Alfred Zehnder

His Excellency
Alfred Zehnder
Memorial for the Swiss diplomat Adolf L. alias Alfred Zehnder at the Bismarck-Museum Friedrichsruh [de] in Friedrichsruh.
Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States
In office
13 February 1963 – 15 January 1966
Preceded byAugust R. Lindt
Succeeded byFelix Schnyder
Personal details
Born(1900-04-11)11 April 1900
Karavayevka near Moscow, Russian Empire (now Russia)
Died14 January 1983(1983-01-14) (aged 82)
Horgen, Switzerland
Spouses
  • Olga Eymann
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1923; died 1956)​
  • Lucie Elisabeth Opprecht
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1961)​
Children1
OccupationEconomist, diplomat

Alfred Zehnder (11 April 1900 – 14 January 1983) was a Swiss economist and diplomat who most notably served as Ambassador of Switzerland to the United States from 1963 to 1966.

Early life and education

Zehnder was born 11 April 1900 in Karavayevka near Moscow, Russian Empire, to Jakob Emil Zehnder, a businessman and industrialist, and Helene Ida Jenny Zehnder (née Friedrich), into an affluent Protestant family.

He had an older sister and two younger brothers. His Swiss-born father was an expatriate who worked for the Russian subsidiary of J. R. Geigy in Karavayevka near Moscow.

He completed his Certificate of Maturity in 1918 in Russian language at the private Reformed School of Moscow. In the same year her fled the country due to Russian Civil War, to Zurich, where he completed the Swiss maturity exam in German. He ultimately completed a PhD in Economics at the University of Zurich.

Personal life

In 1923, Zehnder married firstly to Russian-born Olga Margareta Eymann (1898–1956), who was born in Saint Petersburg to Swiss parents. She passed away in 1956. They had one daughter;

In 1961, he married secondly to Lucie Elisabeth Opprecht (1928–2021), without issue. Zehnder passed away on 14 January 1983 in Horgen on Lake Zurich aged 82.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Alfred Zehnder". Das Historische Lexikon der Schweiz (HLS) (in German). 2013. Retrieved 2026-10-22.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  2. ↑ "Zehnder, Alfred". The Dodis research centre. Retrieved 24 Oct 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  3. ↑ Bürgisser, Thomas (31 July 2023). "Ist es überhaupt notwendig, mit den Russen auszukommen?" [Is it even necessary to get along with the Russians?]. nzz.ch (in German). Retrieved 24 Oct 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  4. ↑ Zala, Sacha; Rice, Noirin (2024). "Alfred Zehnder, Schweizer Diplomat a.D.; Dr.rer.pol" [Alfred Zehnder, Retired Swiss diplomat; Dr.rer.pol.]. MUNZINGER (in German). Germany. Retrieved 24 Oct 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  5. 1 2 Biographie, Deutsche. "Zehnder, Alfred - Deutsche Biographie". www.deutsche-biographie.de (in German). Bayerische Staatsbibliothek. Retrieved 2026-10-22.
  6. ↑ "Zehnder, Olga". The Dodis research centre. Retrieved 24 Oct 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  7. ↑ "Neue Zürcher Zeitung, number 802, March 21, 1956". e-newspaperarchives.ch. Retrieved 24 Oct 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ↑ "Der Bund, Volume 142, Number 158, 10 July 1991". e-newspaperarchives.ch. Retrieved 24 Oct 2026.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)