Alfred Escher (February 20 1819 in Zurich – December 6 1882) was a Swiss politician and railroad entrepreneur. Member of the Swiss National Council from 1848 to his death 1882, he presided the council three times (1849/50, 1856/57 and 1862/63).

Escher was endorsing an idea of building and running the railway lines in Switzerland based on private companies. Later (since 1853), through his position of the president of railway companies, he became a railway magnate.

He was one of the founders of Schweizerische Kreditanstalt (nowadays Credit Suisse) in 1856.

He died 1882 in Zurich. On June 22, 1889, the Alfred-Escher memorial by Richard Kissling at the Zurich Main Station was inaugurated.

External links

1819 births | 1882 deaths | Natives of Zürich

Alfred Escher | Alfred Escher