Alfred Eckhard Zimmern

Sir Alfred Eckhard Zimmern (26 January 1879 – 24 November 1957) was an English classical scholar, historian, and political scientist writing on international relations. A British policymaker during World War I and a prominent liberal thinker, Zimmern played an important role in drafting the blueprint for what would become the League of Nations.

He was the inaugural Woodrow Wilson Chair of International Politics at Aberystwyth University. His book The Third British Empire was among the first to apply the expression "British Commonwealth" to the British Empire. He was a prominent liberal internationalist. He was also credited with coining the phrase "welfare state", which was made popular a few years later by William Temple.