Thomas Holenstein 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 and member of the Swiss Federal Council

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....

 (1955-1959).

Holenstein studied law at the University of Bern, finishing in 1920. He then worked as a lawyer in his father's office in St. Gallen

St. Gallen

St. Gallen is the capital of the canton of St. Gallen in Switzerland. It evolved from the hermitage of Saint Gall, founded in the 7th century. Today, it is a large urban agglomeration and represents the center of eastern Switzerland. The town mainly relies on the service sector for its economic...

.

Politically, he was affiliated to the Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland

Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland

The Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland is a Christian democratic political party in Switzerland. It is the fourth-largest party in the National Council, with 31 seats, and the largest in the Council of States, with 15 seats. It has one seat, that of Doris Leuthard, on the Swiss...

. From 1930 to 1935 he was president of the young conservative movement of the canton of St. Gallen

Canton of St. Gallen

The Canton of St. Gallen is a canton of Switzerland. St. Gallen is located in the north east of Switzerland. It covers an area of 2,026 km², and has a population of . , the population included 97,461 foreigners, or about 20.9% of the total population. The capital is St. Gallen. Spelling...

. He was elected to the city parliament of St. Gallen in 1927. From 1936 to 1954 Holenstein served in the canton's parliament and from 1937 to 1954 he represented his canton in the National Council of Switzerland

National Council of Switzerland

The National Council of Switzerland is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Switzerland. With 200 seats, it is the larger of the two houses....

. He was president of the parliamentary party from 1942 to 1954 and president of the national council in 1952.

He was elected to the Federal Council of Switzerland on 16 December 1954. During his time in office he held the Department of Economic Affairs

Department of Economic Affairs

The Department of Economic Affairs could refer to:*Department of Economic Affairs - A government body in the UK in the 1960s.*Federal Department of Economic Affairs - A government body in Switzerland....

 and was President of the Confederation in 1958. He resigned on 20 November 1959 for health reasons and handed over office on 31 December 1959.

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