Ernest Chuard

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Ernest Chuard

Ernest Louis Chuard (born July 31, 1857 in Corcelles-près-Payerne , † November 9, 1942 in Lausanne , resident in Corcelles-près-Payerne) was a Swiss politician ( FDP ), agricultural economist and chemical engineer . For several decades he worked as a researcher and lecturer, as well as a professor at the University of Lausanne , whose science faculty he temporarily headed. From 1907 to 1919 he was a member of the National Council , and from 1912 he was also the State Councilor of the Canton of Vaud . After his surprising election to the Federal Council , he was a member from 1920 to 1928. During his entire tenure in the state government, he was in charge of the Department of the Interior . In 1924 he served as Federal President .

biography

Studies and academic work

His father, Louis Chuard, was a farmer and an influential politician who served as mayor of Corcelles and as a councilor of the Vaudois . His mother, Suzanne Rapin, died when Ernest was twelve years old. He completed primary and secondary school in neighboring Payerne . In 1875 he graduated from the École industrial in Lausanne with honors and studied chemical engineering at the technical faculty of the Lausanne Academy. In 1879/80 he continued his studies at the University of Würzburg . During his studies he was a member of the Helvetia Association . From 1880 Chuard worked as an assistant at the chemistry laboratory of the University of Würzburg, from 1882 he taught physics at the École industrial . From 1884 to 1899 he was a chemistry teacher at the cantonal high school and at the Vaudois agricultural school.

At the academy, which was converted into the University of Lausanne in 1890 , Chuard taught as an associate professor of analytical chemistry and applied chemistry in agriculture. From 1894 to 1896 he headed the science faculty as dean . Chuard researched intensively the fungal diseases of the grapevines , which at the turn of the century acutely threatened the existence of the Vaudois viticulture. As head of the chemistry laboratory of the Lausenner research station for viticulture and later as its director, he wrote numerous studies on soils, water balance, vine diseases and fertilizers. There were also lectures and several popular scientific works. In 1888 he was a co-founder of the specialist journal Chronique agricole , and from 1891 to 1895 he edited the revue agricole . He presided over several agricultural associations, was a member of the school board of the Swiss Federal Polytechnic in Zurich (today ETH Zurich ) and a board member of the Swiss Farmers' Association . In 1911/12 he was director of the Champ de l'Air agricultural school.

Chuard, who had been married to Amélie Pittet since 1884, also pursued a military career. In the Swiss army he commanded as major a Fusilier Battalion, as a lieutenant colonel an infantry regiment. In 1919 he achieved the rank of colonel .

Cantonal and federal politics

Compared to many of his companions, Chuard got into politics relatively late. In 1890 he was elected to the municipal council (legislature) of Lausanne, which he presided over in 1894 and of which he was a member until 1897. This was followed by a break of several years. In 1900 his party was looking for a successor for Councilor of State Marc Ruchet . Chuard had to refuse a candidacy, however, because his father was the governor of the Payerne district and a conflict of interest would have arisen. As a result, he wrote, among other things, reports on the restoration of the vineyards infected by phylloxera . He continued his political career and ran successfully in the National Council elections in 1907 in the Vaud North constituency . In addition to his mandate in the National Council , two years later he was also elected to the cantonal parliament , the Grand Council.

The canton parliament elected Chuard to the State Council in August 1912 (the people were only allowed to determine the cantonal government themselves from 1917). As the successor to Camille Decoppet , he initially headed the education and culture department that most closely matched his interests and skills. Without assistance, he worked out a new university law, which was passed in a referendum in 1916. In 1917 he moved to the agriculture, trade and industry department. The lack of organization of the municipal authorities in supplying the population during the First World War prompted him to create a cantonal supply office and to intensify agricultural cultivation. Together with Ferdinand Porchet , he managed to limit the supporters of the newly founded farmers' party and to bind the majority of the rural population to the FDP.

Diplomatic missions to Paris as part of the Société suisse de surveillance économique and his membership in the neutrality commission gave Chuard a high reputation and the image of a born mediator. After Camille Decoppet had announced his resignation from the Federal Council , party colleagues tried in vain to persuade Chuard to run for office. He himself felt too old for that and actually wanted to retire from politics. The official candidate of the FDP was the mayor of Lausanne, Paul Maillefer , but many parliamentarians did not trust him. The election by the Federal Assembly took place on December 11, 1919. When Chuard received 75 votes in the first ballot (only nine fewer than Maillefer), he asked parliamentarians to vote for the official candidate. They did not comply with the request and finally elected Chuard in the fifth ballot with 159 out of 216 valid votes (Maillefer received 57 votes). After a day's reflection, he accepted the election.

Federal Council

Chuard, who has been referred to on various occasions as the "Unwilling Federal Councilor", took over the Department of the Interior from Gustave Ador on January 1, 1920 . His areas of responsibility were broad and appealed to him because of his professional and scientific experience. As a scientist, he was the only non-lawyer in the government. Throughout his tenure, he led legislative revisions in several areas. These include the construction police, bodies of water, narcotics, hunting, wildlife and bird protection, and forests. Other concerns included the international opium agreement , a state treaty to continue regulating the Rhine , the expansion of the Basel Rhine port and the meteorological service , electricity exports and public libraries.

A particular concern of Chuard was the promotion of culture and science. The area of ​​responsibility of his department also included the construction of public buildings. This included extensions and laboratories of the ETH Zurich as well as the new federal court building in Lausanne, which he opened in 1927. One of its most sustained legislative processes concerned measures against tuberculosis . In contrast, the revision of the alcohol law that he had worked out failed in a referendum in 1923. In 1924 he officiated as Federal President , the state visit of the Romanian King Ferdinand I marked his year as President.

further activities

At the end of 1928, Chuard resigned as Federal Councilor. When he was elected, he had declared that he was merely a "transitional federal council", but remained in office for nine years. He was succeeded by Marcel Pilet-Golaz . Chuard settled in Lausanne and took a mandate as a member of the board of directors of the cable plant in Cossonay . He was particularly involved in meetings of the scientific societies of the canton of Vaud, gave lectures and speeches on various topics and worked on building commissions for several churches. In addition, he wrote numerous newspaper articles and historical studies. He died on November 9, 1942 at the age of 85.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Chuard, Meuwly: Das Bundesratslexikon. P. 306.
  2. ↑ Chuard, Meuwly: Das Bundesratslexikon. Pp. 306-307.
  3. ↑ a b Chuard, Meuwly: Das Bundesratslexikon. P. 307.
  4. ↑ Chuard, Meuwly: Das Bundesratslexikon. Pp. 307-308.
  5. ↑ Chuard, Meuwly: Das Bundesratslexikon. P. 308.
  6. ↑ a b Chuard, Meuwly: Das Bundesratslexikon. P. 309.
  7. ↑ Chuard, Meuwly: Das Bundesratslexikon. P. 310.
predecessor Office successor
Camille Decoppet Member of the Swiss Federal Council
1920–1928 		Marcel Pilet-Golaz
personal data
SURNAME Chuard, Ernest
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Chuard, Ernest Louis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss politician
DATE OF BIRTH July 31, 1857
PLACE OF BIRTH Corcelles-près-Payerne
DATE OF DEATH November 9, 1942
Place of death Lausanne