Karl Schenk

{{Short description|Swiss pastor and politician (1823-1895)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Karl Schenk | image = Karl Schenk.jpg | office1 = 17th, 23rd, 26th, 30th, 37th, and 45th President of Switzerland | term_start1 = 1 January 1893 | term_end1 = 31 December 1893 | predecessor1 = Walter Hauser | successor1 = Emil Frey | term_start2 = 1 January 1885 | term_end2 = 31 December 1885 | predecessor2 = Emil Welti | successor2 = Adolf Deucher | term_start3 = 1 January 1878 | term_end3 = 31 December 1878 | predecessor3 = Joachim Heer | successor3 = Emil Welti | term_start4 = 1 January 1874 | term_end4 = 31 December 1874 | predecessor4 = Paul Cérésole | successor4 = Johann Jakob Scherer | term_start5 = 1 January 1871 | term_end5 = 31 December 1871 | predecessor5 = Jakob Dubs | successor5 = Emil Welti | term_start6 = 1 January 1865 | term_end6 = 31 December 1865 | predecessor6 = Jakob Dubs | successor6 = Melchior Josef Martin Knüsel | office7 = Member of the Swiss Federal Council | term_start7 = 12 December 1863 | term_end7 = 18 July 1895 | predecessor7 = Jakob Stämpfli | successor7 = Eduard Müller | birth_name = | birth_date = 1 December 1823 | birth_place = Bern, Switzerland | death_date = 18 July 1895 (aged 71) | death_place = Bern, Switzerland | party = Free Democratic Party | spouse = | education = }} '''Johann Karl Emmanuel Schenk''' (1 December 1823 – 18 July 1895) was a Swiss pastor, politician, and member of the Swiss Federal Council from 1863 until his death in 1895. Serving for {{age in years and days|1863-12-12|1895-07-18|sep=and}}, he was the longest-serving member in the Federal Council. Later in life he became one of the first leaders of the Swiss Red Cross.

== Life and work == Schenk was born in 1823 in Bern, Switzerland, as the son of Christian Schenk. At the age of eleven, he became an orphan and lived in Korntal (Germany). From 1839 to 1842 he attended school in Bern and then studied theology. He completed his studies at the age of 22. In 1845 he became vicar and later pastor at Schüpfen. In 1848, he married Elise Kähr. The couple had nine children, two of which died at young age.

He was elected to the Swiss Federal Council on 12 December 1863 and died in office 31 years later, on 18 July 1895. He was affiliated with the Free Democratic Party of Switzerland.

During his time in office he held the following departments: *Department of Home Affairs (1864) *Political Department (Foreign ministry) as President of the Confederation (1865) *Department of Home Affairs (1866 - 1870) *Political Department as President of the Confederation (1871) *Department of Home Affairs (1872) *Department of Finance (1872)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.efd.admin.ch/efd/de/home/das-efd/der-departementsvorsteher/ueli-maurer/fruehere-departmentsvorsteher.html|title=Frühere Departmentsvorsteher/Innen}}</ref> *Department of Home Affairs (1873) *Political Department as President of the Confederation (1874) *Department of Railway and Trade (1875 - 1877) *Political Department as President of the Confederation (1878) *Department of Home Affairs (1879 - 1884) *Political Department as President of the Confederation (1885) *Department of Home Affairs (1886 - 1895) He was President of the Confederation six times in 1865, 1871, 1874, 1878, 1885 and 1893.

Schenk also served as President of the Swiss Red Cross from 1873–1882.

=== Death and legacy === Schenk died 1895 in Bern, and was buried at Bremgartenfriedhof.

The local museum of Langnau im Emmental "Chüechlihus" includes a section on him. ''Schenkstrasse'' in Bern is named after him. Further, the house at Spitalgasse 4 in the city of Bern is named ''Karl-Schenk-Haus'' and its passage ''Karl-Schenk-Haus-Passage'' or ''Karl-Schenk-Passage''.

== References == {{Reflist}}

== Further reading == * {{cite book|last=Rossel|first=Virgile|authorlink=Virgile Rossel|title=Un magistrat républicain : le conseiller fédéral Schenk|year=1909|language=French|location=Delémont}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Karl Schenk}} * {{cite web |url= http://www.fdp-be.ch/signau/dokumente/Carl-Schenk-Schrift.pdf |archive-url= https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20061110034714/http://www.fdp-be.ch/signau/dokumente/Carl-Schenk-Schrift.pdf |url-status= dead |archive-date= 2006-11-10 |title= Bundesrat Johann Carl Emmanuel Schenk |access-date= 2006-08-05 }} {{small|(35.4 KiB)}} {{in lang|de}} * {{Swiss Federal Councillor|karl-schenk}} * {{Cite ADB|55|165|171|Schenk, Karl|Karl Geiser.|ADB:Schenk, Karl}} * {{NDB|22|672|673|Schenk, Carl|Franziska Metzger|117227358}} * {{HDS|4636}}

{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{succession box | before = Eduard Häberlin | title = President of the Council of States | years = 1863/1864 | after = Jules Roguin}} {{succession box | before = Jakob Stämpfli | title = Member of the Swiss Federal Council | years = 1863–1895 | after = Eduard Müller}} {{s-end}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schenk, Karl}} Category:1823 births Category:1895 deaths Category:People from Bern Category:Swiss Calvinist and Reformed ministers Category:Free Democratic Party of Switzerland politicians Category:Foreign ministers of Switzerland Category:Finance ministers of Switzerland Category:Members of the Federal Council (Switzerland) Category:Presidents of the Swiss Confederation Category:Interior ministers of Switzerland Category:Ministers of environment, transport, energy and communications of Switzerland Category:Members of the Council of States (Switzerland) Category:Presidents of the Council of States (Switzerland) Category:University of Bern alumni Category:Agriculture ministers of Switzerland Category:Members of the National Council (Switzerland) 1878–1881