Wilhelm Vigier

Josef Wilhelm Viktor Vigier ( born August 27, 1823 in Solothurn, † March 18, 1886 ) was a liberal Swiss politician.

Life

Vigier was when Joseph Wilhelm Viktor von Vigier in the native of Southern aristocratic patrician family of Vigier born (also Vigier of Steinbrugg ), which was based in Solothurn since the early 17th century. However, he took in his youth liberal, democratic ideas, which led him to drop the title of nobility "of". Vigier studied law at the Universities of Zurich, Bonn, Berlin and Heidelberg. During his stay in Berlin, he was able to follow the events of the March Revolution of 1848; his memories of Vigier published shortly before his death in 1886 under the title " The days of March of 1848 ." After his return to Switzerland in 1849 Vigier was from 1850 to 1852 editor of Solothurn Journal. In 1851 he founded together with Wilhelm Munzinger, a son of Federal Josef Munzinger, a law firm, where he worked until 1856.

Soon it moved Vigier but in politics. As a spokesman for the radical- liberal so-called "red " of the Canton of Solothurn, which advocated direct democracy, Vigier is presented, since 1854 member of the Solothurn cantonal parliament, the Old Liberal " horror " counter. He contributed significantly to the fact that in 1856 a constitutional revision in radically - liberal sense was accepted and was elected this year in the canton of Solothurn cantonal government, which he held until his death in 1886 remained in the leading position, the thirty years. He served in this period, which is also referred to as the " era Vigier ", eleven times the office of Landamman and was at the same time without interruption of States. In the article by Martin Gisi in the ADB Vigier is called at that time " the most popular man of Canton ". He fees the merit, " the introduction of a number of industrial Etablissementen in Canton and the expansion of the railway network to have promoted without impairment of its assets ." Vigier also promoted the health and education strongly; its use is due to a significant expansion of Solothurn schools. At the time of the Kulturkampf in the 1870s belonged Vigier, who was initially considered a good agreement between the State and the Roman Catholic Church, the founders of the Christian Catholic Church. He later worked with but also in the resolution of disputes and the restoration of the bishopric of Basel.

As a member of the Council of States, which he chaired in 1862 and 1882, Vigier was influential at the federal level. From 1858 to 1874 he also served on the Federal Court, which he presided also twice, in 1864 and 1873. He was one of the main proponents of a total revision of the 1848 Federal Constitution, which came into force in 1874 and the federal responsibilities and rights of the people goal for.