Emil Frey
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Emil Johann Rudolf Frey (24 October 1838 – 24 December 1922) was a Swiss politician, Union Army soldier in the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
and
member of the Swiss Federal Council The seven members of the Federal Council (Switzerland), Swiss Federal Council (; ; ; ) constitute the federal government of Switzerland and collectively serve as the country's head of state. Each of the seven Federal Councillors heads a departm ...
(1890–1897). He served as
President of the Swiss Confederation The president of the Swiss Confederation, also known as the president of the confederation, federal president or colloquially as the president of Switzerland, is as ''primus inter pares'' among the other members of the Federal Council (Switze ...
in 1894.


Early life

Frey was born in Arlesheim, in the Canton of Basel-Landschaft, to Emil Remigius Frey and Emma Kloss. His father was a liberal separatist politician. Frey's family provided refuge for Friedrich Hecker when he fled the repression following the revolution in Germany in 1848. After attending '' gymnasium'' in
Basel Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
, Frey went to study in an agronomical institute in
Jena Jena (; ) is a List of cities and towns in Germany, city in Germany and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 in ...
. In 1860 he emigrated to the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, arriving in
Belleville, Illinois Belleville is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. It is a southeastern suburb of St. Louis. The population was 42,404 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the most populated city in the Me ...
, an area with many Forty-Eighters, veterans of the 1848 revolutions in Europe. For a while he worked for Hecker, but they had a falling-out.


Military career


American Civil War

Frey enlisted in the Union Army's 24th Illinois Infantry Regiment as a private.'Receiving the Swiss Minister: Col. Frey receiving the congratulations of his countrymen'
''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', November 20, 1882; Report of the Adjutant General of the State of Illinois, Civil War, vols. 2 and 5.
He wrote in his essay "My American Experiences" that "on 17th of June 861I enlisted in the 24th at Chicago. On that same day I was appointed by Colonel Hecker to be the colorbearer of the regiment, and in the evening we left Chicago for Alton, Ill." Hecker was his commander, and they became friends again, with Frey sharing a tent with Hecker's son. Frey was later promoted to
first lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a se ...
but resigned on 17 June 1862. Frey raised the 82nd Illinois Infantry Regiment (known as "Second Hecker Regiment") and was the regiment's acting colonel at the
Battle of Gettysburg The Battle of Gettysburg () was a three-day battle in the American Civil War, which was fought between the Union and Confederate armies between July 1 and July 3, 1863, in and around Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle, won by the Union, ...
in July 1863. He was taken prisoner on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg, and following held in
Libby Prison Libby Prison was a Confederate States of America, Confederate prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. In 1862 it was designated to hold officer prisoners from the Union Army, taking in numbers from the nearby Seven Days battl ...
for eighteen months before being exchanged for Captain Gordon, a Confederate prisoner who had been sentenced to death. Frey held the rank of
major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
at the end of the war . He rescinded his Swiss citizenship on 14 July 1864, and took on the American.


Swiss Army

He didn't count with the mandatory military service in Switzerland, but on his return from the United States, in view of his experience from the
American civil war The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, he was made a
major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...
of the Swiss Army from the beginning. When he assumed as a Federal Councillor, he had the rank of a
Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
.


Political career

After the Civil War, Frey returned to Switzerland. From 1866 to 1872, he was a member of the cantonal government of
Basel-Country Canton of Basel-Landschaft or Basel-Country, informally known as Baselland or Baselbiet (; ; ; ; ), is one of the 26 cantons forming the Swiss Confederation. It is composed of five districts and its capital city is Liestal. It is traditional ...
. Not satisfied with the salary as politician he shortly was an editor for the journal Basler Nachrichten in 1872. The same year, Frey was elected to the Swiss National Council, council he presided in 1875/1876. From 1882 to 1888, Frey was the first ambassador (''Minister'') of Switzerland to the United States in Washington. The US President Chester A. Arthur saw him as the representative for both states. During his tenure as ambassador, he always stayed the summers in Arlesheim, his hometown. He was elected to the
Federal Council of Switzerland The Federal Council is the federal Cabinet (government), cabinet of the Switzerland, Swiss Confederation. Its seven members also serve as the collective head of state and Head of government, government of Switzerland. Since World War II, the F ...
on 11 December 1890 and handed over office on 31 March 1897. He was affiliated to the Free Democratic Party. During his office time he held the Military Department. During his tenure he tried to introduce a military reform, but in a referendum the people voted against it. He was confirmed as a Federal Councillor in December 1896, but he resigned from office in 1897. He was President of the Confederation in 1894.


International Telegraph Union

In 1897, following his retirement from his second period as a member of Switzerland’s National Council, Frey was nominated as Director of the ITU Bureau at the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference to replace Timotheus Rothen. He held the post for almost a quarter of a century and took part in the International Telegraph Conferences of 1903 in London and 1908 Lisbon. After leaving ITU in August 1921, Frey died, two months after his eighty-fifth birthday, on
Christmas Eve Christmas Eve is the evening or entire day before Christmas, the festival commemorating nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus. Christmas Day is observance of Christmas by country, observed around the world, and Christma ...
1922.


Personal life

In 1870, he married Emma Kloss (born 1848) from Liestal, with whom he had five children: Hans (1871–1913), Emil (1872–1913), Carl (1873–1934), Anna (1874–1893) and Helene (1876–1944). In 1877 Emma died from pulmonary tuberculosis, aged just 28 years.


Literary works

* ''Aus den Erlebnissen eines Schweizers im Sezessionskriege'', Bern 1893, (translated: "From the experiences of a Swiss in the War of Secession") * ''Die Kriegstaten der Schweizer, dem Volk erzählt'', Neuchâtel 1905, (translated: "The Swiss Acts of War, told to the People")


See also


References


External links

*
Personenlexikon des Kantons Basel-Landschaft


*
Archiv der Basler Familie Frey
- Family archives in Basel * {{DEFAULTSORT:Frey, Emil 1838 births 1922 deaths People from Basel-Landschaft Swiss Calvinist and Reformed Christians Free Democratic Party of Switzerland politicians Members of the Federal Council (Switzerland) Presidents of the Swiss Confederation Defence ministers of Switzerland Members of the National Council (Switzerland) 1878–1881 Presidents of the National Council (Switzerland) Ambassadors of Switzerland to the United States Arlesheim Swiss military officers Union army officers American Civil War prisoners of war held by the Confederate States of America People of Illinois in the American Civil War 19th-century Swiss military personnel International Telecommunication Union people