Alfred Escher

Alfred Escher
Escher around 1875
Member of the National Council
In office 6 November 1848 – 6 December 1882
Succeeded by	Konrad Cramer
Constituency	Zürich-Südwest
Personal details
Born	Johann Heinrich Alfred Escher vom Glas (1819-02-20)February 20, 1819 Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
Died	December 6, 1882(1882-12-06) (aged 63) Enge, Zürich, Switzerland
Political party	Free Radical Liberals
Spouse	Augusta Uebel ​ ​ (m. 1857; died 1864)​
Children	2, including Lydia
Occupation	Businessman banker politician

Johann Heinrich Alfred Escher vom Glas, also known as Alfred Escher (20 February 1819^{[citation needed]} – 6 December 1882), was a Swiss politician, business leader and railway pioneer. Thanks to his numerous political posts and his significant role in the foundation and management of the Swiss Northeastern Railway, the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Credit Suisse, Swiss Life and the Gotthard Railway, Escher had an unmatched influence on Switzerland's political and economic development in the 19th century. Escher served on the Swiss National Council from 1848 to 1882 for the Free Radical Liberals.