Mahatma Gandhi was first time nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 1937, but he not selected because the selection committee’s adviser Jacob Worm-Muller was critical about him. He was nominated for the award again in 1938 and 1939 but was shortlisted a second time only in 1947 when the Nobel Peace Committee Advisor Jens Arup Seip was less critical of Mr. Gandhi than Mr. Worm-Muller had been. He was shortlisted the third time in January 1948, just days before his assassination, which prompted the selectors to think whether the award could be given posthumously.
According to the statutes of the Nobel Foundation at the time, the award could, under certain circumstances, be awarded posthumously. “Thus it was possible to give Gandhi the prize. However, Gandhi did not belong to an organization, he left no property behind and no will; who should receive the Prize money?” the committee said according to the Nobel Foundation. Finally, the committee decided not to award the prize at all that year, saying that “there was no suitable living candidate.”
