Editing Emil Welti (section)

== Early life ==
Welti was the eldest of nine children. He was born to a distinguished political family. His father, Jakob Welti, was a parish councilor and chief justice of [[Zurzach]]. His grandfather Abraham Welti belonged to both the National Assembly of the [[Helvetic Republic]] and the Consulta. After attending community and secondary school in Zurzach, Welti attended the Kantonsschule Aarau from 1840 to 1844, where he achieved top of his class and belonged to KTV fraternity. From 1844 to 1847, he studied law along with his school friend Samuel Wildi at [[University of Jena|Friedrich Schiller University]] in Jena as well as the [[Humboldt University of Berlin|Friedrich Wilhelm University]] in Berlin. He was taught by Adolf Rudorff, Georg Friedrich Puchta, and Friedrich Schelling.

At his father's request, Welti renounced an academic career and instead pursued law. In 1847, he took part in the Sonderbundskrieg as actuary of the commission of inquiry against the war council of the [[Sonderbund War|Sonderbundes]]. From 1852 to 1856, he was president of Zurzach district court.