Fernand Torche

Fernand Torche

Fernand Torche (born June 28, 1866 in Cheiry , Broye district , † April 29, 1937 in Estavayer-le-Lac ) was a Swiss politician and State Councilor of the canton of Friborg .

He was Catholic and from Cheiry and Estavayer-le-Lac . His parents were Philippe Torche, farmer and cantonal forest warden, and Louise Philomène nee. Nicolet. He married Josephine Butty.

After attending the St. Michael College , Fernand Torche studied law at the University of Freiburg and completed his studies with a licentiate in 1891 . He completed his internship in the Interior Directorate and in the office of the notary Michaud in Freiburg. In 1892 he was appointed first mortgage controller in Estavayer and then president of the Broye District Court, an office he held until 1910. In 1897 he received his notary's license and opened a law firm in Estavayer (1898–1909). There he was also active for 17 years as a parish councilor and eight years as a parish council.

In the general election of 1896 he was elected to the Grand Council, from which he did not resign until 1934, after he had chaired it in 1930. His election to the State Council fell in the troubled context of the successor to the liberal Antonin Weissenbach , who had resigned in protest against the excessive power of the conservatives and their negligence in the government with all major councilors of the minority. Elected on December 22nd, 1909 in an extraordinary meeting of the Grand Council, he did not take office until February 22nd of the following year and took over the management of the interior and agriculture.

Fernand Torche's years on the Council of State marked a time of crisis for the Conservative government. Various affairs were uncovered and the fight between Georges Python and Jean-Marie Musy broke out. Torche was a firm believer in python. When he was appointed director of the Crédit agricole et industriel de la Broye, he resigned from the Council of State on June 1, 1916, with obvious relief. He resumed his work as a notary and was involved in various social services (President of the orphanage in Montet, Vice-President of the Stavia Institute). His support for the poor was widely recognized.

After serving on the State Council, Fernand Torche continued his political career. From 1919 to 1922 and from 1925 to 1931 he sat in the National Council , where he dealt with financial and agricultural issues in the background.

Overworked and embroiled in an administrative process, he resigned in 1934 as President of the Crédit agricole et industriel de la Broye. On April 29, 1937, he died of a stroke in Estavayer-le-Lac .

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

• Marianne Rolle and BE: Torche, Fernand. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .