List of ambassadors of Switzerland to France

The Ambassador of Switzerland to France is the representative of the government of Switzerland in France and thus responsible for maintaining relations between Switzerland and France.

Embassy of the Swiss Confederation in France
Entrance gate of the Hôtel de Besenval, the Embassy of the Swiss Confederation and the residence of the Swiss Ambassador to France
General information
Address	142 Rue de Grenelle
Town or city	Paris
Country	France

First permanent Swiss diplomatic representation

The worldwide first ever permanent Swiss diplomatic representation was opened in Paris in April 1798 at the time of the Helvetic Republic. Today, the Embassy of the Swiss Confederation as well as the residence of the Swiss Ambassador are housed in the Hôtel de Besenval in Paris.

The era of the gentlemen diplomats

The beginnings of Swiss professional diplomacy were modest and accompanied by a certain skepticism. The focus of criticism was the associated costs. Anyone interested in becoming a diplomat in the early years was advised that, in addition to a degree in law, knowledge of modern history, language skills in the Swiss national languages and English – they should have above all something at their disposal: Their own assets. The Swiss Confederation expressly pointed out that a diplomat's salary – even if he is head of mission – will not be enough to cover his living costs. Accordingly, the first Swiss diplomats came from wealthy, mostly industrial and patrician families. This only changed with the adjustment of salaries and the introduction of an admissions competition, the so-called concours diplomatique, after World War II. These measures democratized the diplomatic service.

First French embassy in Switzerland

In the aftermath of the Battle of Marignano, the Paix Perpétuelle (Perpetual Peace) of 1516 and the mercenary alliance of 1521, France had already opened an embassy in 1522 on Swiss territory, in the city of Solothurn. Hence still today, the city of Solothurn is still called the City of Ambassadors.

Ambassadors

From 1798 to 1957 as the Swiss Envoy, called Minister

• 1798–1800: Peter Josef Zeltner (1765-1830)
• 1800–1800: Gottlieb Abraham von Jenner (1765–1834)
• 1800–1803: Philipp Albert Stapfer (1766–1840)
• 1803–1814: Antoine Constantin de Maillardoz, Marquis de Maillardoz (1765–1832)
• 1814–1847: Georg von Tschann (1777–1847)
• 1848–1857: Josef Hyazint Barmann (1800–1885)
• 1857–1883: Johann Konrad Kern (1808–1888)
• 1883–1917: Charles Édouard Lardy (1847–1923). Lardy was one of the first professional Swiss diplomats (career diplomat)
• 1917–1938: Alphonse Dunant (1869–1942)
• 1938–1944: Walter Stucki (1888–1963). Under Stucki's leadership, the new examination procedure for admission to the diplomatic service was developed in 1955. This process is also known as the democratization process of the diplomatic service. It was the beginning of the end of the era of the gentlemen diplomats
• 1945–1949: Carl J. Burckhardt (1891–1974)
• 1949–1956: Peter Anton von Salis (1898–1982)
• 1956–1961: Pierre Micheli (1905–1989). At the beginning, he had the rank of Minister and in 1957 Micheli became Ambassador, when the Swiss Legation was upgraded to an embassy
• 1961–1966: Agostino Soldati (1910–1966). Soldati died in office on 11 December 1966. On the day of his death, General Charles de Gaulle, Président de la République Française, sent a telegram of condolence to Federal President Hans Schaffner, which he signed with "Le Général de Gaulle"
• 1967–1977: Pierre Dupont (1912–1993)
• 1977–1987: François de Ziegler (1922–2006)
• 1987–1993: Carlo Jagmetti (* 1932)
• 1993–1997: Edouard Brunner (1932–2007)
• 1997–2002: Benedict de Tscharner (1937–2019)
• 2002–2007: François Nordmann (* 1942)
• 2007–2011: Ulrich Lehner (* 1954)
• 2011–2014: Jean-Jacques de Dardel (* 1954)
• 2014–2018: Bernardino Regazzoni (* 1957)
• 2018–2020: Livia Leu (* 1961)
• 2020–today: Roberto Balzaretti (* 1965)

Seats of Swiss diplomatic representations in Paris since the mid-19th century

One of the earliest photos of the Hôtel de Besenval: A photographic glass slide made in the second half of the 19th century (after 1866), showing the garden façade of the residence. Glass slides were projected with a magic lantern.

• 1857–1859: 14 Avenue des Champs-Elysées
• 1860–1864: 3 Rue d’Aumale
• 1865–1883: 3 Rue Blanche
• 1892–1894: 4 Rue Cambon
• 1895–1918: 15bis Rue de Marignan
• 1919–1938: 51 Avenue Hoche
• since 1938: 142 Rue de Grenelle, Hôtel de Besenval

Further reading

in alphabetical order

• Claude Altermatt: Les débuts de la diplomatie professionnelle en Suisse, Éditions Universitaires Fribourg Suisse, Fribourg, 1990
• Carl J. Burckhardt (Préface): In memoriam Agostino Soldati (1910–1966) – Ambassadeur de Suisse, Éditeur: E. Cherix et Filanosa, Nyon, 1968
• Daniel Haener: Ambassadeurs à Paris, Zeitschrift « Le messager suisse: Revue des communautés suisses de langue française », 1998, Heft 110
• Florian Keller: Botschafterporträts – Schweizer Botschafter in den « Zentren der Macht » zwischen 1945 und 1975, Chronos Verlag, Zürich, 2018
• Jacques Rial: Le Bicorne et la Plume – Les publications de diplomates suisses de 1848 à nos jours, Préface de Bénédict de Tscharner, DiploFoundation & Institut de hautes études et du développement, Genève, 2008
• Bénédict de Tscharner: Profession ambassadeur – diplomate suisse en France, Éditions Cabédita, Yens-sur-Morges, 2002
• Paul Widmer: Diplomatie – Ein Handbuch, Verlag Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Zürich, 2014

External links

• Swiss diplomacy through the ages