The Most Famous

POLITICIANS from Switzerland

This page contains a list of the greatest Swiss Politicians. The pantheon dataset contains 19,576 Politicians, 102 of which were born in Switzerland. This makes Switzerland the birth place of the 32nd most number of Politicians behind Mexico, and South Korea.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Swiss Politicians of all time. This list of famous Swiss Politicians is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography’s online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Swiss Politicians.

1. Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein (b. 1945)

With an HPI of 75.35, Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein is the most famous Swiss Politician. His biography has been translated into 70 different languages on wikipedia.

Hans-Adam II (Johannes Adam Ferdinand Alois Josef Maria Marco d'Aviano Pius; born 14 February 1945) is the Prince of Liechtenstein. He is the son of Prince Franz Joseph II and his wife, Countess Georgina von Wilczek. He also bears the titles Duke of Troppau and Jägerndorf, and Count of Rietberg. Under his reign, a 2003 constitutional referendum expanded the powers of the Prince of Liechtenstein. In 2004, Hans-Adam transferred day-to-day governmental duties to his eldest son Hereditary Prince Alois as regent, like his father had granted him in 1984 to prepare him for the role.

2. Jacques Necker (1732 - 1804)

With an HPI of 68.37, Jacques Necker is the 2nd most famous Swiss Politician. His biography has been translated into 45 different languages.

Jacques Necker (IPA: [ʒak nɛkɛʁ]; 30 September 1732 – 9 April 1804) was a Genevan banker and statesman who served as finance minister for Louis XVI. He was a reformer, but his innovations sometimes caused great discontent. Necker was a constitutional monarchist, a political economist, and a moralist, who wrote a severe critique of the new principle of equality before the law. Necker initially held the finance post between July 1777 and 1781. In 1781, he earned widespread recognition for his unprecedented decision to publish the Compte rendu – thus making the country's budget public – "a novelty in an absolute monarchy where the state of finances had always been kept a secret." Necker was dismissed within a few months. By 1788, the inexorable compounding of interest on the national debt brought France to a fiscal crisis. Necker was recalled to royal service. His dismissal on 11 July 1789 was a factor in causing the Storming of the Bastille. Within two days, Necker was recalled by the king and the assembly. Necker entered France in triumph and tried to accelerate the tax reform process. Faced with the opposition of the Constituent Assembly, he resigned in September 1790 to a reaction of general indifference.

3. Albert II, Duke of Austria (1298 - 1358)

With an HPI of 67.09, Albert II, Duke of Austria is the 3rd most famous Swiss Politician. His biography has been translated into 34 different languages.

Albert II (German: Albrecht II. von Österreich; 12 December 1298 – 16 August 1358), known as the Wise (der Weise) or the Lame (der Lahme), a member of the House of Habsburg, was duke of Austria and Styria from 1330, as well as duke of Carinthia and margrave of Carniola from 1335 until his death.

4. Humbert I, Count of Savoy (980 - 1047)

With an HPI of 63.00, Humbert I, Count of Savoy is the 4th most famous Swiss Politician. His biography has been translated into 27 different languages.

Humbert I (Italian: Umberto I; c. 980 – 1047), better known as Humbert the White-Handed (French: Humbert aux blanches-mains) or Humbert Whitehand (Italian: Umberto Biancamano), was the count of Savoy from 1032 until his death and the founder of the House of Savoy. Of obscure origins, his service to the Holy Roman Emperors Henry II and Conrad II was rewarded with the counties of Maurienne and Aosta and lands in Valais, all at the expense of local bishops and archbishops; the territory came to be known as the county of Savoy.

5. François Vatel (1631 - 1671)

With an HPI of 62.47, François Vatel is the 5th most famous Swiss Politician. His biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

François Vatel (French: [fʁɑ̃swa vatɛl]; 1631 – 24 April 1671) was the majordomo (in French, maître d'hôtel) of Nicolas Fouquet and prince Louis, Grand Condé.

6. Rudolf II, Duke of Austria (1270 - 1290)

With an HPI of 62.31, Rudolf II, Duke of Austria is the 6th most famous Swiss Politician. His biography has been translated into 29 different languages.

Rudolf II (c. 1270 – 10 May 1290), a member of the House of Habsburg, was Duke of Austria and Styria from 1282 to 1283, jointly with his elder brother Albert I, who succeeded him.

7. Louis, Duke of Savoy (1413 - 1465)

With an HPI of 62.20, Louis, Duke of Savoy is the 7th most famous Swiss Politician. His biography has been translated into 30 different languages.

Ludovico I or Louis I (Italian: Lodovico; 24 February 1413 – 29 January 1465) was Duke of Savoy from 1440 until his death in 1465.

8. Micheline Calmy-Rey (b. 1945)

With an HPI of 60.67, Micheline Calmy-Rey is the 8th most famous Swiss Politician. Her biography has been translated into 48 different languages.

Micheline Anne-Marie Calmy-Rey (born 8 July 1945) is a Swiss politician who served as a Member of the Swiss Federal Council from 2003 to 2011. A member of the Social Democratic Party (SP/PS), she was the head of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs during her tenure as a Federal Councillor. She was President of the Swiss Confederation twice, in 2007 and 2011.

9. Margareta of Romania (b. 1949)

With an HPI of 60.03, Margareta of Romania is the 9th most famous Swiss Politician. Her biography has been translated into 28 different languages.

Margareta, Custodian of the Crown of Romania (Romanian: Custode al Coroanei Române; born 26 March 1949) is the eldest daughter of King Michael I and Queen Anne of Romania. She assumed her father's duties in March 2016, upon his retirement, and has claimed the headship of the House of Romania since his death on 5 December 2017. She also heads the Margareta of Romania Royal Foundation. Until 2011, Margareta also used the style of a princess of Hohenzollern. Margareta has four sisters and no brothers or children. Her heir-presumptive is her next sister, Princess Elena of Romania. According to the defunct royal constitutions of 1923 and 1938, women were barred from wearing the crown, and Margareta and her sisters would not be in the line of succession to the throne. On 30 December 2007, King Michael designated Margareta as heir presumptive to the defunct throne by an act that is not recognized by the Romanian government and lacks legal validity without approval by Romania's Parliament. On the same occasion, Michael also requested that, should the Romanian Parliament consider restoring the monarchy, the Salic law of succession not be reinstated, allowing female succession. According to the new statute of the Romanian Royal House as declared by Michael, no illegitimate descendants or collateral lines may claim dynastic privileges, titles or rank and any such are excluded from the Royal House of Romania and from the line of succession to the throne.

10. Judith of Habsburg (1271 - 1297)

With an HPI of 59.75, Judith of Habsburg is the 10th most famous Swiss Politician. Her biography has been translated into 21 different languages.

Judith of Habsburg (German: Guta; 13 March 1271 – 21 May 1297) was queen of Bohemia and Poland from 1285 until her death as the wife of the Přemyslid king Wenceslaus II.

People

Pantheon has 121 people classified as Swiss politicians born between 980 and 1987. Of these 121, 47 (38.84%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Swiss politicians include Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein, Micheline Calmy-Rey, and Margareta of Romania. The most famous deceased Swiss politicians include Jacques Necker, Albert II, Duke of Austria, and Humbert I, Count of Savoy. As of April 2024, 17 new Swiss politicians have been added to Pantheon including Margaret of Savoy, Duchess of Anjou, Paul Grüninger, and Fritz Platten.