Ruth Dreifuss

Ancienne Conseillère fédérale, Genève und Berne

Ruth Dreifuss (*1940 in St-Gall) received her education in Geneva, commercial diploma in 1958, degree in economics in 1970 and junior lecturer at the Geneva University from 1970 to 1972. 1958 to 1960 secretary in a hotel in Ticino and until 1964 editor of a weekly in Basel. 1965 to 1968 she was working in research and professional integration at the “Centre psycho-social Universitaire” in Geneva.

From 1972 to 1981 she was employed as a scientific collaborator by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation in the Swiss Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Up to 1981 she was Central Secretary of the Swiss Federation of Trade Unions.

1989 to 1992 she was member of the Bern Municipal Council. She was 1993 elected as Federal Councillor and until 2002 she headed the Federal Department for Home Affairs.