Swiss politician of the Social Democratic Party who, from 1984 to 1995, was a member of the Federal Council and head of the Federal Department of Finance.
Otto Stich was born in Basel as the son of the mechanic Otto Stich and his wife Rosa. He studied economics at the University of Basel under Edgar Salin. In 1953 he graduated as a commercial teacher, and in 1955 he earned a doctorate in political science. He then taught German, business, economics and political science at the Gewerbeschule Basel.
In 1947, at the age of 20, Otto Stich became a member of the Social Democratic Party of the Canton of Solothurn. At the age of 26, his political career began with a seat on the Dornach Audit Commission. Stich ran for the National Council for the first time in 1959. However, since the previous candidates were running again, Stich had no chance. Four years later, however, Stich was able to step up for Willi Ritschard, who had foregone a cantonal office in favor of a national one, and was narrowly elected to the National Council. On December 7, 1983, however, he was unexpectedly elected to the Federal Council.
During his term of office, Stich headed the Finance Department. He was President of the Swiss Confederation in 1988 and 1994. After only a short time in office, Stich won over a section of the Social Democrats who had been disappointed by his election. He was particularly convincing with the tenacity and expertise with which he was able to defend left-wing positions in the majority of the bourgeois party. On 31 August 1995, Stich announced his resignation from the Federal Council as of 31 October that year.
After a short illness, Otto Stich passed away on 13 September 2012 at the age of 85 in Dornach.
Link to Wikipedia biography