Anna Elisabeth Kopp (; 16 December 1936 – 7 April 2023) was a Swiss politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP). She was the first woman to serve in the Swiss government, the Federal Council. She held that office from 2 October 1984 to 12 January 1989, when she resigned following a scandal over an alleged breach of official secrecy. She previously served as a member of the National Council from 1979 to 1984.

Early life and education

Kopp was born Anna Elisabeth Iklé, on 16 December 1936 in Zurich, Switzerland, the second of three children, to Max Arthur Iklé (1903–1999), an attorney and film producer, and Beatrix Iklé (née Heberlein; 1906–1988). Her father most notably served as Director of the Federal Department of Finance and as a member of the Executive Council (Direktorium) of the Swiss National Bank. She had two sisters; Marianne Gasser (née Iklé; 1935–2019) and Beatrix Hanslin (née Iklé; born 1944).

Her paternal family originally is of German Jewish descent from Hamburg. Her grandfather, Adolph Iklé (1852–1923), became a partner in the first machine embroidery company in Eastern Switzerland in 1880, which would turn into Iklé Frères which existed until 1929. Through her great-uncle Leopold Iklé, she is a second cousin of Fred Iklé, who served as under secretary of defense for policy during the Reagan Administration. Her maternal family belonged to the reformed bourgeoisie of St. Gallen, originally being from Braubach in Hesse-Nassau. Heberlein & Co. was the first company to produce mercerized yarns in Switzerland.

Kopp attended high school in Bern, some classes together with Linda Geiser and Mani Matter. The SDSU leadership held meetings at the Villa of Kopps parents and they also spent vacations together in an estate of the Heberlein family in Malcesine at the Lake Garda. In 1960, she completed her studies with a Licentiate degree. Between 1972 and 1979, she served on the executive council of the canton of Zürich as a representative for the FDP. For the Federal Election of 1979, she campaigned focusing on her experience as the president of Zumikon. For the first seven sessions she mainly observed and only introduced one motion demanding from the Federal Council to examine the possibilities for encouraging saving.

Environmental politics

thumb|Elisabeth Kopp in the National Council

In a press conference in 1981, shortly after it was reported that the Federal Council would leave it with the status quo and not enforce tougher measurements, she demanded that the Federal Council fulfill Kurt Furgler's promise from 1977 to enforce tougher measurements for combustion engines in automobiles. This step was lauded by the media and she became known as an environmental politician. She joined the Swiss League for the Protection of Nature, the predecessor of Pro Natura.

Federal Council

thumb|Kopp swearing in as a member of the [[Federal Council (Switzerland)|Federal Council in 1984]]

In 1984, Federal Councillor Rudolf Friedrich resigned from his office for health reasons. The Free Democratic Party then nominated Elisabeth Kopp and Bruno Hunziker as Friedrich's successor. She was elected with the first ballot, receiving 124

Scandal and resignation

Kopp's husband Hans W. Kopp was investigated by the authorities in Zurich over the bankruptcy of the investment company Trans K-B, of which he was the president of the board of directors. Following some pressure from the magazine Beobachter, the authorities investigated him for tax fraud. In March 1989, the state prosecutor initiated an investigation against Elisabeth Kopp for breach of confidentiality. They were introduced during a student excursion to West Berlin in 1959. They had one daughter;

  • Brigitt Kopp (born 1963), who is married to Res Küttel, a secondary school teacher, and has three daughters; Nicole Küttel (born 1992), Flurina Küttel (born 1993), Alina Küttel (born 2000) and two grandchildren. Brigitt Küttel is an attorney, consultant and founder of stiftung.ch which is a consulting firm for nonprofits and private foundations.

After Elisabeth Kopp was elected to the National Council, her husband bought an apartment for her in Bern. Elisabeth Kopp died on 7 April 2023, at age 86.

Film

  • : ' (A Winter's Journey: Switzerland's First Female Minister), documentary, 85 min., Topic Film, January 2007

References

Further reading

  • Kopp, Elisabeth (1991). Briefe [Letters]. Benteli Verlag.

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