Peter Ochs (20 August 1752,Nantes,France – 19 June 1821,Basel,Switzerland) was a Swiss politician who is best known for drawing up the firstconstitution of the short-livedHelvetic Republic.
Born inFrance of a family that claimed roots in the Basel aristocracy, Ochs himself settled in Basel in 1769.[1] In 1776 he obtained a doctorate of laws, became amagistrate and took up politics, making many useful contacts through his marriage.[2]
At the time Switzerland was aconfederacy of self-governingcantons held together by a loose military alliance. There was little in terms of actual union and no central government. Like most ofEurope, Switzerland was deemedfeudal in nature since the wealthiest members of society benefited from privileges that others were denied. There was much resentment over this which led to many conspiracies and uprisings, such as that led by MajorAbraham Davel who protested at what he saw as the oppressive treatment thatBern meted out to his nativeVaud which was then under Bern's control.[2]
Upon the outbreak of theFrench Revolution of 1789, Ochs joined the partisans of revolutionary reform. WithFrédéric-César de La Harpe, he called for the French to send troops into Switzerland, overthrow the "decayed Confederation"[citation needed] and establish a unified nation.
In 1798 the French did just that. Troops moved into Switzerland and, with little resistance, soon took over the whole country. Ochs himself drew up a new constitution, abolishing the Confederacy and establishing a new central government, inspired by the French model. The new regime included atwo-chamber legislature in which Ochs served as first president of the Helvetic Senate and, later, as president of the state executive, the Directory.[1]
He later fell out with de La Harpe and was forced out of government on 25 June 1799. The Helvetic Republic was abolished by theAct of Mediation in 1803 and Switzerland became a confederacy once again. In Basel Ochs achieved local prominence for his part in devising new governmental and penal codes and reorganizing the city university.[1]
Peter-Ochs-Strasse inBasel is named for him.
See also(in German) Niklaus von Brunn,Leichenrede bey der Beerdigung des Herrn Peter Ochs, 1821.
