Joachim Heer

Joachim Heer ( born September 25, 1825 Glarus, † March 1, 1879 in Bern ) was a Swiss politician. For 24 years he was a member of the government of the Canton of Glarus, including 18 years as Chief Magistrate. Also, for 18 years he represented his State in the National Council. In 1875 he was elected as a representative of the liberal- radical faction (now the FDP) in the Federal Council. In 1877 he was President. His biggest success was the rescue of the Gotthard Railway under construction before the financial collapse.

Biography

Study and Canton policy

Army came from a respected family Glarus. His father Cosmo army was Landammann the canton of Glarus, as well as the same great-grandfather. Grandfather Joachim Heer and great-uncle Nicholas army had successively held the office of governor of the Canton Government Linth during the Helvetic Republic. Army and studied law at the University of Zurich, at the Ruprecht -Karls University in Heidelberg and at the Friedrich- Wilhelms-Universität in Berlin. In 1846 he completed his studies with a doctorate. His first occupation was that as a judge at the Civil Court. In 1850 he married Anna Catherine Iselin.

Rose rapidly army in his home canton the career ladder. After the election in the Canton Board of Education (1848 ) and the Ethics Committee (1851 ), he was in 1852 state governor. In 1853 he campaigned for the construction of a railway line through the valley, which opened six years later by the United Swiss Railways. 1857 followed finally the election for Chief Magistrate. This office, which corresponds to the Chairman of the cantonal government, he held for 18 years. In this time, the reconstruction of the capital of Glarus after the disastrous fire of 1861 and the implementation of advanced factory law of Switzerland fall.

Federal policy

In October 1857, a few months after the election of the Chief Magistrate, Army was also elected to the National Council. Politically he belonged to the liberal center. 1863 and 1869/70 he was a National President. He presided in 1863, responsible for the Jura water correction Commission and in 1864 a trade delegation in France. During 1867 and 1868 he was temporarily in Berlin envoy to the North German Confederation. Army was considered an excellent mediator and was therefore in 1863 individual votes in the Federal election. In 1866, he scored two more votes than the incumbent Wilhelm Matthias Naeff, then pulled back but.

On December 10, 1875 had four cabinet ministers to be replaced. Army was defeated in the election of the fourth member Louis Ruchonnet, the later, however, refused and was replaced by Numa Droz. When choosing the fifth member, he sat down on the first ballot with 91 of 170 votes against Fridolin Anderwert by. The Federal Assembly elected army on the same day as Vice-President. In his first year he led the Post and Telegraph Department.

1877 was the army as president as was customary at the same time head of the Political Department of Foreign Affairs and thus. Most pressing problem this year was the massive increase in costs during the construction of the Gotthard Railway. Army presided in Lucerne Conference of the States concerned, to which the distribution key complement the subsidy was approved. 1878 army led the railroad and commercial department. In this capacity, he concluded a commercial treaty with Romania and implemented the overall Swiss Factory Act, which was based on the Glarus model. Also, he could move 13 cantons to contribute financially to the Gotthard railway, which this project of the century was finally secured.

In February 1877 the army was suffering from a severe pleurisy, from which he never recovered properly. On December 10, 1878, he announced his resignation from his position he gave on 28 December to Simeon Bavier. End of February 1879, he suffered a stroke, to which he succumbed a few days later.

Others

In the novel Vrenelis Gärtli by Tim Krohn closely ajar to Joachim Heer figure of the " Lord's Army " and his daughter plays an important role. The Vreneli saves the " Fralein army ' before a persecutor, and is supported in gratitude of their father.