Geneva, Rector of the University of Geneva in 1926, Director of the Mandate Section of the League of Nations Secretariat (and as a member of the Permanent Mandates Commission for all 18 years of its active life), and Swiss Representative at the International Labour Organization (ILO), as well as at the United Nations Organization (UN) and at the United States Embassy. Early life William Emmanuel Rappard was born in New York to Swiss parents. His father worked as a representative of various Swiss industries in the United States. Rappard moved to Switzerland at the age of 17. William Rappard graduated from Harvard University in 1908. Between 1908 and 1909 he did additional study at the University of Vienna in Austria-Hungary. Career Rappard was an assistant professor of economics at Harvard University from 1911 to 1913. In 1913, he became a professor at the University of Geneva. He worked for the League of Nations Secretariat. He resigned at the secretariat in 1924, becoming vice-rector at the University of Geneva. He was made an "extraordinary" member of the Permanent Mandates Commission, attending his first session of the Commission in June 1925. He served on the commission for the remainder of his life. According to historian Susan Pedersen, Rappard was the "leading presence" on the Commission. Internationalism Rappard was an internationalist, believing that international cooperation could overcome inter-state disputes, and that "native peoples" could be governed in their own interest and not in the interest of colonial powers. Rappard was not an anti-imperialist. He did not think that the territories in the League's mandates system were ready for self-government, alluding to "backward" people. During his time as Director of the Mandates Secyion of the League Secretariat, Rappard frequently clashed with General Secretary Eric Drummond. According to historian Susan Pedersen, "Rappard managed to imbue the Mandates Section and the Mandates Commission with a measure of his own independence and idealism." Rappard was a member of various Swiss diplomatic missions including service with the Swiss delegation to the peace conference in France that ended the First World War. He made a strong impression on President Woodrow Wilson and was highly influential in persuading him