Samuel Bhend
Swiss politician (1943–2021)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Samuel Bhend (1943 – 2 December 2021) was a Swiss politician.[1]
Samuel Bhend | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Executive Council of Bern | |
| In office 1 May 1997 – 30 May 2006 | |
| Preceded by | Hermann Fehr |
| Succeeded by | Philippe Perrenoud |
| Member of the Grand Council of Bern | |
| In office 1990–1997 | |
| In office 1974–1986 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1943 Brienz, Switzerland |
| Died | 2 December 2021 (aged 77–78) |
| Party | PS |
Biography
Bhend was born in Brienz in 1943 and grew up in Beatenberg. After graduating from secondary school, he became a teacher and subsequently a principal in Urtenen-Schönbühl.[2] He was married to Lotti Bhend-Reber.[3][4] Samuel Bhend died on 2 December 2021 at the age of 78.[5]
Political career
Bhend was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland (PS) and was part of the ecological faction of the party.[6] He was a communal councilor in Urtenen-Schönbühl from 1976 to 1982.[2] He served in the Grand Council of Bern from 1974 to 1986 and again from 1990 to 1997. He was praised as an opposition figure by Le Temps[7] and Le Nouveau Quotidien.[6] He served as Vice-President of the inquiry on the issue of Jura separatism in the mid-1980s.[8] He chaired the PS in the Bernese Oberland from 1985 to 1992.[9] He ran for a seat in the Federal Assembly three times, without success.[6]
Bhend was elected to the Executive Council of Bern in 1997, taking over the seat of Hermann Fehr, who had resigned due to health complications.[7] He became head of the Public Health and Welfare Department on 1 May 1997.[2] He was re-elected in 1998[10] and 2002.[11] In 2005, he announced that he would not be running for a fourth term.[7]