Adrien Lachenal (19 May 1849, in

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

– 29 June 1918) was a

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politician and Jurist. He was

president of the Swiss Confederation The president of the Swiss Confederation, also known as the president of the Confederation or colloquially as the president of Switzerland, is the head of Switzerland's seven-member Federal Council, the country's executive branch. Elected by ...

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 Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

, and belonged to the Masonic lodge "Fidélité et Prudence" in Geneva. Lachenal is buried at the Cimetière des Rois, Geneva.

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 Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

. His nephew and later President of the Grand Council

Paul Lachenal Paul Lachenal (1884, Geneva – 1955) was a Swiss politician and philanthropist. He was born in Geneva as son of the Jean-François Lachenal and the Louise Marie born Gleckner. He studied law at the University of Geneva, which he completed in 1 ...

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 President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

in 1885 and 1891. He was elected to the

Federal Council of Switzerland The Federal Council (german: Bundesrat; french: Conseil fédéral; it, Consiglio federale; rm, Cussegl federal) is the executive body of the federal government of the Swiss Confederation and serves as the collective head of state and governm ...

on 15 December 1892 and handed over office on 31 December 1899. In 1896 he was elected

President of the Swiss Confederation The president of the Swiss Confederation, also known as the president of the Confederation or colloquially as the president of Switzerland, is the head of Switzerland's seven-member Federal Council, the country's executive branch. Elected by ...

. During his time in office he held the following departments: * Department of Foreign Affairs (1893–1895) * Political Department as President of the Confederation (1896) * Department of Trade, Industry and Agriculture (1897) *

Department of Home Affairs An interior ministry (sometimes called a ministry of internal affairs or ministry of home affairs) is a government department that is responsible for internal affairs. Lists of current ministries of internal affairs Named "ministry" * Ministr ...

(1898–1899) ''Rue Adrien-Lachenal'' in

and ''Avenue Adrien-Lachenal''

Versoix Versoix () is a municipality in the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland, which sits on the north-west side of Lake Geneva, north-east of the city of Geneva. Geography Versoix has an area, , of . Of this area, or 29.1% is used for agricultural purpo ...

are named after him.

External links

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References

1849 births 1918 deaths Politicians from Geneva Swiss Roman Catholics Free Democratic Party of Switzerland politicians Foreign ministers of Switzerland Members of the Federal Council (Switzerland) Members of the Council of States (Switzerland) Presidents of the Council of States (Switzerland) Members of the National Council (Switzerland) Presidents of the National Council (Switzerland) Swiss Freemasons Swiss military officers University of Geneva alumni {{Switzerland-politician-stub