Adrien Lachenal
Tomb of Adrien Lachenal, Kings Cemetery, Geneva.

Adrien Lachenal (19 May 1849, in Geneva – 29 June 1918) was a Swiss politician and Jurist. He was president of the Swiss Confederation in 1869.

Married to Anne Louise Eggly in 1878, he had four sons. He was affiliated to the Free Democratic Party. He was a Freemason,[1] and belonged to the Masonic lodge "Fidélité et Prudence" in Geneva.[2] Lachenal is buried at the Cimetière des Rois, Geneva.[3]

Career and politics

Adrien Lachenal was an outstanding speaker and lawyer, and he became known through defensive mandates in awe-inspiring trials. From 1885 to 1892 he was a substitute judge at the canton of Geneva. His military career led him to the rank of lieutenant-colonel. His nephew and later President of the Grand Council Paul Lachenal joined him in his lawfirm. He was also the chairman of the Military Court of Cassation. In 1880 Lachenal was elected to the Grand Council (Grand Conseil), to which he belonged until 1892. Soon he was one of the most influential politicians of the radical faction. Over time, he turned to a policy of reconciliation. His commitment to social policy finally led to the formation of an alliance with the socialists. In 1881, the Grand Council elected Lachenal into the Council of States. there he spoke in particular on topics such as military, customs and finance. After the parliamentary elections in 1884, he moved to the National Council where he was the President in 1885 and 1891.

He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland[4] on 15 December 1892 and handed over office on 31 December 1899. In 1896 he was elected[5] President of the Swiss Confederation.[6]

During his time in office he held the following departments:

Rue Adrien-Lachenal in Geneva and Avenue Adrien-Lachenal Versoix are named after him.

External links

Political offices Preceded byEduard Müller President of the National Council 1891/1892 Succeeded byAlbert Brosi Preceded byNuma Droz Member of the Swiss Federal Council 1892–1899 Succeeded byRobert Comtesse Preceded byArthur Hoffmann President of the Swiss Council of States 1903/1904 Succeeded byEmil Isler

References

  1. ^ "Famous personalities". Grand Lodge Alpina of Switzerland (in English, French, German, and Italian). Archived from the original on November 6, 2017. Retrieved March 17, 2019.
  2. ^ "Fidélité et Prudence - Lachenal Adrien". fidelite-prudence.ch (in French). Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  3. ^ "Cimetière de Plainpalais". www.ville-geneve.ch (in French). Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  4. ^ GL, Martine Piguet /. "Lachenal, Adrien". HLS-DHS-DSS.CH (in German). Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  5. ^ "vice president Lachenal elected to highest office". Evening Star. 1895-12-12. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  6. ^ "The president of Switzerland". The Leader Courier. 1896-05-14. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
  7. ^ Council, The Federal. "Adrien Lachenal". www.admin.ch. Retrieved 2017-09-15.
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