Gustave Ador (23 December 1845 – 31 March 1928) was a
Swiss politician. In 1919, he became
President of the Confederation
The president of the Swiss Confederation, also known as the president of the Confederation or colloquially as the president of Switzerland, is the head of Switzerland's seven-member Federal Council, the country's executive branch. Elected by ...
.
Biography
Origins
Ador was born in
Cologny, a municipality of Geneva. He was the grandson of Jean Pierre Ador, an immigrant from
Vaud
Vaud ( ; french: (Canton de) Vaud, ; german: (Kanton) Waadt, or ), more formally the canton of Vaud, is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of ten districts and its capital city is Lausanne. Its coat of arms b ...
, who obtained his Genevan citizenship in 1814. Ador studied law at the
academy (now the university) of Geneva, and in 1868 became a lawyer.
Early political career
In 1871, Ador started his political career as a member of the communal council of
Cologny, and was twice mayor, in 1878-9 and 1883-5.
He was a member of the
cantonal parliament 1874-6, and continuously from 1878 to 1915 save for a short break in 1902. In 1878-9 he represented Geneva in the
Swiss Conseil des États. Then he became a member of the executive of the
canton of Geneva
The Canton of Geneva, officially the Republic and Canton of Geneva (french: link=no, République et canton de Genève; frp, Rèpublica et canton de Geneva; german: Republik und Kanton Genf; it, Repubblica e Cantone di Ginevra; rm, Republica e ...
, being put in charge of the Department of Justice and Police. He resigned after an unfavourable election in 1880, but once more became a member of the cantonal executive in 1885, and for 12 years had charge of the cantonal finances.
National Council
In 1889, he became a member of the
Swiss Conseil National (Swiss National Council), and remained so until 1917, being elected
President of the Swiss National Council
The President of the National Council of Switzerland (german: Nationalratspräsident; french: Président du Conseil national, it, Presidente del Consiglio nazionale; rm, President dal cussegl naziunal) presides over the National Council and Fed ...
in 1901. He was president of the cantonal executive in 1890, 1892, and 1896.
In 1894, he became lieutenant-colonel in the
Swiss Army.
Ador served as the president of the
International Committee of the Red Cross
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC; french: Comité international de la Croix-Rouge) is a humanitarian organization which is based in Geneva, Switzerland, and it is also a three-time Nobel Prize Laureate. State parties (signato ...
from 1910 to 1928.
In 1914, he founded in Geneva the association for facilitating communications between prisoners of war and the central Geneva agency, and succeeded in giving this enterprise great importance and a widespread extension.
Federal Council
After the enforced resignation of
Arthur Hoffmann, Ador, in order to soothe the
Entente, became a
federal councilor (a member of the Federal Executive) on 26 June 1917. He was entrusted with the
Department of Foreign Affairs. Towards the end of 1918, he was elected by Parliament to be the
Swiss President for 1919, but retired from the Federal Executive at the end of his year of office, on 31 December 1919.
During his time as councilor, along with being in the Department of Foreign Affairs (1917), he was later in the
Department of Home Affairs (1918 - 1919). He was affiliated with the
Liberal Party
The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left.
__TOC__ Active liberal parties
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.
Notes
References
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External links
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Fondation Gustave Ador
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ador, Gustave
1845 births
1928 deaths
People from the canton of Geneva
Swiss Calvinist and Reformed Christians
Liberal Party of Switzerland politicians
Foreign ministers of Switzerland
Members of the Federal Council (Switzerland)
category:Members of the Council of States (Switzerland)
Members of the National Council (Switzerland)
Presidents of the National Council (Switzerland)
Swiss military officers
University of Geneva alumni
19th-century Swiss military personnel