Background

Guillaume-Henri Dufour was born on September 15, 1787, in Konstanz, Switzerland, where his parents were temporarily exiled from Geneva. His father Bénédict was a Genevan watchmaker and farmer.

Education

Dufour's father sent his son to school in Geneva, where he studied drawing, medicine and military engineering. Later he studied at the École Polytechnique in Paris and the École de Génie at Metz.

Career

When Geneva was incorporated into the French territory, he served as a sublieutenant in the army of his new country. In 1813, he was in Napoleon’s army defending Corfu and had become a captain by the time of the fall of the Empire. In 1817 he returned to Switzerland and was appointed ingénieur cantonal. His work on fortification at Grenoble and his construction works in Geneva - which greatly improved the city - made him well-known. In 1818, he became the chief instructor of the military school that he had helped to establish at Thun.

When Geneva was reintegrated into Switzerland, Dufour joined the Swiss army. He was made a colonel in 1827. In 1831 he became chief of staff, and in 1833 he commanded a division that restored order in Basel. In the same year, he began his pioneer topographical survey of Switzerland (1842-1864).

He began his pioneering work in triangulation the same year in order to prepare topographical maps of the Confederation. The maps were later published in 1842-1864.

He was elected a general of the Swiss army in 1847, during the Sonderbund War, again in 1849 to preserve Swiss neutrality, in 1856 during the conflict with Prussia over Neuchâtel, and finally - for the fourth time - in 1859, when the French threatened to annex Savoy.

He was a conservative member of the federal assembly, and in 1864 presided over the Geneva international congress which drew up the rules for treatment of the wounded in wartime and resulted in the creation of the Red Cross.

On July 16, 1875, 60,000 persons participated at Dufour's burial at the Cimetière des Rois in Geneva.

Achievements

• 

  Guillaume-Henri Dufour was a distinguished army officer who is best known for his military service in the Swiss army and also for his topographical survey of Switzerland. His important work as an engineer included rebuilding a pumping station, quays and bridges. He arranged the first steam boat on Lake Geneva as well as the introduction of gas streetlights.
  
  In 1814 Dufour was named the Grand Officer of the Legion of Honour for his work, repairing and fortifications at Lyons.
  
  A bronze equestrian statue of Dufour stands in the Place Neuve in Geneva.
  
  His home from 1845-1875 at Rue de Contamines, Geneva, is preserved by a foundation.
  
  Numerous cities and towns in Switzerland have streets named for him: rue du Général-Dufour in Geneva, La Chaux-de-Fonds; rue du Général-Dufour; General-Dufour-Strasse in Biel/Bienne; Dufourstrasse in Aarau, Basel, Bern, Biberist, Lenzburg, Luzern, Rorschach, St. Gallen, Thun, Weinfelden, Wettingen, Wil, Zollikon, Zürich. There is also Dufourplatz in Zollikon.
  
  He was depicted on the 20 francs note of the 1956 series of Swiss banknotes (1956-1980).

Works

More photos

• book

  • Der Sonderbunds-Krieg und die Ereignisse von 1856 1876
  • Strategy and Tactics 1840
  • Allgemeiner Bericht des Eidgenössischen Oberbefehlshabers über die Bewaffnung und den Feldzug von 1847 1848
  • Le congrès de Genève 1864
  • Description du pont suspendu en fil de fer 1824
  • De la fortification permanente 1823
  • Campagne Du Sonderbund Et Événements De 1856 1876
  • Mémoire Sur L'artillerie Des Anciens Et Sur Celle Du Moyen Age 1840
  • Die Schweizerische Landesvermessung, 1832-1864 1896
  • Mémorial Pour Les Travaux de Guerre 1800
  • Quelques Notes Sur Les Ponts Suspendus 1831
  • Copie Du Rapport Du Colonel Quartier-maître Général Au Conseil Fédéral De La Guerre 1847
  • Cours De Tactique 1840

• map

  • Topographische Karte der Schweiz 1833

Politics

In politics, Dufour belonged to the Moderate Party.

Connections

Presumably, Dufour never married.

Father:

Bénédict Dufour

colleague:

Louis Appia

colleague:

Henry Dunant

colleague:

Théodore Maunoir

colleague:

Gustave Moynier

References

• Guillaume Henri Dufour
  1987
• Transitions in Engineering
  1987
• Revue militaire suisse 1860
  1860
• A Memoir of Suspension Bridges
  1832