Albert Keller (politician)

Albert Keller (* 16th August 1885 in Reute ; † 23. November 1962 ibid ; heimatberechtigt in Reute) was a Swiss textile manufacturer, Mayor , Cantonal and National Council of the canton of Appenzell Outer Rhodes .

Life

Albert Keller was the son of Albert Keller, an embroidery manufacturer , and Anna Rechsteiner. In 1914 he married Ida Aebly, daughter of Albert Aebly, master bookbinder . He attended schools in Reute and Berneck . He then completed an apprenticeship in embroidery in St. Gallen . Keller ran his father's company in Reute from 1905 to 1957 and in 1961 and 1962 after the death of his son Albert Keller. Under his leadership, the company changed from a manual machine embroidery in need of renovation to a flourishing business with the most modern embroidery machines. In addition, from 1938 on, Keller was a member of the Board of Directors of the St. Gallen Embroidery Trust Company and from 1943 to 1962 he was President of the Schifflisticker Solidarity Fund .

In Reute he was the dominant personality. He served as a local council from 1911 to 1936 . From 1921 to 1936 he served as mayor . From 1921 to 1948 he was a member of the Cantonal Council. He presided over it from 1931 to 1933. From 1935 to 1951 he was a member of the National Council of the Free Democratic Party (FDP). At the cantonal level, he was an energetic fighter for old-age insurance . As President of the State Economic Commission from 1925 to 1927, as the first President of the Finance Commission from 1938 to 1948 and as a member of the cantonal bank administration from 1934 to 1962, he was considered an advocate for the financially weak communities. From 1952 to 1963 he was Vice President of the Cantonal Bank Administration.

Keller was a member of 49 commissions in the federal parliament . From 1939 to 1943 he sat on the Power of Attorney Commission. From 1939 to 1941 he was a member of the Customs Tariff Commission. From 1943 to 1947 he had a seat on the Alcohol Commission and from 1947 to 1951 on the Finance Commission. These four commissions were considered to be the most important. He worked tirelessly for a fairer financial equalization between the cantons , against rural exodus and for old-age and survivors' insurance (AHV). It went down in parliamentary history as the “Quellen-Keller” because he wanted to introduce a simple withholding tax and not the more complicated withholding tax to cope with war spending . Keller's political actions always tried to find a balance. From 1943 to 1959 he was involved as a board member of the Appenzell non-profit society and from 1945 as president of the cantonal foundation for old age. Keller supported various charitable and social institutions. He donated the aid fund named after him for needy residents of his home community.

literature

• Arnold Eugster and Albert Koller: Local history and economy of the Appenzellerland. Zollikon-Zurich: HA Bosch 1949, p. 67.
• National Councilor Albert Keller. In: Appenzeller Zeitung of November 24, 1962, vol. 135, no. 277, p. 1f.
• Alfred Bollinger: National Councilor Albert Keller, Reute, 1885–1962. In: Appenzellische Jahrbücher, Volume 90/1962 (1963), pp. 19-22. Web access via e-periodica.ch.
• Documents on Albert Keller in the Reute municipal archive

Web links

• Thomas Fuchs: Albert Keller. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland . August 9, 2007 , accessed June 26, 2020 .
• Albert Keller in the database Dodis the Diplomatic Documents of Switzerland
• Entry on Albert Keller in Swiss Elites of the 20th Century
• Albert Keller on the website of the Federal Assembly

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