Editing Pierre Graber

{{Short description|Swiss politician (1908–2003)}}
[[Image:ETH-BIB-Pierre Graber-Com L20-0941-0257.tif|right|thumb|Pierre Graber (1971)]]
[[File:Pierre Graber (1989) by Erling Mandelmann.jpg|thumb|1989]]
{{More citations needed|date=February 2024}}

'''Pierre Graber''' (6 December 1908 &ndash; 19 July 2003) was a Swiss politician and [[member of the Swiss Federal Council]] (1970–1978).<ref name="swi">{{cite web |title=Former minister Graber dies aged 94 |url=https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/former-minister-graber-dies-aged-94/3419246 |website=SWI swissinfo.ch |language=en |date=21 July 2003}}</ref>

== Early life and education ==
He was born in [[La Chaux-de-Fonds]], [[Switzerland]] and after studying law in [[Neuchâtel]] and [[Vienna]] he became attorney-at-law in [[Lausanne]]. 

== Political career ==
Active in the [[Social Democratic Party of Switzerland|Social Democratic Party]], he was in the municipal parliament of [[Lausanne]] (1934–1946), member of the parliament of the canton of [[Vaud]] (1937–1946), [[mayor of Lausanne]] (1946–1949), member of the [[National Council of Switzerland|National Council]] (1942–1969, except 1963), he was the Speaker of that Assembly from 1965/66, he sat in the Foreign affairs committee and was deputy chairman of the enquiry parliamentary committee dealing with the [[Mirage affair|''Mirage'' affair]]. 

He was also a member of the government of the canton of [[Vaud]] (1962–1970) in charge of the Finance Department. He served as one of the four members of the Commission to resolve the [[Canton of Jura|problem of the Jura]].

He was elected to the [[Swiss Federal Council]] on 10 December 1969. During his time in office, he headed the [[Political Department (Switzerland)|Political Department]], i.e. ministry of foreign affairs. Graber was [[President of the Swiss Confederation|President of the Confederation]] in 1975 and handed over office on 31 January 1978. During his term of office, a new law for Cooperation Development was adopted. 

He obtained the ratification by Parliament of the [[European Convention on Human Rights]] in 1974. As president of the [[Committee of Ministers]] of the [[Council of Europe]], he laid the first stone of the [[Palace of Europe]] in [[Strasbourg]] on 15 May 1972. 

On 1 August 1975, he signed the [[Helsinki Accords|Helsinki Final Act]] of the [[Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe|CSCE]] on behalf of Switzerland. At his initiative, Switzerland recognized [[North Vietnam]] and [[North Korea]]. Graber presided over the diplomatic conference that led to the adoption of the additional protocols to the [[Geneva Conventions]] in 1977. 

He faced the [[Dawson's Field hijackings|first terrorist attack on]] a [[Swissair]] plane in [[Zarqa]], [[Jordan]] in 1970. After retiring, he gave his opinion on major occasions including Switzerland's unsuccessful attempt to join the [[United Nations]] in 1986.

== Death ==
Graber died of a stroke in Lausanne in 2003 at the age of {{age|6 December 1908|19 July 2003}}.<ref name="swi"/>

==Bibliography==
*Pierre Graber: ''Mémoires et réflexions''; Lausanne: Editions 24 heures, 1992; {{ISBN|2-8265-1096-7}} &mdash; autobiography.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{HDS|4726}}
*{{Swiss Federal Councillor|pierre-graber}}
*{{Dodis|P4171}}

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{{succession box | before = [[Franz Josef Kurmann]] | title = [[President of the Swiss National Council]]|years = 1964/1965 | after = [[Alfred Schaller]]}}
{{succession box | before = [[Willy Spühler]]|title = [[Member of the Swiss Federal Council]] | years = 1970&ndash;1978 | after = [[Pierre Aubert]]}}
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{{Swiss Presidents}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Graber, Pierre}}
[[Category:1908 births]]
[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:Members of the Federal Council (Switzerland)]]
[[Category:Presidents of the Swiss Confederation]]
[[Category:Presidents of the National Council (Switzerland)]]
[[Category:Mayors of Lausanne]]
[[Category:Social Democratic Party of Switzerland politicians]]
[[Category:People from La Chaux-de-Fonds]]
[[Category:Members of the National Council (Switzerland)]]
[[Category:Foreign ministers of Switzerland]]
[[Category:Politicians from Lausanne]]