Background
Her husband Hans W. Kopp was vice president of Shakarchi Trading AG, among others.
Her husband Hans W. Kopp was vice president of Shakarchi Trading AG, among others.
as soon as the Revolution and the anti-Soviet struggle for freedom were crushed, she interrupted her studies for two years (1956-1958) . she created "Student Hungary Help" - with Walter Renschler, Peter Arbenz, etc. - to support refugee students in Switzerland and humanitarian supplies to organize to Hungary.
On 2 October 1984, Kopp was elected (on the first ballot with 124 of 244 votes) as a first woman in the Bundesrat. The clothes she wore on the election day are in the historical collection of the Swiss National Museum. At that time in Bern was planted "Elizabeth Kopp- oak" as a reminder about this elections.
During her time in office she held the Federal Department of Justice and Police and was Vice-President of the Confederation shortly in 1989.
There was a scandal as a result of which she was compelled to resign her position . Kopp was accused of violation of office secret: when she saw the report about the company of her husband that contained information about criminal money of this firm, she called him and advised to resign. On December 9 the Swiss newspaper Le Matin wrote about that phone call. Elisabeth Kopp then confessed her involvement, which led to the Swiss media demanding her resignation. On December 12, 1988, Kopp announced that she would resign at the end of February 1989, insisting that she was without guilt in the matter. Pressure was raised again, and Kopp finally announced her immediate resignation on January 12, 1989.
Though charges against Hans Kopp were disproved, Kopp's political career ended.
she protected women's suffrage.
Quotations: "there were never solved problems with hatred, intolerance and bigotry. we need prudence, strength, courage and imagination for new solutions."- Elizabeth Kopp
she came from textile industrialist families
Ferdinand Adolph Neff (1809-1899) was the brother of the president of Switzerland Neff William Mathias (1802-1881).
Died in January 2009 at the age of 77.They have a daughter and three grown granddaughters.
