Lise Girardin (15 February 1921 – 16 October 2010) was a Swiss politician. A member of the Free Democratic Party, she was the first woman to be elected mayor of Geneva and the first woman named to the Council of States.

Biography

Lise Girardin was born on 15 February 1921 in

Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...

. She graduated from the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centu ...

and became a teacher. In 1960, the

Canton of Geneva The Canton of Geneva, officially the Republic and Canton of Geneva (french: link=no, République et canton de Genève; frp, Rèpublica et canton de Geneva; german: Republik und Kanton Genf; it, Repubblica e Cantone di Ginevra; rm, Republica e ...

granted women the right to vote. Girardin, who already held a lower judgeship, ran for and won the 1961 election to the

Grand Council of Geneva The Grand Council of Geneva (french: Grand Conseil de Genève) is the legislature of the canton of Geneva, in Switzerland. Geneva, styled as a 'Republic and Canton', has a unicameral legislature. The Grand Council was established in its prese ...

. In 1968, she was elected mayor, the first woman to hold that post. In 1971, Switzerland granted women the right to vote at the federal level. In the 1971 elections later that year, Girardin was elected to the Council of States while 10 others were elected to the National Council, making them the first women to sit in the Federal Assembly. Girardin left the Council of States after the 1975 Swiss federal election but remained active in politics. She served one more term as Mayor of Geneva and participated in various referendums. Girardin died on October 16, 2010.

References

External links

Listing at Swiss Parliament website
1921 births 2010 deaths Women mayors of places in Switzerland Mayors of Geneva Members of the Council of States (Switzerland) 20th-century Swiss women politicians 20th-century Swiss politicians Free Democratic Party of Switzerland politicians {{Switzerland-politician-stub