# List of presidents of the National Council of Switzerland

The President of the National Council of Switzerland (German: Nationalratspräsident; French: Président du Conseil national, Italian: Presidente del Consiglio nazionale; Romansh: President dal cussegl naziunal) presides over the National Council and Federal Assembly. The National Council President is often colloquially referred to as the "highest Swiss person" (German: der Höchste Schweizer), as the highest ranking person subject to the people's vote. However, this is an honorary title and the president is not the head of state; the head of state is the entire Federal Council. In the official order of precedence, she or he ranks behind the members of the Federal Council, but ahead of the President of the Swiss Council of States.
The President of the National Council also chairs the United Federal Assembly which meets to set elections, decides conflicts of jurisdiction between federal authorities and issues pardons. The officeholder is elected by the National Council for a term of one year without the possibility and may not be elected for a second consecutive term, but may be elected to the post in the future.

## List of presidents of the National Council

| Year | Name | Canton |
| 1848 | Ulrich Ochsenbein | BE |
| 1848–49 | Jakob Robert Steiger | LU |
| 1849–50 | Alfred Escher | ZH |
| 1850–51 | Johann Konrad Kern | TG |
| 1851 | Jakob Stämpfli | BE |
| 1851–52 | Johann Trog | SO |
| 1852–53 | Johann M. Hungerbühler | SG |
| 1853–54 | Giovanni Battista Pioda | TI |
| 1854 | Jakob Dubs | ZH |
| 1854–55 | Casimir Pfyffer | LU |
| 1855–56 | Eduard Eugen Blösch | BE |
| 1856 | Friedrich Siegfried | AG |
| 1856 | Jules Martin | VD |
| 1856–57 | Alfred Escher | ZH |
| 1857 | Paul Migy | BE |
| 1857–58 | Augustin Keller | AG |
| 1858–59 | Johann Jakob Stehlin | BS |
| 1859–60 | Friedrich Peyer im Hof | SH |
| 1860 | Johann Baptist Weder | SG |
| 1860–61 | Eduard Dapples | VD |
| 1861–62 | Karl Karrer | BE |
| 1862–63 | Alfred Escher | ZH |
| 1863 | Joachim Heer | GL |
| 1863–64 | Victor Ruffy | VD |
| 1864–65 | Gottlieb Jäger | AG |
| 1865–66 | Andreas Rudolf von Planta | GR |
| 1866 | Niklaus Niggeler | BE |
| 1866–67 | Jules Philippin | NE |
| 1867–68 | Johann Jakob Stehlin | BS |
| 1868–69 | Simon Kaiser | SO |
| 1869 | Louis Ruchonnet | VD |
| 1869–70 | Joachim Heer | GL |
| 1870–71 | Fridolin Anderwert | TG |
| 1871–72 | Rudolf Brunner | BE |
| 1872 | Charles Friderich | GE |
| 1872–73 | Daniel Wirth-Sand | SG |
| 1873–74 | Gottlieb Ziegler | ZH |
| 1874 | Carl Feer-Herzog | AG |
| 1874–75 | Louis Ruchonnet | VD |
| 1875 | Jakob Stämpfli | BE |
| 1875–76 | Emil Frey | BL |
| 1876–77 | Arnold Otto Aepli | SG |
| 1877–78 | Eduard Marti | BE |
| 1878 | Jules Philippin | NE |
| 1878–79 | Melchior Römer | ZH |
| 1879–80 | Arnold Künzli | AG |
| 1880–81 | Karl Burckhardt | BS |
| 1881 | Antoine Vessaz | VD |
| 1881/82 | Karl Zyro | BE |
| 1882–83 | Adolf Deucher | TG |
| 1883–84 | Simon Kaiser | SO |
| 1884 | Georges Favon | GE |
| 1884–85 | Johannes Stössel | ZH |
| 1885–86 | Andrea Bezzola | GR |
| 1886–87 | Henri Morel | NE |
| 1887 | Josef Zemp | LU |
| 1887–88 | Erwin Kurz | AG |
| 1888–89 | Eugène Ruffy | VD |
| 1889–90 | Heinrich Häberlin | TG |
| 1890 | August Suter | SG |
| 1890–91 | Eduard Müller | BE |
| 1891–92 | Adrien Lachenal | GE |
| 1892–93 | Albert Brosi | SO |
| 1893 | Ludwig Forrer | ZH |
| 1893–94 | Robert Comtesse | NE |
| 1894–95 | Ernst Brenner | BS |
| 1895–96 | Jakob Huldreich Bachmann | TG |
| 1896 | Joseph Stockmar | BE |
| 1896 | Rudolf Gallati | GL |
| 1896–97 | Johann Josef Keel | SG |
| 1897–98 | Robert Grieshaber | SH |
| 1898–99 | Adrien Thélin | VD |
| 1899 | Hermann Heller | LU |
| 1899–1900 | Rudolf Geilinger | ZH |
| 1900–01 | Fritz Bühlmann | BE |
| 1901–02 | Gustave Ador | GE |
| 1902 | Ulrich Meister | ZH |
| 1902 | Clemens Iten | ZG |
| 1902–03 | Konrad Zschokke | AG |
| 1903–04 | Louis Martin | NE |
| 1904–05 | Josef Anton Schobinger | LU |
| 1905–06 | Johann Hirter | BE |
| 1906–07 | Camille Decoppet | VD |
| 1907–08 | Paul Speiser | BS |
| 1908–09 | Adolf Germann | TG |
| 1909–10 | Virgile Rossel | BE |
| 1910–11 | Josef Kuntschen | VS |
| 1911–12 | Karl Emil Wild | SG |
| 1912–13 | Carl Spahn | SH |
| 1913–14 | Alfred von Planta | GR |
| 1914–15 | Felix Bonjour | VD |
| 1915–16 | Arthur Eugster | AR |
| 1916–17 | Anton Büeler | SZ |
| 1917–18 | Henri Calame | NE |
| 1918–19 | Heinrich Häberlin | TG |
| 1919–20 | Eduard Blumer | GL |
| 1920–21 | Evaristo Garbani-Nerini | TI |
| 1921–22 | Emil Klöti | ZH |
| 1922–23 | Johann Jenny | BE |
| 1923–24 | Raymond Evéquoz | VS |
| 1924–25 | Albert Mächler | SG |
| 1925–26 | Emil Hofmann | TG |
| 1926–27 | Paul Maillefer | VD |
| 1927–28 | Rudolf Minger | BE |
| 1928–29 | Heinrich Walther | LU |
| 1929–30 | Ernest-Paul Graber | NE |
| 1930–31 | Hans Sträuli | ZH |
| 1931–32 | Heinrich Roman Abt | AG |
| 1932–33 | Ruggero Dollfus | TI |
| 1933–34 | Johannes Huber | SG |
| 1934–35 | Hermann Schüpbach | BE |
| 1935–36 | Rudolf Reichling | ZH |
| 1936–37 | Maurice Troillet | VS |
| 1937–38 | Fritz Hauser | BS |
| 1938–39 | Henry Vallotton | VD |
| 1939–40 | Hans Stähli | BE |
| 1940–41 | Emil Nietlispach | AG |
| 1941–42 | Charles Rosselet | GE |
| 1942–43 | Emil Keller | AG |
| 1943–44 | Paul Gysler | ZH |
| 1944–45 | Pierre Aeby | FR |
| 1945–46 | Robert Grimm | BE |
| 1946–47 | Max Wey | LU |
| 1947–48 | Albert Picot | GE |
| 1948–49 | Josef Escher | VS |
| 1949–50 | Jacques Schmid | SO |
| 1950–51 | Aleardo Pini | TI |
| 1951–52 | Karl Renold | AG |
| 1952–53 | Thomas Holenstein | SG |
| 1953–54 | Henri Perret | NE |
| 1954–55 | Hermann Häberlin | ZH |
| 1955–56 | Paul Burgdorfer | BE |
| 1956–57 | Joseph Condrau | GR |
| 1957–58 | Robert Bratschi | BE |
| 1958–59 | Eugen Dietschi | BS |
| 1959–60 | Gaston Clottu | NE |
| 1960–61 | Emil Duft | ZH |
| 1961–62 | Walther Bringolf | SH |
| 1962–63 | André Guinand | GE |
| 1963–64 | Otto Hess | TG |
| 1964–65 | Franz Josef Kurmann | LU |
| 1965–66 | Pierre Graber | VD |
| 1966–67 | Alfred Schaller | BS |
| 1967–68 | Hans Conzett | ZH |
| 1968–69 | Max Aebischer | FR |
| 1969–70 | Mathias Eggenberger | SG |
| 1970–71 | Alfred Weber | UR |
| 1971–72 | William Vontobel | ZH |
| 1972–73 | Enrico Franzoni | TI |
| 1973–74 | Anton Muheim | LU |
| 1974–75 | Simon Kohler | BE |
| 1975–76 | Rudolf Etter | BE |
| 1976–77 | Hans Wyer | VS |
| 1977 | Elisabeth Blunschy | SZ |
| 1977–78 | Alfred Bussey | VD |
| 1978–79 | Luigi Generali | TI |
| 1979–80 | Hanspeter Fischer | TG |
| 1980–81 | Laurent Butty | FR |
| 1981–82 | Hedi Lang | ZH |
| 1982–83 | Franz Eng | SO |
| 1983–84 | André Gautier | GE |
| 1984–85 | Arnold Koller | AI |
| 1985–86 | Martin Bundi | GR |
| 1986–87 | Jean-Jacques Cevey | VD |
| 1987–88 | Rudolf Reichling | ZH |
| 1988–89 | Josef Iten | NW |
| 1989–90 | Victor Ruffy | VD |
| 1990–91 | Ulrich Bremi | ZH |
| 1991–92 | Hans-Rudolf Nebiker | BL |
| 1992–93 | Paul Schmidhalter | VS |
| 1993–94 | Gret Haller | BE |
| 1994–95 | Claude Frey | NE |
| 1995–96 | Jean-François Leuba | VD |
| 1996–97 | Judith Stamm | LU |
| 1997–98 | Ernst Leuenberger | SO |
| 1998–99 | Trix Heberlein | ZH |
| 1999–2000 | Hanspeter Seiler | BE |
| 2000–01 | Peter Hess | ZG |
| 2001–02 | Liliane Maury Pasquier | GE |
| 2002–03 | Yves Christen | VD |
| 2003–04 | Max Binder | ZH |
| 2004–05 ² | Jean-Philippe Maitre | GE |
| 2005 | Thérèse Meyer | FR |
| 2005–06 | Claude Janiak | BL |
| 2006–07 | Christine Egerszegi | AG |
| 2007–08 | André Bugnon | VD |
| 2008–09 | Chiara Simoneschi-Cortesi | TI |
| 2009–10 | Pascale Bruderer | AG |
| 2010–11 | Jean-René Germanier | VS |
| 2011–12 | Hansjörg Walter | TG |
| 2012–13 | Maya Graf | BL |
| 2013–14 | Ruedi Lustenberger | LU |
| 2014–15 | Stéphane Rossini | VS |
| 2015–16 | Christa Markwalder | BE |
| 2016–17 | Jürg Stahl | ZH |
| 2017–18 | Dominique de Buman | FR |
| 2018–19 | Marina Carobbio Guscetti | TI |
| 2019–20 | Isabelle Moret | VD |
| 2020–21 | Andreas Aebi | BE |
| 2021–22 | Irène Kälin | AG |
| 2022–23 | Martin Candinas | GR |
| 2023–24 | Eric Nussbaumer | BL |
| 2024–25 | Maja Riniker | AG |
² resigned per 1 March 2005

## Statistics by canton

These counts by canton do not take in account the varying number of members of the National Council per canton (in 2005: 1-34 members).
| Presidencies | Cantons |
| 28 | Bern |
| 23 | Zürich |
| 20 | Vaud |
| 15 | Aargau |
| 12 | St. Gallen |
| 10 | Geneva, Neuchâtel, Thurgau |
| 9 | Lucerne |
| 8 | Basel-Stadt |
| 7 | Solothurn, Ticino, Valais |
| 6 | Grisons |
| 4 | Freiburg, Glarus, Schaffhausen, Basel-Landschaft |
| 3 | |
| 2 | Schwyz, Zug |
| 1 | Appenzell Innerrhoden, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Nidwalden, Uri |
| 0 | Jura, Obwalden |