Sarah Wambaugh: Life at the Frontiers of International Law

Abstract

Sarah Wambaugh built a career in international law in the early twentieth century as an expert on plebiscites. In doing so, she lived a life at the frontier: literal frontiers formed the substance of her academic work and metaphorical frontiers bounded her career. Wambaugh worked in the field at various international destinations as well as at the League of Nations. She advised Governments and published academic books and journal articles, leading to numerous honours and awards. She was a passionate internationalist, lobbying her own government to join the League at a time when US domestic indifference was high. This portrait was sparked by a chance encounter by the author with one of Wambaugh’s field-leading books. It draws on Wambaugh’s archives which are held at the Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe College, of which Wambaugh was an alumni. It is necessarily limited by the nature of those materials: more a professional headshot than a personal portrait. Wambaugh’s personal views and life are elusive, with glimpses gleaned from a line in a letter, or notes on a lecture. Show more