Wilhelm Matthias Naeff

Wilhelm Matthias Naeff ( born February 19, 1802 in Altstaetten; † January 21, 1881 in Muri bei Bern ) was a Swiss politician. After 18 years working in the government of the canton of St. Gallen, he was elected as a representative of the liberal- radical faction (now the FDP) in the Federal Council. His term of 27 years is the fourth longest of all federal councils. In 1853 he was President.

Origin and political career

As the son of the politically influential textile wholesaler Johann Matthias Naeff he was born into a long-established and traditional Rheintaler family. Wilhelm Matthias Naeff studied law at the Ruprecht -Karls University in Heidelberg, where he received his doctorate. After his return to Switzerland, he was elected in 1828 at the age of only 26 years in the St. Galler Grand Council, and two years later in the cantonal government. He was 18 years government and headed the departments of Police ( 1830-1840 ), buildings ( 1840-1846 ) and appearance ( 1847-1848 ) and officiated eight times as Landammann.

Naeff itself did not intervene in the conflict between liberals and conservatives, who at that time dominated Switzerland. The Rhine Valley was a stronghold of the Liberal and so Naeff could rely on his supporters. As a Councillor, he was involved in planning for the regulation of the Rhine, but were not implemented until 1892. The road and railway construction, he significantly contributed to the development of his canton. He was also involved in tariff negotiations with neighboring states.

As a Federal Commissioner to Schwyz ( 1833) and Lucerne (1845, 1847) he gave sent with the separation turmoil in the canton of Schwyz, and the Freischarenzug in Lucerne. It was in 1844, 1845 and 1847 santa Gallic Diet deputy. As chairman of a public meeting he called in 1836 for the establishment of a representative Constitutional Council. Nine years later he was a member of the Siebner group which drafted the first federal constitution of 1848 created the Swiss federal state. On September 30, 1848 he became the first Senate of the canton of St. Gallen and Member of the newly established Federal Assembly.

Bundesrat

On November 16, 1848 Naeff was elected as the seventh Member of the Federal Council, but he received on the first ballot 72 of 132 votes cast. Naeffs election was a concession to the Canton of St. Gallen, whose voice had been the decisive factor for the violent liquidation of the League. Also Naeff was the one with the most Federal government experience.

The Federal Naeff belonged to for 27 years, much longer than his former colleague. In his first years in office, he could make an important preparatory work for the young state, especially in modernizing the country's infrastructure. To his great merits, among other things includes the standardization of the fragmented postal services under federal jurisdiction. 1850, the first stamps, which was founded a year earlier Federal Post Office issued. Under his leadership (1850-1852), the first telegraph network was created, connecting all major towns of Switzerland with one another and also accelerated the country's industrialization. The expansion of the national rail network remained in private hands, a federal task was only the award of concessions. In this area, his brother Ferdinand Adolf Naeff pioneered.

1852 Naeff was Vice President of the Bundesrat, the following year, President and thus as was customary temporary foreign minister. However, starting in about 1854, he lost more and more influence and earned the reputation of being an armchair glue and bore. Various Re-election he stood only with narrow majorities and he was never elected to the presidency. Due to overload it had in 1860 the construction industry to the Department of the Interior exits. Political opponents Naeff is managed with the negative attitude towards the planned Gotthard Bahn ( the Canton of St. Gallen always favored a railway over the Splügenpass ), but he was concerned about the development of the 1874 founded the Universal Postal Union in Bern deserves. On 31 December 1875 he resigned. Three years later, Simeon Bavier, Naeffs big cousin was elected to the Federal Council, which also advocated the Splügelpass Railway, 1882, however, the Gotthard Railway, whose construction began still under Naeff, inaugurated. Wilhelm Matthias Naeff died after several strokes at the age of 78 years.

During his tenure Naeff the following departments:

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