Hedi Lang (30 October 1931 – 31 March 2004) was a
Swiss
Swiss may refer to:
* the adjectival form of Switzerland
* Swiss people
Places
* Swiss, Missouri
* Swiss, North Carolina
*Swiss, West Virginia
* Swiss, Wisconsin
Other uses
*Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports
*Swiss Internation ...
politician
A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...
. She was one of the first women to be elected to the
Swiss National Council
The National Council (german: Nationalrat; french: Conseil national; it, Consiglio nazionale; rm, Cussegl naziunal) is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland, the upper house being the Council of States. With 200 seats, the ...
, the first woman elected to a cantonal executive and the second woman to serve as
President of the National Council. She was a member of the
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
For ...
.
Biography
Hedi Lang was born on 30 October 1931 in
Uster
Uster (High Alemannic: ''Uschter'') is a town and the capital of the Uster District in the Swiss canton of Zürich.
It is the third largest town in the canton of Zürich, with almost 35,000 inhabitants, and is one of the twenty largest towns ...
to Johann Gehri, a cheesemaker from
Seedorf, Bern
Seedorf is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the Seeland (administrative district), Seeland administrative district in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Bern (canton), Bern in Switzerland.
History
Seedorf is first mentioned ar ...
. She married Ernst Lang in 1957 and apprenticed at banks for several years before joining the staff of ''Die Arbeit'', the socialist newspaper where her husband was the editor. In 1961, she joined the Social Democratic Party and in 1970, she was elected to the council of
Wetzikon
Wetzikon is a small town in the Zurich Highlands (Zürcher Oberland) area of Switzerland, in the district of Hinwil in the canton of Zürich.
Geography
The municipality Wetzikon has an area of . Of this area, 42.4% is used for agricultural p ...
, where she and Ernst moved after their marriage.
[
In the ]1971 Swiss federal election
Federal elections were held in Switzerland on 31 October 1971. Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) ''Elections in Europe: A data handbook'', p1895 Although the Social Democratic Party received the most votes, the Free Democratic Party emerged as the l ...
, women were permitted to vote in federal elections for the first time. Lang was elected to the National Council as one of 10 women that year, the first to serve in the Federal Assembly. She rose to become the president of the parliamentary audit committee and, in 1981, became the President of the National Council, the second woman to hold the presidency after Elisabeth Blunschy in 1977. [
Lang left the National Council in 1983 and was elected to the ]Executive Council of Zürich The Executive Council of Zürich (german: Regierungsrat des Kantons Zürich) is the executive organ of the canton of Zürich, in Switzerland. Zürich has a seven-member Executive Council.
Members
Notes
See also
* Cantonal Council of Zürich
* ...
and became the first woman to sit on a cantonal executive council. On the council, she was the Director of Justice and Home Affairs. In 1995, she left the council, having successfully shepherded the work on the expansion of Zurich Airport
Zürich Airport (), french: Aéroport de Zurich, it, Aeroporto di Zurigo, rm, Eroport da Turitg is the largest international airport of Switzerland and the airline hub, principal hub of Swiss International Air Lines. It serves Zürich, Switze ...
.[
]
Personal life
Lang married Ernst Lang in 1957. Ernst died in 1973.
Hedi Lang died on 31 March 2004 in Zollikerberg
Zollikon is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality in the district of Meilen (district), Meilen in the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Zurich (canton), Zürich, Switzerland known for being one of Switzerland's most exclusive districts. Be ...
, near Zürich
Zürich () is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zürich. It is located in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zürich. As of January 2020, the municipality has 43 ...
. [
]
References
External links
Eulogy by Max Binder, President of the National Council
*
Sources
KAM 95 International Zurich