Erstbesteiger Mittellegigrat Brawand Maki Steuri Amatter 1921

Samuel Brawand (born 18 May 1898 in Grindelwald,

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, died 11 July 2001 in Grindelwald) 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 ( SP) and mountaineer.

Life

Brawand, who came from a modest background, lost his father, a mountain guide, at the age of four when he was killed by lightning at the top of the Wetterhorn. After Brawand had graduated from the Lehrerseminar (school for teachers) in Hofwil, he worked as a primary school teacher, a small farmer, rancher and cattle breeder, and very intensively as a guide, especially for climbers from Japan. As a mountaineer, he made a name for himself with the first ascent of the Mittellegigrat (the northeast ridge of the

Eiger The Eiger () is a mountain of the Bernese Alps, overlooking Grindelwald and Lauterbrunnen in the Bernese Oberland of Switzerland, just north of the main watershed and border with Valais. It is the easternmost peak of a ridge crest that extends a ...

) on 10 September 1921, serving as guide for Maki Yūkō along with fellow guides

Fritz Amatter Fritz originated as a German nickname for Friedrich, or Frederick (''Der Alte Fritz'', and ''Stary Fryc'' were common nicknames for King Frederick II of Prussia and Frederick III, German Emperor) as well as for similar names including Fridolin a ...

and

Fritz Steuri Fritz Steuri (born 25 July 1879 in Grindelwald, Switzerland, died 5 September 1950 in Grindelwald, Switzerland) was a Swiss people, Swiss mountain climber and Nordic skiing, Nordic and alpine skier. He was a three-time Swiss champion in cross-cou ...

. Brawand's first political position was a Gemeinderat ( municipal council) seat held in Grindelwald. From 1933 to 1935 he belonged to the Grand Council of Bern and from 1935 to 1947 to the National Council (the second chamber of the Federal Assembly). During World War II Brawand presided over the Begnadigungskommission (Clemency Commission) of the National Council. From 1947 to 1962, Brawand was a member of the Conseil d'Etat of the

Canton of Bern The canton of Bern or Berne (german: Kanton Bern; rm, Chantun Berna; french: canton de Berne; it, Canton Berna) is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. Its capital city, Bern, is also the ''de facto'' capital of Switzerland. ...

and headed the governing body for building and railway management. From 1950 to 1951 and from 1961 to 1962 he was President of the Conseil d'Etat (i.e. head of government) of Bern. From July 1962 to June 1968 Brawand was director of the Bern-Lötschberg-Simplon railway (BLS). From 1955 to 1967 he again served in the National Council. As chairman of the Federal Road Commission Brawand played an important role in the modernization and expansion of roads in Switzerland, including the creation of the Swiss freeways. Brawand served on the administrative boards of several railway companies, was a member of the Internationalen Simplonkommission (International Simplon Commission) and President of

Kraftwerke Oberhasli ''Kraftwerke Oberhasli AG'' (KWO) is a Swiss energy supply company, based in Innertkirchen and operating several hydroelectric plants in the Oberhasli area of the Canton of Berne. It also operates a number of tourist attractions in the same area, ...

. On 2 December 1961 Brawand was made an honorary citizen of his home town of Grindelwald. In 1962 he was honored by the University of Bern with an honorary doctorate. Brawand gained fame as a writer and as a scholar of the Grindelwald dialect. He died in Grindelwald on 11 July 2001 at the age of 103.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brawand, Samuel 1898 births 2001 deaths Alpine guides

Samuel Samuel ''Šəmūʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Šămūʾēl''; ar, شموئيل or صموئيل '; el, Σαμουήλ ''Samouḗl''; la, Samūēl is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the bibl ...

Members of the National Council (Switzerland) People from Grindelwald Swiss centenarians Men centenarians 20th-century Swiss educators Swiss farmers Linguists from Switzerland Swiss mountain climbers 20th-century Swiss writers 20th-century linguists