Founder Profile
Alfred Escher
Last reviewed: October 2026 · By Swet Parvadiya
Who is Alfred Escher?
Alfred Escher is a founder of Credit Suisse, which was founded in 1856.
- Company founded
- Credit Suisse
- Founded
- 1856
Background
Escher came from the wealthy Escher vom Glas family of Zurich and studied law at the University of Zurich. He sat in the Swiss National Council and led the Zurich cantonal government, which gave him the political network to raise capital for the bank and its railway projects.
Founding Story
Alfred Escher (1819-1882) was a Zurich politician and railway entrepreneur who founded Schweizerische Kreditanstalt, the bank later known as Credit Suisse, in 1856. He wanted Swiss railways financed with Swiss capital rather than by French and German banks. The bank backed the Swiss Northeastern Railway and later the Gotthard Railway, which opened in 1882. Escher chaired the bank's board from 1856 to 1877 and again from 1880 to 1882, and he also pushed for the creation of ETH Zurich and the Rentenanstalt life insurer (now Swiss Life). Alfred Escher was born in 1819.