The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-12-19
sWITZERLAND's NEW PRESIDENT.
A DfpIomatist who Spent Some Years
In America.


New York December I'M. Frey, former
" Swiss minister to the United States, has
been elected president OF the Swiss confeder-
alton, and has had a romantic career.
Colonel Frey is a native of Switzerland
but is well known in the United states. re
was educated at Basel and the University VI
Jena. At the Federal Military school Oh
Switzerland he took the usual course OF an
officers training and then sought practical
experience in the line of agricultural science
in Germany, extending his observations aLu
studies in that line to America, Where IN 10oi,
when the civil war broke out, ne was louli"
practically engaged as a farm hand in IN
nois, familiarizing himself with IN agrlcul-
tural methods. He enlisted early In 1901 at
Chicago as a sergeant in a company oil the
TNenty-fOurth Illinois. lie was prO1noteu
several times for gallantry. lie was captui-
ed at Gettysburg and was taken TO Lipoy
prison, where he remained for seventy-seV-
on DAYS He, with General Con, eN-SecFeta-
~ of the naVy,was held as hostages Tor Ger
tain prisoners and they were sent back TO
Libby afterwards taken from there ana
sent to Salisbury, n. ca on account oi
their ill health. his prison career
WIS sensational On his second incarcera-
tion in Libby he was placed in close con-
fnement. in retaliation for the treatment
of CaDtain Gordon, of the confederate army
who had been regularly tried by q null
tAry tribunal, convicted ana sehte1Ceo 70
death the execution Of Whicn sentence
however President Lincoln suspended, ana
meanwhile Captain w. q. stewart OF the
confederate army, was placed III cen con-
finelnent as a hostage for the threatened
reta liatory execution of Captain Frey! ri
nally, January il. 1855, CAPTAIN Frey was
naroied at Atkins Landing, Va, and upon
reporting for duty, after recuperatng some
what, was sent to his regiment and duly
mustered out of service as captain OF com
Inc 9 1865 having been breveted major
tinted states volunteers "for gallant and
meritorious services during the war March
The shattered condition of health and pro-
tracted absence from his home induced
CAPTAIN Frey now to return to Switzerland
where he engaged in editorial labors con-
Quoting one of the largest and most popular
daily journals, The Basler Nachrichten
and soon became an active factor in the
soCau He'd social progressive democracy
being repeatedly elected to congress- in
upon several important committees, but also
one term as speaker of the house Of repre-
"sentatives or national council.
Sent to Washington as Minister.
When in 1882. it was decided to StabIiSlf
full diplomatic mission at Washington,
Colonel Frey was unanimously selected as
Switzerland's minister plenipotentiary to
the United States, where, as is we'll known,
he served so acceptably up to 1887, when
he resigned to return with his interesting
family to Switzerland, to devote himself
country. Upon his return Minister Frey
was at once reelected to congress, and in
IL
tive council was elected by the general as
sembly or congress in joint session q mem
her of the executive council and assigned as
chief of the military OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
lent to secretary of war in the United
states. In this position the important du-
ty of completing the reorganization of the
Swiss 0nilitia) army upon basis to com
pare in efficiency favorably with the stand
ing arl.-ies of it's neighbors, together with
the prosecution Of extensive and unassaila-
BILE defenses of the sreat Gothard tunnel
and approaches, devolved upon him.
SO satisfactory have been his iabors in
the Swiss cabinet federal council that
he was honored at the last annual election
with the vice presidency of that body, and
I'm conformity with usage rarely departed
from as matter of unwritten civil SER
vice sequence in Switzerland, Vice PlcSi-
dent Frey at the annual election held by
the federal assembly Congress in joint SEES
sion) for executive officers of the govern
ment has now been elected president Of the
Swiss confedera ton for the presidential
term of year, commencing January J.
1894
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