Hansjörg Walter
Encyclopedia
Frauenfeld
Frauenfeld is the capital of the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-Early history:The earliest trace of human settlement are several La Tène era graves to the east of Langdorf. The Roman road from Oberwinterthur to Pfyn ran through what is now the Allmend in Frauenfeld. Two Roman villas were...
) is a Swiss politician of the Swiss People's Party
Swiss People's Party
The Swiss People's Party , also known as the Democratic Union of the Centre , is a conservative political party in Switzerland. Chaired by Toni Brunner, but spearheaded by Christoph Blocher, the party is the largest party in the Federal Assembly, with 58 members of the National Council and 6 of...
, a member of the Swiss National Council for the canton of Thurgau
Thurgau
Thurgau is a northeast canton of Switzerland. The population, , is . In 2007, there were a total of 47,390 who were resident foreigners. The capital is Frauenfeld.-History:...
and the president of the Swiss Farmers' Union.
Walter graduated from the Agricultural School Strickhof and underwent advanced agricultural and commercial training. In 1983, he graduated as a master farmer (Meisterlandwirt) and took over the Greuthof farm near Wängi
Wängi
Wängi is a municipality in the district of Münchwilen in the canton of Thurgau in Switzerland.-Geography:Wängi has an area, , of . Of this area, or 71.1% is used for agricultural purposes, while or 16.3% is forested...
from his parents.
His career in politics began with the vice presidency of the Wängi elementary school in 1985. He served in the municipal government of Wängi from 1993 to 2002 and in the cantonal parliament of Thurgau from 1992 to 1999, at which time he was elected to the National Council. He was reelected in 2003 and 2007 with the second highest number of votes on the People's Party list. In 2000, he was also elected president of the Farmers' Union.
In the Swiss Federal Council election, 2008
Swiss Federal Council election, 2008
On 10 December 2008, the Swiss Federal Assembly elected Ueli Maurer as successor to Federal Councillor Samuel Schmid. Schmid resigned on 12 November 2008 after a number of controversies, officially citing health and personal reasons...
, Walter came close to being elected Federal Councillor
Swiss Federal Council
The Federal Council is the seven-member executive council which constitutes the federal government of Switzerland and serves as the Swiss collective head of state....
despite his prior declaration that he would not accept an election. Supported by the parties left of center, he obtained one vote less than the eventual victor and official People's Party candidate Ueli Maurer
Ueli Maurer
Ueli Maurer is a member of the Swiss Federal Council and head of the Swiss Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports...
.
Walter, who is married and has three children, has served in the Swiss Army with the grade of major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
.