Ernst Brenner was a Swiss politician, а member of The Free Democratic Party.
Background
His father, a rug merchant, came from an old resident family in Basel, his mother died shortly after his birth.
In 1883 he married Lina Sturzenegger, with whom he had three children.
In winter 1911 Brenner went for several weeks for treatment to Menton on the French Riviera because of suffering from kidney and diabetic problems.
Shortly after a visit by his counterpart Adolf Deucher he suffered a massive stroke, to which he finally succumbed.
Education
Brenner attended a high school in Basel. In that time, Brenner was also a member of the school association Paedagogia Basiliensis.
He studied law at the Universities of Basel, Munich and Leipzig.
Career
After taking a doctor’s degree he worked in the student association of Helvetia from 1879 till 1884. The law firm belonged to his uncle, Charles John Brenner.
Canton and Federal Policy
In 1881 Brenner was elected as the candidate of the left-liberal Free Democrats into the canton parliament of Basel. In 1884, when he was only 27 years old, he was elected into the State Council. Till 1896 Brenner was in charge of the Justice Department, then he became the Head of the Department of Education. As a director of it he made a fundamental reorganization of the Basel Judiciary. In 1887-1888 and 1894-95 he was President of the Government. August Brenner, his nephew, was in the cantonal government of Basel from 1919 till 1935.
In 1887 Brenner was elected to the National Council. Soon he was on several important committees (Audit Law of the Constituency, Budget and Annual Report, Election Desk Review, Petitions). In 1894-95 he was President of the National Council, from 1891 till 1897 he also held an accessory post of Deputy in the Federal Court. In 1895 he was elected as a representative from the Federal government to the Board of the Central Railway. In 1896 Brenner became the President of the FDP.
Federal Council
After Emil Frey's appointment as director of the International Telegraph Union (now the International Telecommunication Union) there was a vacancy in the Federal Сouncil. Brenner was indeed an official candidate of his group, but the Basel Councillor Paul Speiser had more support in the other groups. In the by-election on 25 March 1897 he took the first place in the fourth round, when he received 96 of 179 votes.
During his 14-year guidance Brenner was in charge of the Justice and Police Departments.
In 1901 and 1908 were exceptions when he was President and took temporarily the leadership over the Political Department.
A new railway Liability Act was adopted under Brenner’s direction, a plan which he had proposed in 1891 to the National Council after the devastating train crush of Munich freight train. Further legislative reforms related to such other things as Patent Law, The Civil Rights and Insurance. He also prepared the reorganization of the Federal Court, work of the Administrative Court.