Simeon Bavier

Simeon Bavier ( born September 16, 1825 Chur, † January 27, 1896 in Basel) was a Swiss civil engineer, diplomat and politician liberal direction (today FDP). Professionally, he was dedicated to the planning and construction of roads and railways. In 1863 he was elected to the National Assembly, where he served for 15 years. He pretended to be an expert in railway matters out and campaigned unsuccessfully for a tunnel under the Alps Splügenpass. From 1879 to 1882 Bavier was the first Grisons to the Federal Council. Subsequently, he was twelve years as Swiss ambassador in Italy.

Biography

Studies and career

Bavier was born into an influential Chur bankers and merchant family who had a leading role in the freight forwarding industry. He was the eldest of nine siblings. His father Johann Baptista Bavier worked at cantonal and national level as a politician as well as a cousin of Federal Wilhelm Matthias Naeff. His mother Katharina Roffler from Fideris was the daughter of Landamman the ten court League Valentin Roffler. Simeon Bavier visited in 1837 the educational institution in Stetten in the Rems valley. From 1841 to 1844 he trained for civil engineering at the Karlsruhe Polytechnic and at the Stuttgart Polytechnic.

After his return to Chur Bavier was instrumental in the construction of roads through the Graubunden Oberland and over the Bernina Pass. In 1850 he married Barbara von Salis - Buchen of the important noble family of Salis, with whom he had five children. In 1852 he settled in Fideris and employed henceforth mainly with the planning and construction of railway lines at home and abroad, for example, the routes of Rapperswil and Rorschach to Chur. As the family-owned banking institution collapsed in connection with the railway in 1866, he was temporarily in serious financial difficulties.

Cantonal and national policy

In the years 1853 and 1854 was Bavier Landammann in a circle Jenaz and represented these in the Grand Council of the Canton of Grisons. In 1863 he was elected to the National Council, whose member he remained for 15 years. Although Bavier was a member of the Liberal group, but represented in a number of important questions a different or even opposite opinion. So he declined the 1864 Franco-Swiss trade agreement and spoke from ten years later against the total revision of the Federal Constitution.

As an expert in railway matters Bavier enjoyed high reputation. He consulted as an expert, the Federal Court and entered in disputes between railway companies as a referee. On the issue of trans-Alpine railway he argued forcefully for the construction of a line through the eastern Alps and fought the Gotthard railway project. 1870 and 1871 he presented before their own projects for a web under the Splügenpass that were not accepted. As 1878 was the Nachsubventionierung the Gotthard Railway to the debate, he leaned from this first. He then changed his mind and agreed to a compromise, which also subsidies for rail projects in eastern Switzerland were promised.

Bundesrat

This compromise was a decisive factor in the choice Baviers the Federal Council on 10 December 1878. United The Federal Assembly elected him in the first ballot with 108 out of 172 valid votes, succeeding Joachim army, with whom he was friends. Bavier, the first Grisons in the state government, was in his first year in office in 1879 before the Tax and Customs Department. His success was a decision on the issue of a Swiss government loan of 36 million francs.

1880 and 1881 led Bavier the postal and railway department and was able to contribute his expertise. He strove in particular a clearer collective nature and to a greater overall supervision of the railway companies with a total of 3,000 kilometers of rail network by the federal government. In 1881 he presided in the Berne Convention for international railway law. 1882 Bavier President; as was customary, he took the Political Department and was thus at the same time foreign minister. In May 1882 he took before the official opening of the Gotthard tunnel, in the presence of prominent politicians from Germany, Italy and Switzerland. The presidential year was overshadowed by the serious illness and death of his son Baptista Bavier ride Meyer ( 1855-1882 ). Bavier was often in poor health, which is why he announced his resignation at the end of 1882.

Diplomat

In November of the same year died Giovanni Battista Pioda, of Switzerland, in Italy envoy, his successor Bavier - according to his wish - was appointed at the beginning of 1883 by the Federal Council. After twelve years in office, he filed a petition for release in 1894, since he had a hearing condition, but this was met in the summer of 1895. He then lived with his wife in their family house in Malan. Simeon Bavier died in 1896 during a stay at one of his daughters in Basel.