Henri Schmitt

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Henri Schmitt (born May 23, 1926 in Plainpalais (now Geneva ), † March 5, 1982 in Le Grand-Saconnex ; reformed , entitled to reside in Delsberg , from 1935 also in Geneva) was a Swiss politician (FDP) .

biography

Henri Schmitt was born as the son of the bank clerk Georges Schmitt and the Russian Marie, born Guvenius. After finishing school, he completed a law degree at the University of Geneva , was admitted to the bar in 1949 and opened his own practice in 1951 . He was president of the Swiss Young Liberals, then 1957-1965 liberal Geneva cantonal parliament and 1965-1977 State Council (1965-1973 Head of the Department of Justice and Police, 1973-1977 of the Department of Economic Affairs). From 1963 to 1975 he represented his party in the National Council . From 1968 to 1974 he was President of the FDP Switzerland and from 1972 to 1976 a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe .

Schmitt created the Geneva Administrative Court in 1971 and the Geneva Office for the Promotion of Industry in 1976 and presided over the finance delegation of the federal councils. As the only official Federal Council candidate, he was defeated in the 1973 election to Georges-André Chevallaz . He then withdrew more and more from politics and resigned the office of President of the FDP the following year. Schmitt submitted the first motion for women to vote in the National Council .

Schmitt, who came from a humble background, was seen as a conciliatory politician who, with his language skills, built a bridge between German and French-speaking Switzerland , but on the other hand proceeded rigorously in violent demonstrations, which contributed to the failure of his Federal Council candidacy.

Mandates

Schmitt acted as a commercial lawyer between China , the Gulf States and Switzerland. In 1965 he was president of the Chantiers de l'Eglise.

After he had already been President of the Geneva Section of the Swiss Civil Defense Association, he was elected President of the Union for the whole of Switzerland in 1974 to succeed Leo Schürmann . He held the office until 1977.

Most recently, he was Chairman of the Boards of Directors of SA de la Tribune de Genève (since 1978), Total (Switzerland) SA , Giovanola Frères SA, Monthey , Carrefour de l'amitié (Suisse), Vice-Chairman of the Board of Directors of J.-Ed . Kramer SA (SSGI) and member of the boards of directors of the Mortgage Bank of the Canton of Geneva, Port Franc de Genève SA, Compagnie d'investissements SA Genève, Shakarchi AG and Société Metna SA / Masis Joaillier.

Honors

In his honor, the Geneva State Council named a cul-de-sac from chemin Edouard-Sarasin to chemin Henri-Schmitt .

Private

He was married to the lawyer Hilde Maerki and had two daughters with her, Karin and Evelyn. He was a Freemason and maintained relationships with the Protestant Church in Geneva and with Protestant circles in the United States of America to the end. He was a member of the Société littéraire of Geneva.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Otto Frei : Henri Schmitt died. In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . March 9, 1982, p. 33.
  2. ↑ In memory. Henri Schmitt. In: civil defense. No. 4, 1982 (archived in e-periodica at ETH Zurich ; PDF; 3.24 MB; the date of death is incorrectly named March 8 instead of March 5).
  3. ↑ Judith Mayencourt: Bien des surprises ont marqué l'histoire du gouvernement. In: Tribune de Genève . December 8, 2015.
  4. ^ Noms géographiques du canton de Genève. Chemin Henri-Schmitt. In: Website of the Canton of Geneva.
personal data
SURNAME Schmitt, Henri
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Swiss politician (FDP)
DATE OF BIRTH May 23, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH Plainpalais , today Geneva
DATE OF DEATH March 5, 1982
Place of death Le Grand-Saconnex