Robert Käslin

Robert Käslin
7th Chancellor of Switzerland
In office 1925–1934
President	Jean-Marie Musy Heinrich Häberlin Giuseppe Motta Edmund Schulthess Marcel Pilet-Golaz
Preceded by	Adolf von Steiger
Succeeded by	George Bovet
Personal details
Born	(1871-11-14)14 November 1871 Aarau, Switzerland
Died	3 July 1934(1934-07-03) (aged 62) Bern, Switzerland
Political party	Free Democratic Party of Switzerland (FDP)
Alma mater	University of Bern University of Munich University of Heidelberg

Robert Käslin (14 November 1871 – 3 July 1934) was a Swiss jurist and politician from the Free Democratic Party of Switzerland (FDP). He served as the 7th Federal Chancellor of Switzerland from 1925 until 1934.

Early life and education

Käslin was born 14 November 1871 in Aarau, Switzerland. He was the son of conductor, choirmaster, and composer Eusebius Käslin, and brother of writer Hans Käslin. He graduated from the district school in Aarau in 1892 and went on to study law at the University of Bern, University of Munich, and University of Heidelberg. After earning his doctorate, he passed the bar exam in the canton of Aargau and began his career as a law clerk at the District Court of Baden in 1900. He also worked as an editor for the Aargauer Tagblatt.

In 1902, Käslin joined the Swiss federal administration and served as an adjunct in the Federal Department of Justice and Police until 1911. Between 1912 and 1914, he was secretary of the second Expert Committee on the Criminal Code. He returned to the Department in 1914, and from 1918 onward, he led it. In 1919, he was elected Federal Vice-Chancellor.

Federal Chancellor

Following the sudden death of Chancellor Adolf von Steiger, Käslin was elected unopposed by the Federal Assembly in 1925. The Catholic Conservative People's Party, which had held a second Federal Council seat since 1919, chose not to contest the chancellorship.

Käslin is considered a pioneer of Swiss government public relations. He was the first Chancellor to hold regular press briefings, establishing communication protocols between the Federal Chancellery and the public.

In March 1934, Käslin resigned due to health concerns.

Death

Käslin died three months after his resignation of heart disease on 3 July 1934 in Bern.

Further reading

• Sarah Brian Scherer: Robert Käslin in German, French and Italian in the online Historical Dictionary of Switzerland, 3 August 2007.
• "Robert Käslin (1925–1934)". Swiss Federal Chancellery. 7 December 2007. Retrieved 10 January 2016.