Editing Kurt Furgler

{{short description|Swiss politician}}
{{use dmy dates|date=February 2020}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name           = Kurt Furgler
| image          = ETH-BIB-Kurt Furgler-Com L20-0941-0253.tif
| office1        = [[List of members of the Swiss Federal Council|Member of the Swiss Federal Council]]
| term_start1    = {{start date|1972|1|1|df=y}}
| term_end1      = {{end date|1986|12|31|df=y}}
| predecessor1   = [[Ludwig von Moos]]
| successor1     = [[Arnold Koller]]
| office2        = [[President of the Swiss Confederation|President of Switzerland]]
| term_start2    = {{start date|1985|1|1|df=y}}
| term_end2      = {{end date|1985|12|31|df=y}}
| predecessor2   = [[Leon Schlumpf]]
| successor2     = [[Alphons Egli]]
| term_start3    = {{start date|1981|1|1|df=y}}
| term_end3      = {{end date|1981|12|31|df=y}}
| predecessor3   = [[Georges-André Chevallaz]]
| successor3     = [[Fritz Honegger]]
| term_start4    = {{start date|1977|1|1|df=y}}
| term_end4      = {{end date|1977|12|31|df=y}}
| predecessor4   = [[Rudolf Gnägi]]
| successor4     = [[Willy Ritschard]]
| birth_date     = {{birth date|1924|6|24|df=y}}
| birth_place    = [[St. Gallen]], Switzerland
| death_date     = {{death date and age|2008|7|23|1924|6|24|df=y}}
| death_place    = St. Gallen, Switzerland
| party          = [[Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland]]
| alma_mater     = [[University of Fribourg]], [[Graduate Institute of International Studies]]
}}

'''Kurt Furgler''' (24 June 1924 – 23 July 2008) was a Swiss politician and [[member of the Swiss Federal Council]] (1972–1986).

He was elected to the [[Federal Council of Switzerland]] on 8 December 1971 and handed over office on 31 December 1986. He was affiliated to the [[Christian Democratic People's Party of Switzerland]].

During his office time he held the following departments:
*[[Federal Department of Justice and Police]] (1972–1982)
*[[Federal Department of Economic Affairs]] (1983–1986)

He was [[President of the Confederation (Switzerland)|President of the Confederation]] three times in 1977, 1981 and 1985.

Kurt Furgler was born and raised in [[St. Gallen]], Switzerland. He studied [[Jurisprudence]] in [[Fribourg]], [[Zürich]], and [[Geneva]], and was an avid [[handball]] player during his youth. In 1948, he obtained his license to practice law in [[St. Gallen]]. As a conservative centrist in the [[Federal Council of Switzerland]], he advocated [[equal rights for women]], and initiated economic reforms and modernized immigration and Swiss family law.<ref>[http://www.nzz.ch/alt-bundesrat-kurt-furgler-gestorben--1.791488 Alt Bundesrat Kurt Furgler gestorben] (in German) (7-24-2008). ''NZZ online''. Retrieved March 9, 2016.</ref>

During his presidency, he argued for the European integration of Switzerland, and in 1982, signed the Luxembourg Declaration, which called for a closer cooperation between the [[European Union]] and the [[European Free Trade Association]] (EFTA). Dr. Furgler demanded a strong central government but failed to establish a Swiss federal police due to strong opposition from the left and confederated forces of the right.<ref>''Historisches Lexikon der Schweiz'' (in German) [http://www.hls-dhs-dss.ch/textes/d/D4728.php Furgler, Kurt.] Retrieved March 9, 2016.</ref>

In September 1982, he was the head of the special task force for the [[1982 seizure of the Polish embassy in Bern|hostage situation in the Polish embassy in Bern]]. Controversially, he approved the clandestine copying of Polish diplomatic documents.<ref>Julian Schmidli, Martin Stoll, Balz Spörri: ''[http://dok.sonntagszeitung.ch/2014/botschaftsakten/ Die Botschaftsakten], in: [[SonntagsZeitung]]. ([https://web.archive.org/web/20170706122805/http://dok.sonntagszeitung.ch/2014/botschaftsakten/ archived])''</ref>

In November 1985, he asserted his significant representative role in international relations when he welcomed the American president [[Ronald Reagan]] and [[General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union]] [[Mikhail Gorbachev]] at the [[Geneva Summit (1985)|Geneva Summit]].<ref>[https://archive.org/stream/departmentofstat86210621111986unit/departmentofstat86210621111986unit_djvu.txt Official Monthly Record of United States Foreign Policy / Volume 86 / Number 21 06]. Internet Archive, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN. Retrieved March 10, 2016.</ref>

Kurt Furgler resigned unexpectedly in 1986, but continued to serve in a number of committees, including the [[Club of Rome]], [[InterAction Council]], and the [[International Olympic Committee]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Kurt Furgler}}
*{{HDS|4728}}
*{{Dodis|P12150}}
*{{Swiss Federal Councillor|kurt-furgler}}

{{s-start}}
{{succession box | before = [[Ludwig von Moos]] | title = [[Member of the Swiss Federal Council]] | years = 1972–1986 | after = [[Arnold Koller]]}}
{{s-end}}
{{Swiss Presidents}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Furgler, Kurt}}
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:2008 deaths]]
[[Category:Members of the Federal Council (Switzerland)]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Swiss Confederation]]
[[Category:Justice ministers of Switzerland]]
[[Category:People from St. Gallen (city)]]
[[Category:Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies alumni]]
[[Category:Agriculture ministers of Switzerland]]