Louis Cardinaux

Louis Cardinaux

Louis Cardinaux (born May 16, 1859 in Friborg ; † May 11, 1914 there) was a Swiss politician and State Councilor of the canton of Friborg .

He was Catholic and from Châtel-Saint-Denis . His parents were Vincent Cardinaux, lawyer, President of the Saane District Court and Grand Councilor, and Anne Marie b. Burdel. He married Marie Bourquenoud, daughter of Jean, a large farmer in Vaulruz .

After attending the College of St. Michael and the Benedictine College in Sarnen (OW), he studied at the law school in Freiburg (1879–1881). He then worked as a secretary to the judiciary (1881–1885) and as a clerk at the District Court of See (1885–1890) before he was President of the District Court of Saane (1890–1894). The year 1890 was also important for his political career, as he was elected to the Grand Council as a member of the Saane District in the replacement elections on March 6th . The following year he became a substitute judge at the cantonal court.

On May 19, 1894 he was elected to the State Council as the successor to the resigned Alfred Chassot . After a redistribution of the directorates, the building directorate was transferred to him, which he headed for 20 years (1894–1914). He quickly asserted himself in the State Council to become George Python's right-hand man. In 1904 and 1911 he was President of the State Council. As a builder of the regime, he carried out the major projects of the "Christian Republic". Convinced that the canton's economic upturn and modernization would be promoted by the development of transport and the use of hydropower, he concentrated his political activities on these areas. In 1902 he benefited from the redistribution of the departments in order to modernize the building department.

His commitment to the development of transport followed the policy set in motion by his predecessor Alphonse Théraulaz . In a difficult financial environment, he initially pushed ahead with improving and consolidating the cantonal road network. Major road construction works in the city took place under his responsibility, such as the Pérollesallee and the Alpenstrasse or the planning of the Pérollesbrücke, which occasionally led to violent disputes with the city authorities.

In the railway sector, Cardinaux played a major role in the development and planning of the route network. Against various regional interests and numerous requests for concessions, he pushed through his own views by supporting the Freiburg – Murten – Ins route (he was one of its initiators even before his election to the State Council) and by taking on the electrification of the Gruyère route network.

This second axis of his political activity was the development of the electricity works. This area was all the more important as electricity was to ensure the canton's economic boom and the income it generated to finance the university, Python's main concern. The main stages were the construction of the Thusy-Hauterive plant (commissioning in 1902), the modernization of the Magere Au plant and the construction of the Ölberg plant (commissioning in 1910). At the cantonal level, Cardinaux's efforts to expand and merge the hydropower plants led to the establishment of the Freiburgische Elektrizitätswerke (FEW), which took place in 1915, one year after his death.

Its areas of activity exceeded the powers of its management. As Python's right-hand man, he was responsible for the development of the “Christian Republic” and the implementation of his boss's projects. In 1913, Python and Cardinaux were attacked in a motion by Emile Gross, Grand Councilor of the Lake District , who denounced their machinations and their involvement in the state bank scandals and demanded their resignation.

Louis Cardinaux was also a member of the Council of States (1898–1914), where he defended the interests of the canton of Friborg against centralizing desires, especially in the railroad sector. In the military he was in command of battalion 14 from 1887 to 1895.

He was a member of the boards of directors of numerous state-run companies or companies that were financed with public funds: the repayment fund of the state debt, the state bank, the Gruyère railways, Freiburg-Murten-Ins and the steamship company of the Neuchâtel and Murten lakes, of which he chaired the board.

Weakened by illness, Louis Cardinaux died on May 11, 1914 at the age of 55. He was the second State Councilor to be torn from life in the exercise of his office a few weeks after Stanislas Aeby . His successor, which took place in a troubled political environment, was marked by the struggle between Python and Musy supporters. The election of Joseph Chuard led to a change in the government majority in favor of Jean-Marie Musy .

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

• Nicolas Willemin and EB: Cardinaux, Louis. In: Historical Lexicon of Switzerland .