Melchior Josef Martin Knüsel

( Melchior ) Joseph Martin Knusel ( born November 16, 1813 in Lucerne, † January 15, 1889 ibid, ibid home justified ) was a Swiss politician and lawyer.

After many years as a prosecutor, State and National politicians in 1855 he elected as representatives of the liberal- radical faction (now the FDP) in the Federal Council. During his twenty- year-long tenure, he led five different departments, more than any other Federal Council. He was President in 1861 and 1866 as well as Vice President between 1860 and 1865.

Study and Canton policy

Knusel was born in Lucerne, the son of a wealthy grocer. After graduating from the schools of his native town, he studied law at the Ruprecht -Karls- University of Heidelberg and at the Georg- August University in Göttingen. In 1838 he became the advocate of the Canton of Lucerne. 1839 elected him the Lucerne government as Deputy Criminal court clerk.

Although in 1841 the conservatives took power, the Knusel moderate liberal current than was elected by the Great Council to the prosecutor. During the turmoil surrounding the appointment of the Jesuits to the institutions of higher learning and the subsequent Freischar trains to Knusel held for the time being out of the cantonal policy. This changed in 1845 with the election in the big city council, the legislative branch of the city of Lucerne.

After the fall of the Conservative government Knusel in 1847 elected to the constituency Weggis in the Grand Council. In the same year he married Bernhardine Brunner; The marriage remained childless. 1852 Knusel resigned as a prosecutor, after he had been elected to the Executive Council. He took over the leadership of the Police Department, in the years 1853 and 1855 he was Schultheiss ( District President ). From October 1854 he represented his State in the National Council.

Bundesrat

Half a year after the death of Federal Josef Munzinger was on July 11, 1855, the election of his successor to the debate. The Lucerne Casimir Pfyffer missed in the first pass just short of the absolute majority and then leaned on. A day later, the Basel Johann Jakob Stehlin was selected in the fourth round. However, this is not accepted the election, on the grounds that he had for this office does not have the necessary experience. Finally, the Federal Assembly decided on 14 July for the still little-known Knusel, who won on the second ballot 94 of 142 votes cast.

During his tenure Knusel stood five different departments concerned: 1855-1856 and 1862-1863 the Department of Finance, in 1857 and 1859 to 1860 the trade and Customs Department, in 1858, from 1864 to 1865 and from 1867 to 1873 the Justice and Police, in 1861 and 1866 as President of the Political Department and the Department of Home Affairs 1874-1875.

In the years 1859 and 1860 Knusel belonged to the camp of Jacob Stämpfli, the military occupation of Haute Savoie asked during the Savoy Erhan Dels. The Neue Zürcher Zeitung called it back then to « gelehrigsten disciples of the Master Stämpfli ". After the unsuccessful constitutional amendment in 1872 he came under pressure and managed at the Re-election of the re-election until the second ballot. During the Kulturkampf his position was threatened again: As a loyal supporter of the Catholic Church, he was able to identify less and less with the nascent liberal faction increasingly radical. He also rejected the ( ultimately adopted ) Federal Law Revision of 1874, as he faced the unification of law critically. Finally, he resigned on 31 December 1875.

Other activities

1875 Knusel occurred in two constituencies again in the national elections on, but was not elected. As a result, he chaired the Community Service Society, the Central Swiss arts and crafts exhibition in Lucerne, the General Reading Society and various educational institutions. In addition, he was a board member of the Swiss Agricultural Association and Board of Directors of Swiss furniture insurance. From 1878 he sat in the National again, but was not nominated again three years later, because he had voted with the Catholic Conservatives and had fallen out of favor in his own camp finally.