Emil Johann Rudolf Frey (October 24, 1838 – December 24, 1922) was a Swiss

Switzerland

Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....

 politician, soldier in the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

 and member of the Swiss Federal Council (1890–1897).

Early life

Frey was born in Arlesheim

Arlesheim

Arlesheim is a municipality in the district of Arlesheim in the canton of Basel-Country in Switzerland. Its cathedral chapter seat, bishop's residence and cathedral are listed as a heritage site of national significance....

, Switzerland, as the son of Emil Remigius Frey. His father was a liberal separatist politician.

Frey's family provided refuge for Friedrich Hecker when he fled the repression following the revolution in Germany in 1848

Revolutions of 1848 in the German states

The Revolutions of 1848 in the German states, also called the March Revolution – part of the Revolutions of 1848 that broke out in many countries of Europe – were a series of loosely coordinated protests and rebellions in the states of the German Confederation, including the Austrian Empire...

. Frey later emigrated to the USA

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 arriving in Belleville, Illinois

Belleville, Illinois

Belleville is a city in St. Clair County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city has a population of 44,478. It is the eighth-most populated city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area and the most populated city south of Springfield in the state of Illinois. It is the county...

 an area with many Forty-Eighters

Forty-Eighters

The Forty-Eighters were Europeans who participated in or supported the revolutions of 1848 that swept Europe. In Germany, the Forty-Eighters favored unification of the German people, a more democratic government, and guarantees of human rights...

, veterans of the 1848 revolutions in Europe. For a while he worked for Hecker, but they had a falling out.

Career during the American Civil War

Frey entered the unionist

Union Army

The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...

 24th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment‎ as a
private

Private (rank)

A Private is a soldier of the lowest military rank .In modern military parlance, 'Private' is shortened to 'Pte' in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth countries and to 'Pvt.' in the United States.Notably both Sir Fitzroy MacLean and Enoch Powell are examples of, rare, rapid career...

. Hecker was his commander, and they became friends again, with Frey sharing a tent with Hecker's son. Frey was later promoted to 1st. lieutenant but resigned on June 17, 1862. He began raising a company for the Second Hecker Regiment (The 82nd Illinois Volunteer Infantry) and became the company's captain. Captain Frey was taken prisoner at the battle of Gettysburg on July 1, 1863 and held in Libby Prison

Libby Prison

Libby Prison was a Confederate Prison at Richmond, Virginia, during the American Civil War. It gained an infamous reputation for the harsh conditions under which prisoners from the Union Army were kept.- Overview :...

 for eighteen months before being exchanged for Captain Gordon, a Confederate prisoner under sentence of death.

Swiss politician

After the Civil War, Frey returned to Switzerland. From 1866 to 1872, he was a member of the cantonal government of Basel-Country

Basel-Country

Basel-Landschaft , is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland. The capital is Liestal...

. In 1870, he married Emma Kloss (1848–1877) with whom he had one child, a son, Engelbert.

In 1872, Frey was elected to the Swiss National Council, council he presided in 1875/1876.

From 1882 to 1888, Frey was the first ambassador (Minister) of Switzerland to the United States in Washington

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

.

He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on December 11, 1890 and handed over office on March 31, 1897. He was affiliated to the Free Democratic Party

Free Democratic Party of Switzerland

The Free Democratic Party was a classical liberal political party in Switzerland. It was one of the major parties in Switzerland until its merger with the smaller classical liberal Liberal Party, to form FDP.The Liberals on 1 January 2009....

. During his office time he held the Military Department.

He was President of the Confederation in 1894.

From 1897 to 1921, Frey was director of the International Telegraph Union.

External links

• Personenlexikon des Kantons Basel-Landschaft
• Emil Frey - der Baselbieter Bundesrat
• Archiv der Basler Familie Frey - Family archives in Basel