List of presidents of the Swiss Confederation

Below is a list of presidents of the Swiss Confederation from 1848 to the present. It presents the presiding member of the Swiss Federal Council, the country's seven-member executive.

Elected by the Federal Assembly for a one-year term, the President of the Confederation chairs the meetings of the Federal Council and undertakes special representational duties. Primus inter pares, the officeholder has no powers above those of the other Federal Councillors and continues to head their department. Traditionally, the duty rotates among the members in order of seniority and the previous year's vice president becomes president.

1848–1899

No.PortraitName(Birth–Death)Term of officePolitical partyCanton 1 Jonas Furrer(1805–1861) 21 November 1848 31 December 1849 Free Democratic Party Zürich 2 Henri Druey(1799–1855) 1 January 1850 31 December 1850 Free Democratic Party Vaud 3 Josef Munzinger(1791–1855) 1 January 1851 31 December 1851 Free Democratic Party Solothurn 4 Jonas Furrer(1805–1861) 1 January 1852 31 December 1852 Free Democratic Party Zürich 5 Wilhelm Matthias Naeff(1802–1881) 1 January 1853 31 December 1853 Free Democratic Party St. Gallen 6 Friedrich Frey-Herosé(1801–1873) 1 January 1854 31 December 1854 Free Democratic Party Aargau 7 Jonas Furrer(1805–1861) 1 January 1855 31 December 1855 Free Democratic Party Zürich 8 Jakob Stämpfli(1820–1879) 1 January 1856 31 December 1856 Free Democratic Party Bern 9 Constant Fornerod(1819–1899) 1 January 1857 31 December 1857 Free Democratic Party Vaud 10 Jonas Furrer(1805–1861) 1 January 1858 31 December 1858 Free Democratic Party Zürich 11 Jakob Stämpfli(1820–1879) 1 January 1859 31 December 1859 Free Democratic Party Bern 12 Friedrich Frey-Herosé(1801–1873) 1 January 1860 31 December 1860 Free Democratic Party Aargau 13 Melchior Josef Martin Knüsel(1813–1889) 1 January 1861 31 December 1861 Free Democratic Party Lucerne 14 Jakob Stämpfli(1820–1879) 1 January 1862 31 December 1862 Free Democratic Party Bern 15 Constant Fornerod(1819–1899) 1 January 1863 31 December 1863 Free Democratic Party Vaud 16 Jakob Dubs(1822–1879) 1 January 1864 31 December 1864 Free Democratic Party Zürich 17 Karl Schenk(1823–1895) 1 January 1865 31 December 1865 Free Democratic Party Bern 18 Melchior Josef Martin Knüsel(1813–1889) 1 January 1866 31 December 1866 Free Democratic Party Lucerne 19 Constant Fornerod(1819–1899) 1 January 1867 31 December 1867 Free Democratic Party Vaud 20 Jakob Dubs(1822–1879) 1 January 1868 31 December 1868 Free Democratic Party Zürich 21 Emil Welti(1825–1899) 1 January 1869 31 December 1869 Free Democratic Party Aargau 22 Jakob Dubs(1822–1879) 1 January 1870 31 December 1870 Free Democratic Party Zürich 23 Karl Schenk(1823–1895) 1 January 1871 31 December 1871 Free Democratic Party Bern 24 Emil Welti(1825–1899) 1 January 1872 31 December 1872 Free Democratic Party Aargau 25 Paul Cérésole(1832–1905) 1 January 1873 31 December 1873 Free Democratic Party Vaud 26 Karl Schenk(1823–1895) 1 January 1874 31 December 1874 Free Democratic Party Bern 27 Johann Jakob Scherer(1825–1878) 1 January 1875 31 December 1875 Free Democratic Party Zürich 28 Emil Welti(1825–1899) 1 January 1876 31 December 1876 Free Democratic Party Aargau 29 Joachim Heer(1825–1879) 1 January 1877 31 December 1877 Free Democratic Party Glarus 30 Karl Schenk(1823–1895) 1 January 1878 31 December 1878 Free Democratic Party Bern 31 Bernhard Hammer(1822–1907) 1 January 1879 31 December 1879 Free Democratic Party Solothurn 32 Emil Welti(1825–1899) 1 January 1880 31 December 1880 Free Democratic Party Aargau 33 Numa Droz(1844–1899) 1 January 1881 31 December 1881 Free Democratic Party Neuchâtel 34 Simeon Bavier(1825–1896) 1 January 1882 31 December 1882 Free Democratic Party Grisons 35 Louis Ruchonnet(1834–1893) 1 January 1883 31 December 1883 Free Democratic Party Vaud 36 Emil Welti(1825–1899) 1 January 1884 31 December 1884 Free Democratic Party Aargau 37 Karl Schenk(1823–1895) 1 January 1885 31 December 1885 Free Democratic Party Bern 38 Adolf Deucher(1831–1912) 1 January 1886 31 December 1886 Free Democratic Party Thurgau 39 Numa Droz(1844–1899) 1 January 1887 31 December 1887 Free Democratic Party Neuchâtel 40 Wilhelm Hertenstein(1825–1888) 1 January 1888 27 November 1888 Free Democratic Party Zürich 41 Bernhard Hammer(1822–1907) 27 November 1888 31 December 1889 Free Democratic Party Solothurn 42 Louis Ruchonnet(1834–1893) 1 January 1890 31 December 1890 Free Democratic Party Vaud 43 Emil Welti(1825–1899) 1 January 1891 31 December 1891 Free Democratic Party Aargau 44 Walter Hauser(1837–1902) 1 January 1892 31 December 1892 Free Democratic Party Zürich 45 Karl Schenk(1823–1895) 1 January 1893 31 December 1893 Free Democratic Party Bern 46 Emil Frey(1838–1922) 1 January 1894 31 December 1894 Free Democratic Party Basel-Landschaft 47 Josef Zemp(1834–1908) 1 January 1895 31 December 1895 Catholic-Conservative Party Lucerne 48 Adrien Lachenal(1849–1918) 1 January 1896 31 December 1896 Free Democratic Party Geneva 49 Adolf Deucher(1831–1912) 1 January 1897 31 December 1897 Free Democratic Party Thurgau 50 Eugène Ruffy(1854–1919) 1 January 1898 31 December 1898 Free Democratic Party Vaud 51 Eduard Müller(1848–1919) 1 January 1899 31 December 1899 Free Democratic Party Bern

1900–1999