Borel, Eugene

Eugene Borel was educated at the humanist school in Neuchâtel , then studied law at the universities of Munich and Heidelberg . After an internship, he, at the age of 21, became a prosecutor in Neuchâtel.

From 1857 , Borel was elected to the General Council (legislative body) of the city of Neuchâtel, then, from 1864 , to the City Council (government). In 1862, he was elected to the Grand Council (parliament) of the canton of Neuchâtel , and in 1865 to the State Council (cantonal government), where he first headed the military department (1865–1870), then the justice department ( 1870–1872 ). In 1867 - 1868 and 1870 - 1871 he headed the government of the canton.

In 1865, he was elected to the Council of Cantons , where he chaired 1869 . During his tenure, he fought for a complete revision of the Swiss constitution, but his wording was heavily criticized and was not adopted by referendum in 1872.

On December 7, 1872, Borel was elected a member of the Federal Council and received from his predecessor the Department of Posts and Telegraphs. In 1875 he served as vice-president of Switzerland.

Borel conducted intensive work on the creation of the Universal Postal Union , which was finally founded on October 9, 1874 , at a conference of 22 states in Bern (renamed the Universal Postal Union in 1878 ). Borel became the first director of the new organization. On June 3, 1875, he announced his resignation from the government. Two weeks later, the Federal Assembly accepted his resignation, but unanimously asked him to remain in office until the end of the year.

• Profile on the website of the Swiss Federal Council (Eng.) (Tested 5 March 2010)
• Biography in the "Historical Dictionary of Switzerland" in French , German and Italian (Retrieved March 5, 2010)