Oskar Leimgruber (5 July 1886 – 19 July 1976) was a Swiss lawyer and politician and a member of the Christian Democratic People's Party (CVP). From 1944 to 1951, he served as the 9th Chancellor of Switzerland.

Biography

Leimgruber was born in

Fribourg or is the capital of the Cantons of Switzerland, Swiss canton of Canton of Fribourg, Fribourg and district of Sarine (district), La Sarine. Located on both sides of the river Saane/Sarine, on the Swiss Plateau, it is a major economic, adminis ...

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. He studied at several institutions—

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (; ) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius founded the Collège Saint-Michel in the City of Fribourg ...

University of Bern The University of Bern (, , ) is a public university, public research university in the Switzerland, Swiss capital of Bern. It was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the canton of Bern. It is a comprehensive university offering a br ...

, and

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

—obtaining his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''doctor'', meaning "teacher") or doctoral degree is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism '' licentia docendi'' ("licence to teach ...

in 1911. During his studies, Leimgruber worked as an editor at '' La Liberté'' and '' Freiburger Zeitung'', as well as Secretary of the Trade Association of the ''

Canton of Fribourg The canton of Fribourg, also canton of Freiburg, is located in western Switzerland. The canton is bilingual, with French spoken by more than two thirds of the citizens and German by a little more than a quarter. Both are official languages in th ...

''. In 1912, he began working as a lawyer for

Swiss Federal Railways Swiss Federal Railways (, SBB; , CFF; , FFS) is the national railway company of Switzerland. The company was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Bern. It used to be a State-owned enterprise, government institution, but since 1999 it has be ...

. In 1919, he became a member of the Central Committee of the Catholic Conservative Party (CVP) and the Secretary General of the Federal Department of the Postal Services and Railways. Named

Vice-Chancellor A vice-chancellor (commonly called a VC) serves as the chief executive of a university in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Kenya, other Commonwealth of Nati ...

in 1925, he created the Federal Office for Printing and Materials in 1926. Leimgruber represented Switzerland at numerous international conferences. In 1923, he founded the International Union of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises. In 1930, he presided over the

Union of International Associations The Union of International Associations (UIA) is a non-profit organization, non-profit non-governmental organization, non-governmental research institute and documentation center based in Brussels, Belgium, and operating under United Nations mand ...

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

. He has written extensively on issues of the economy, administration,

sociology Sociology is the scientific study of human society that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. The term sociol ...

and

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, also known as theory of law or philosophy of law, is the examination in a general perspective of what law is and what it ought to be. It investigates issues such as the definition of law; legal validity; legal norms and values ...

. In 1934 Leimgruber was defeated by George Bovet in a close election for a new Federal Chancellor. Upon running again in 1941, he was successfully elected as Federal Chancellor. He was the first Chancellor belonging to the Catholic Conservatives. Leimgruber introduced simultaneous translation of speeches in the National Council and the Council of States. For the

centenary A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century. Notable events Notable centennial events at a national or world-level include: * Centennial Exhibition, 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. ...

in 1948, he was the co-editor of the book ''Emblem, Seals and Constitutions of the Swiss Confederation and the Cantons'' and ''Adjusted Collection of Federal Laws and Regulations from 1848 to 1947''. He resigned as chancellor in 1951 and died in Bern in 1976.

External links

* * Federal chancellors of Switzerland 1886 births 1976 deaths 20th-century Swiss politicians People from Fribourg {{-