Arnold Künzli (politician)

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Arnold Künzli (born June 20, 1832 in Riken (today Murgenthal ); † November 9, 1908 there ; entitled to live in Riken) was a Swiss politician ( FDP ), industrialist and officer . From 1864/65 and from 1869 until his death he was a member of the National Council and from 1868 to 1873 he was a member of the government of the Canton of Aargau .

biography

Künzli received his primary school education in Riken and graduated from the canton school in Aarau . After completing a commercial apprenticeship in Geneva , he first worked as a businessman in Lugano and, in 1858, joined his father's textile business with his brother-in-law Johann Friedrich Gugelmann . This resulted in the Künzli & Gugelmann colored weaving mill . In the military Künzli rose to the rank of colonel ; As such he commanded the 12th Infantry Brigade from 1875, the 4th Division from 1882 and finally the 4th Army Corps from 1894 to 1902.

His political career began Künzli as mayor of Riken. In 1858 he was elected to the Grand Council , to which he belonged until 1862, then from 1864 to 1868 and finally continuously from 1873. In 1876/77, 1890/91 and 1903/04 he was President of the Grand Council. The first election to the National Council took place in 1864, but he resigned the following year. The Grand Council elected Künzli to the cantonal government in 1868, after which he was head of the building department for five years. In addition to the construction of various bridges and the Königsfelden hospital , his tenure was characterized in particular by the planning and implementation of various railway projects ( Bözbergbahn , Aargauische Südbahn , national railway ). In 1884/85 he was President of the Aargau Constitutional Council.

After the parliamentary elections in 1869 , Künzli was again a member of the National Council and presided over it in 1879/80. His main interests in parliament were railroad and financial policy, foreign relations, the budget, and the Factory and Liability Act. He also participated in the revision of the Federal Constitution in 1874. In 1890/91 he was sent to the canton of Ticino as federal commissioner to settle the violent disputes between liberals and conservatives ( Ticino putsch ). He also represented Switzerland several times in trade and customs negotiations and at the Hague Peace Conference in 1899.

In addition to managing his company, Künzli performed other tasks in the economic field. From 1868 to 1877 he worked on the bank council of the bank in Zofingen, from 1873 to 1908 as a member of the board of directors of the Aargauische Kreditanstalt (from 1894 as president). Other board memberships were: 1868/69 Swiss Central Railway , 1890–1892 Jura-Simplon Railway , 1902–1908 Swiss Federal Railways and 1895–1908 Elektrizitätswerke Olten-Aarburg (one of the original companies of Atel ).

Künzli was an honorary citizen of Aarau , Aarburg , Birrwil and Zofingen .

literature

  • Biographical Lexicon of the Canton of Aargau 1803–1957 . In: Historical Society of the Canton of Aargau (Ed.): Argovia . tape 68/69 . Verlag Sauerländer, Aarau 1958, p. 468-469 .
  • Rolf Zschokke: Arnold Künzli (1832–1908) In: Argovia , annual publication of the Historical Society of the Canton of Aargau, vol. 65, 1953, pp. 316–307 ( digitized version ).

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Künzli, Arnold
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss politician
DATE OF BIRTH June 20, 1832
PLACE OF BIRTH Riken (today Murgenthal )
DATE OF DEATH November 9, 1908
Place of death Riken (today Murgenthal )