Politics One hundred years ago, women's rights activist Emilie Lieberherr was born
Emilie Lieberherr (1924-2011) was a Zurich city councillor and member of the Council of States. (archive picture)
Image: Keystone
Emilie Lieberherr in front of her house in Wil ZH in August 1998.
Image: Keystone
Emilie Lieberherr (1924-2011) was a Zurich city councillor and member of the Council of States. (archive picture)
Image: Keystone
Emilie Lieberherr in front of her house in Wil ZH in August 1998.
Image: Keystone
Emilie Lieberherr was born on October 14, 1924. The Zurich women's rights activist and thoroughbred politician, who died in 2011, was a pioneer and, as she herself said, "a radical woman".
14.10.2024, 06:30
SDA
The former Zurich city councillor and member of the Council of States left her mark on women's, social and drug policy far beyond the city and cantonal borders. She was a member of the Zurich City Council from 1970 to 1994 and was head of the Department of Social Affairs. From 1978 to 1983, she also represented the canton of Zurich in the Council of States, where she campaigned for social policy, consumer protection and equality.
Lieberherr was born on October 14, 1924 in Erstfeld UR, the daughter of a railwayman. At the end of the 1950s, she completed a second degree in economics at the University of Bern. She was a campaigner for women's suffrage and a pioneer in various political offices.
After graduating, she spent around two and a half years in the USA, where she worked as a tutor to the children of actor Henry Fonda.
In 1970 - even before the introduction of women's suffrage at national level - the Social Democrat was the first woman ever to be elected to the Zurich city government. In 1976, she became the first female president of the Federal Women's Commission and was the first woman from Zurich to be elected to the Council of States.
Expelled from the SP
Her tough stance towards the youth movement led to a rift with the SP in 1983 and her decision not to continue her parliamentary activities in Bern. Her support for the election of the conservative Thomas Wagner as mayor of Zurich led to her expulsion from the SP in 1990. However, she was re-elected with the support of the trade unions. After 24 years in office, the then 69-year-old left the Zurich city government in 1994.
In 2020, Zurich City Council dedicated a square to its former member. The area with trees and benches at Langstrasse 214, popularly known as "Dennerplatz", has since been called "Emilie-Lieberherr-Platz".
In her private life, Lieberherr was together with her partner Hermine Rutishauser (1920-2015) for decades. Lieberherr died on January 3, 2011 at the age of 86 in Zollikerberg ZH.
