Otto Stich

Anton Otto Stich - Stampfli ( born January 10, 1927 in Basel, † 13 September 2012 in Dornach, SO; homeland justified in Dornach and Huggerwald ) was a Swiss politician (SP). From 1984 to 1995 he was a member of the Federal Council and head of the Federal Department of Finance.

Life

Early years

Otto Stich was born the son of a mechanic Otto Stich and his wife Rosa, born Gunzinger, in Basel. He grew up in Dornach and attended primary and district school. His parents were both committed social democrat, his father was a member of the council. The policy was an important topic of conversation in the family, precisely because of that threat of fascism and because of the Second World War.

Stitch studied at the University of Basel with Professor Edgar Salin economy. In 1953 he became a certified teacher of commercial subjects, 1955, he earned his doctorate in political science. He then taught at the Basel School of the subjects German, business, economics and civics.

Council and National

1947, at the age of 20 years, Otto Stich was a member of the Social Democratic Party in the canton of Solothurn. With 26 years of his political career began with a seat in the Dornacher Audit Commission. Four years later, in 1957, he was elected to the council and was with his father take over the office of the municipality Ammann after an internal family debate.

Stitch ran first time in 1959 for the National Council. But since competed by two incumbent again, stitch had no chance. Four years later, however, could stitch for Willi Ritschard who renounced in favor of a national of a cantonal office, slide down and was just elected to the National Council. 48 parts projection were the first count 24 in the second and 12 in the third and last count.

In the National stitch, especially in economic and financial matters was much talked about. From 1971 he was also President of the Economic and Financial Commission. In 1970 he joined Coop Switzerland to the position of chief of staff and later became a member of the board of directors.

1983 engraving was indirectly prompted by his cantonal party not to run for the House of Representatives. Especially Ernst Leuenberger and Rolf Ritschard wanted to push engraving from his seat.

Bundesrat

Willi Ritschard announced on 3 October 1983 at Parliament in his resignation. Stitch was sitting at this time last week in Parliament because he did not run at the imminent re-elections. The SP Group of the Federal Assembly suggested Lilian lamp Hagen, a fellow student of engraving, before Ritschards successor. Lamp Hagen was treated during the election preparations accordingly as the favorite. On December 7, 1983 engraving but was unexpectedly elected to the Federal Council. In the first round engraving was elected with 124 votes; Uchtenhagen had to settle with 96 votes. Was chosen stitch - after ever since so-called "Night of the Long Knives " - from the bourgeois majority, the woman Uchtenhagen partly as a person, in part as a representative of the left did not want to choose the first Federal Councillor. Stitch shared the fate of his two predecessors Hans-Peter Tschudi and Willi Ritschard, which were 1959 and 1973 respectively also voted against the official candidate of the SP fraction in the Bundesrat.

Shortly after his election to the Federal Otto Stich received an invitation for a working lunch with Ringier publicist Frank A. Meyer, whom he left align: " First, I care not to eat while working, and secondly not to work while eating. And thirdly, I would like both actually do without Frank A. Meyer. "

The non-selection of the official candidate of the Social Democratic Party was dissolved in a discussion about the withdrawal of the Federal Council, as it was requested by the party leadership, and led to a breaking point. A record -fed moderately extraordinary party congress decided in February 1984 in Bern by a large majority to remain in the Bundesrat.

During his tenure stitch stood before the Department of Finance. In the years 1988 and 1994 he was President. Stitch was able to whether his choice disappointing part of the social democrats to take a very short time his administration for themselves. He was particularly impressed with the tenacity and the expertise with which he knew how to defend left-wing positions in the majority of civic body. " Whether or Astag banks, our gasoline shall not be moved " up posters, the Social Democratic base in his first year in office.

On 31 August 1995 engraving announced on 31 October his resignation from the Federal Council. He justified his resignation especially with his age. Later he confessed that there was a connection with a defeat in the Federal Council on the decision to build the NEAT with the Lötschberg base tunnel.

Unlike many former federal councilors took sting even after his resignation repeatedly in the political debate in part; he said he had the right to do exactly as any other citizen.

In December 2011, his autobiography was published under the title I just stayed simple.

Publications

• Anton Otto Stich: The development of business administration to self- discipline: A dogma critical examination of the development of the German language area in the years 1900-1935, with special consideration to the situation of business administration to economics ( = Basler business studies H. 15. ). Helbing & Lichtenhahn, Basel, 1956 ( Dissertation, University of Basel).
• Otto Stich: I just stayed simple. An autobiography with accompanying texts by Ivo Bachmann. Petri, Basel 2011, ISBN 978-3-03784-015-3.