Fritz Courvoisier
Frédéric Alexandre, said Fritz Courvoisier, born on 1 at La Chaux-de-Fonds and died at Neuchâtel the10, was a watchmaker for the first par of his life, then became a military personnel and later on a political figure.
Biography
in a couple words: born in a family of watchmakers and clockmaker, he worked in the trade of his family with his father and brothers before creating his own enterprise in 1832.
in 1826, he married to Anna Rothpletz, which will he will have 2 sons, Paul and Emile. his wife, Anna, died in 1836 at age of 30. He then traveled alot to see his works in watchmaking and clock making industry. he went to different places such as France, Italy, Portugal and Russia.
When he returned to Switzerland, he then became elected the captain of the "Carabiniers" of La Chaux-de-fonds. in 1847, he particpated in the war of sonderbund (in witch neuchatel was neutral) and in a military corps of Bern
Revolution of Neuchatel
in 1848, following the Révolution française de 1848 (french revolution of 1848), the people of canton de Neuchatel, especially from Le Locle and La Chaux-de-fonds elected Fritz Courvoisier as commander in cheif. this last through Auguste Bille, tried to convince his friend Ulrich Ochsenbein to help him.
in the following 29, Ami Girard arrived from Saint-Imier and decides to march with Fritz Courvoisier for Neuchâtel. This is how on the 1 the troops march from la Chaux-de-Fonds to Neuchatel. At 8pm (20:00) the Castle of Neuchâtel falls to the hands of the revolutionnaries. the 3 ambassadors from Switzerland recognized the new government and the Republic of Neuchatel is formed.
After the Revolution
from 1851 to 1854, he was elected in the party radical to national advisor eand fights for the reconstructions of railways between the swiss plains to France passing through Morteau, Le Locle, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Saint-Imier by trying to pass the railway line through the Val-de-Travers. To finish, after the diputes between the two canton, they agree to build such railway, but Courvoisier's prefered line would never be that particular railway line.
Fritz Courvoisier died on 10 at Neuchâtel, by an attach of apoplexy.
External links
http://catalogue.nla.gov.au/Record/155987