Casimir von Arx

Casimir von Arx ( born October 30, 1852 in Olten, † March 7, 1931 ibid, hometown entitled in Olten ) was a Swiss politician and the first Chairman of the Board of the Swiss Federal Railways.

Life

He was the son of Casimir von Arx, as host of the "Krone" operation in Olten. This place was until the opening of the Hauenstein line at the same time horses station for carts on the Hauenstein. That is, here horses could be borrowed for the pass road, which then as biasing pulled the wagon over the pass. The host took over the opening of the Hauenstein line by the Swiss Central Railway line of goods Expedition in Olten. Later, when it was merged with the passenger station, he became the first station inspector of the station Olten. The father died early. Casimir had to provide for the family and broke off begun in Les Verrières bank training. Previously, he had already completed the industrial school in Neuchâtel. Since Casimir spoke French very well, he began working as an importer and imported inter alia slate and glazed tile from Belgium. The transport to Switzerland, he organized the same himself, with which he came into contact with railway circles.

Von Arx was also interested in social problems, making him a founding member of the Free Democratic Party ( FDP) made ​​, which was founded in 1894 in Olten railway buffet. He sat from 1881 to 1922 the cantonal parliament of Solothurn and from 1887 to 1922 in the Senate ( in the second half of 1902 as president) from 1890 to 1902, he was also Stadtammann of Olten. Von Arx was considered a financial expert, he called 1902 a central Federal Reserve and advocated the nationalization of the Swiss Railways.

He was also a founding member and co-founder of Ersparniskasse Olten and the power plant Olten- Aarburg ( EWOA ). From the latter today Atel Holding emerged. From 1892 to 1894 he was chairman of the Federal Banking ( private bank in 1945 taken over by Union Bank of Switzerland ). As Senate he was appointed in 1900 by the Federal Council to the Board of the newly founded Swiss Federal Railways and immediately determined at the first meeting on October 24, 1900 President. He held until the end of 1923 this office. 1886 was founded on its motion towards the Solothurn Cantonal Bank, the bank he as President and board from 1887 to 1929.

In private life he married in 1882 Bertha Brunner, daughter of Oltner office writer Ferdinand Brunner, a heterodox whose family comes from eastern Switzerland and who had nursed him time after an accident. From this marriage several children were born. He died in 1931 at the age of 78 years.