List of Presidents of the Swiss Confederation

The List of Presidents of the Swiss Confederation (1848–present) presents the presiding member of the Swiss Federal Council, Switzerland's seven-member executive. Elected by the Federal Assembly for one year, the President of the Confederation chairs the meetings of the Federal Council and undertakes special representational duties. Primus inter pares, he or she has no powers above the other Councillors and continues to head his or her department (see President of the Swiss Confederation for full details).

Traditionally, the duty rotates among the members in order of seniority and the previous year's Vice President becomes President. See list of members of the Swiss Federal Council for all seven.

1848–1874

Jonas Furrer, the first President of the Confederation (1848–1849)

Karl Schenk, as the longest-serving member of the Federal Council, was President of the Confederation six times, a number only equaled by Emil Welti.

I	A	President (Born-Died)	Year
1	1	Jonas Furrer (1805–1861)	1848
			1849
2	2	Henri Druey (1799–1855)	1850
3	3	Josef Munzinger (1791–1855)	1851
4	(1)	Jonas Furrer (1805–1861)	1852
5	4	Wilhelm Matthias Naeff (1802–1881)	1853
6	5	Friedrich Frey-Herosé (1801–1873)	1854
7	(1)	Jonas Furrer (1805–1861)	1855
8	6	Jakob Stämpfli (1820–1879)	1856
9	7	Constant Fornerod (1819–1899)	1857
10	(1)	Jonas Furrer (1805–1861)	1858
11	(6)	Jakob Stämpfli (1820–1879)	1859
12	(5)	Friedrich Frey-Herosé (1801–1873)	1860
13	8	Melchior Josef Martin Knüsel (1813–1889)	1861
14	(6)	Jakob Stämpfli (1820–1879)	1862
15	(7)	Constant Fornerod (1819–1899)	1863
16	9	Jakob Dubs (1822–1879)	1864
17	10	Karl Schenk (1823–1895)	1865
18	(8)	Melchior Josef Martin Knüsel (1813–1889)	1866
19	(7)	Constant Fornerod (1819–1899)	1867
20	(9)	Jakob Dubs (1822–1879)	1868
21	11	Emil Welti (1825–1899)	1869
22	(9)	Jakob Dubs (1822–1879)	1870
23	(10)	Karl Schenk (1823–1895)	1871
24	(11)	Emil Welti (1825–1899)	1872
25	12	Paul Cérésole (1832–1905)	1873
26	(10)	Karl Schenk (1823–1895)	1874

1875–1899

Wilhelm Hertenstein died during his term, on 27 November 1888. As of 2009, he is the only President not to complete his term.

I	A	President (Born-Died)	Year
27	13	Johann Jakob Scherer (1825–1878)	1875
28	(11)	Emil Welti (1825–1899)	1876
29	14	Joachim Heer (1825–1879)	1877
30	(10)	Karl Schenk (1823–1895)	1878
31	15	Bernhard Hammer (1822–1907)	1879
32	(11)	Emil Welti (1825–1899)	1880
33	16	Numa Droz (1844–1899)	1881
34	17	Simeon Bavier (1825–1896)	1882
35	18	Louis Ruchonnet (1834–1893)	1883
36	(11)	Emil Welti (1825–1899)	1884
37	(10)	Karl Schenk (1823–1895)	1885
38	19	Adolf Deucher (1831–1912)	1886
39	(16)	Numa Droz (1844–1899)	1887
40	20	Wilhelm Hertenstein (1825–1888)	1888 (to 27 November)
41	–	Bernhard Hammer (1822–1907)	1888 (from 27 November;acting)
	21		1889
42	(18)	Louis Ruchonnet (1834–1893)	1890
43	(11)	Emil Welti (1825–1899)	1891
44	21	Walter Hauser (1837–1902)	1892
45	(10)	Karl Schenk (1823–1895)	1893
46	22	Emil Frey (1838–1922)	1894
47	23	Josef Zemp (1834–1908)	1895
48	24	Adrien Lachenal (1849–1918)	1896
49	25	Adolf Deucher (1831–1912)	1897
50	26	Eugène Ruffy (1854–1919)	1898
51	27	Eduard Müller (1848–1919)	1899

1900–1924

Gustave Ador, President of the Confederation in 1919, was also President of the ICRC

I	A	President (Born-Died)	Year
52	(21)	Walter Hauser (1837–1902)	1900
53	28	Ernst Brenner (1856–1911)	1901
54	(23)	Josef Zemp (1834–1908)	1902
55	(25)	Adolf Deucher (1831–1912)	1903
56	29	Robert Comtesse (1847–1922)	1904
57	30	Marc-Emile Ruchet (1853–1912)	1905
58	31	Ludwig Forrer (1845–1921)	1906
59	(27)	Eduard Müller (1848–1919)	1907
60	(28)	Ernst Brenner (1856–1911)	1908
61	(25)	Adolf Deucher (1831–1912)	1909
62	(29)	Robert Comtesse (1847–1922)	1910
63	(30)	Marc-Emile Ruchet (1853–1912)	1911
64	(31)	Ludwig Forrer (1845–1921)	1912
65	(27)	Eduard Müller (1848–1919)	1913
66	32	Arthur Hoffmann (1857–1927)	1914
67	33	Giuseppe Motta (1871–1940)	1915
68	34	Camille Decoppet (1862–1925)	1916
69	35	Edmund Schulthess (1868–1944)	1917
70	36	Felix Calonder (1863–1952)	1918
71	37	Gustave Ador (1845–1928)	1919
72	(33)	Giuseppe Motta (1871–1940)	1920
73	(35)	Edmund Schulthess (1868–1944)	1921
74	38	Robert Haab (1865–1939)	1922
75	39	Karl Scheurer (1872–1929)	1923
76	40	Ernst Chuard (1857–1942)	1924

1925–1949

I	A	President (Born-Died)	Year
77	41	Jean-Marie Musy (1876–1952)	1925
78	42	Heinrich Häberlin (1868–1947)	1926
79	(33)	Giuseppe Motta (1871–1940)	1927
80	(35)	Edmund Schulthess (1868–1944)	1928
81	(38)	Robert Haab (1865–1939)	1929
82	(41)	Jean-Marie Musy (1876–1952)	1930
83	(42)	Heinrich Häberlin (1868–1947)	1931
84	(33)	Giuseppe Motta (1871–1940)	1932
85	(35)	Edmund Schulthess (1868–1944)	1933
86	43	Marcel Pilet-Golaz (1889–1958)	1934
87	44	Rudolf Minger (1881–1955)	1935
88	45	Albert Meyer (1870–1953)	1936
89	(33)	Giuseppe Motta (1871–1940)	1937
90	46	Johannes Baumann (1874–1953)	1938
91	47	Philipp Etter (1891–1977)	1939
92	(43)	Marcel Pilet-Golaz (1889–1958)	1940
93	48	Ernst Wetter (1877–1963)	1941
94	(47)	Philipp Etter (1891–1977)	1942
95	49	Enrico Celio (1889–1980)	1943
96	50	Walter Stampfli (1884–1965)	1944
97	51	Eduard von Steiger (1881–1962)	1945
98	52	Karl Kobelt (1891–1968)	1946
99	(47)	Philipp Etter (1891–1977)	1947
100	(49)	Enrico Celio (1889–1980)	1948
101	53	Ernst Nobs (1886–1957)	1949

1950–1974

I	A	President (Born-Died)	Year
102	54	Max Petitpierre (1899–1994)	1950
103	(51)	Eduard von Steiger (1881–1962)	1951
104	(52)	Karl Kobelt (1891–1968)	1952
105	(47)	Philipp Etter (1891–1977)	1953
106	55	Rodolphe Rubattel (1896–1961)	1954
107	(54)	Max Petitpierre (1899–1994)	1955
108	56	Markus Feldmann (1897–1958)	1956
109	57	Hans Streuli (1892–1970)	1957
110	58	Thomas Holenstein (1896–1962)	1958
111	59	Paul Chaudet (1904–1977)	1959
112	(54)	Max Petitpierre (1899–1994)	1960
113	60	Friedrich Traugott Wahlen (1899–1985)	1961
114	(59)	Paul Chaudet (1904–1977)	1962
115	61	Willy Spühler (1902–1990)	1963
116	62	Ludwig von Moos (1910–1990)	1964
117	63	Hans-Peter Tschudi (1913–2002)	1965
118	64	Hans Schaffner (1908–2004)	1966
119	65	Roger Bonvin (1907–1982)	1967
120	(61)	Willy Spühler (1902–1990)	1968
121	(62)	Ludwig von Moos (1910–1990)	1969
122	(63)	Hans-Peter Tschudi (1913–2002)	1970
123	66	Rudolf Gnägi (1917–1985)	1971
124	67	Nello Celio (1914–1995)	1972
125	(65)	Roger Bonvin (1907–1982)	1973
126	68	Ernst Brugger (1914–1998)	1974

1975–1999

I	A	President (Born-Died)	Year
127	69	Pierre Graber (1908–2003)	1975
128	(66)	Rudolf Gnägi (1917–1985)	1976
129	70	Kurt Furgler (1924-2008)	1977
130	71	Willy Ritschard (1918–1983)	1978
131	72	Hans Hürlimann (1918–1994)	1979
132	73	Georges-André Chevallaz (1915–2002)	1980
133	(70)	Kurt Furgler (1924-2008)	1981
134	74	Fritz Honegger (1917–1999)	1982
135	75	Pierre Aubert (1927)	1983
136	76	Leon Schlumpf (1925-2012)	1984
137	(70)	Kurt Furgler (1924-2008)	1985
138	77	Alphons Egli (1924)	1986
139	78	Pierre Aubert (1927)	1987
140	79	Otto Stich (1927-2012)	1988
141	80	Jean-Pascal Delamuraz (1936–1998)	1989
142	81	Arnold Koller (1933)	1990
143	82	Flavio Cotti (1939)	1991
144	83	René Felber (1933)	1992
145	84	Adolf Ogi (1942)	1993
146	(79)	Otto Stich (1927-2012)	1994
147	85	Kaspar Villiger (1941)	1995
148	(80)	Jean-Pascal Delamuraz (1936–1998)	1996
149	(81)	Arnold Koller (1933)	1997
150	(82)	Flavio Cotti (1939)	1998
151	86	Ruth Dreifuss (1940)	1999

2000–present

Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf, the immediate past President (2012)

I	A	President (Born-Died)	Year
152	(84)	Adolf Ogi (1942)	2000
153	87	Moritz Leuenberger (1946)	2001
154	(85)	Kaspar Villiger (1941)	2002
155	88	Pascal Couchepin (1942)	2003
156	89	Joseph Deiss (1946)	2004
157	90	Samuel Schmid (1947)	2005
158	(87)	Moritz Leuenberger (1946)	2006
159	91	Micheline Calmy-Rey (1945)	2007
160	92	Pascal Couchepin (1942)	2008
161	93	Hans-Rudolf Merz (1942)	2009
162	94	Doris Leuthard (1963)	2010
163	(91)	Micheline Calmy-Rey (1945)	2011
164	95	Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf (1956)	2012
165	96	Ueli Maurer (1950)	2013

See also

• Presidents of the National Council of Switzerland
• Presidents of the Swiss Diet (before 1848)