Antonin Weissenbach

Antonin Weissenbach

Antonin Weissenbach (born March 3, 1850 in Freiburg im Üechtland ; † January 7, 1921 there) was a Swiss politician and state councilor of the canton of Friborg .

Life

His parents were the businessman Joseph Maximilian, called Max, Weissenbach and Marie-Madeleine geb. Vine wood. Joseph Antonin Louis Weissenbach married Ursule Célina Bise, from Villarsel.

After visiting the technical department of the St. Michael college , he switched to the canton school in Frauenfeld . Returning to Freiburg in 1866, he worked in his father's shop for three years and then traveled to Paris to familiarize himself with the world of department stores. At the outbreak of the Franco-Prussian War (1870–1871) he had to return to Switzerland, was drafted into the military and served as a sub-lieutenant in the border guard service. He ended his military career with the rank of captain .

As a representative of the business community, Antonin Weissenbach was a member and then president of the supervisory board of the Kantonalbank (1892–1910), in which he was primarily active as a supervisory commissioner. First as an employee of his father, then together with his brothers as director, he ran the family's clothing and fabric business until he retired from it in 1901. He was content with a peaceful life for only a short time, since in December 1901 he was elected to the Grand Council as a representative of the free-thinking minority and a member of the Saane District, ported by a joint list of conservatives and liberals . From 1901 to 1903 he was also president of the Cercle littéraire et de commerce, a central meeting place for the liberal .

Political career

Weissenbach's political ascent took place in an environment that was difficult for the Freiburg Liberals, as he could not oppose the omnipotence of the conservatives and was disadvantaged by the machinery of the political system. The resignation of State Councilor Aloys Bossy , who was exposed by the revelations about his criminal business activity, induced the Conservatives to cede a seat of government to the opposition. Weissenbach was preferred to the official candidate of the free-thinking minority, Grand Councilor Hermann Liechti , and was elected to the Council of State on May 5, 1906. As the first liberal to move back into this institution in 1857, he took over the management of the interior, agriculture and statistics, to which the trade was also affiliated in order to benefit from Weissenbach's expertise and relationships. Since he was prevented from playing a primary political role because of his minority status, he concentrated on running his directorate. His administrative qualities were unanimously recognized.

After the general elections of December 1906, there were only seven free-thinking grand councilors against 98 Conservative MPs; in addition, they had lost their most important leader in lawyer Edouard Bielmann. Tensions with the conservatives increased, as the free-minded minority accused them of gross negligence in the conduct of government affairs, especially in the management of the hydropower plants and in drafting the new organic law on the state bank. After disregarding a petition signed by 8,350 citizens calling for a better representation of the minority in the state organs, the liberals decided to withdraw from the political institutions. As a result, Weissenbach submitted his resignation on November 23, 1909 with all the free-minded councilors. As Weissenbach's successor, the Grand Council elected the dissident liberal Adolphe Lutz, who, however, refused the conservatives' offer. In the extraordinary session of December 28, 1909, the conservative Fernand Torche was elected to the Council of State, which meant that the Liberals were excluded from the government for another ten years, until the election of Victor Buchs in 1919.

After retiring from politics, Weissenbach resumed his business activities. He has served on the boards of several companies, such as the Marly paper mill and the Pérolles flour mill. He also acted as supervisory commissioner for the Villars chocolate factory . On January 7, 1921, he died in Freiburg of complications from pneumonia .

literature

• Georges Andrey , John Clerc, Jean-Pierre Dorand et Nicolas Gex: The Freiburg Council of State: 1848–2011. History, organization, members . Editions La Sarine, Freiburg 2012, ISBN 978-2-88355-153-4 .

Web links

• Michel Charrière and CN: Weissenbach, Antonin. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .