1964
Jacques Freymond
IUHEI, Geneva, Switzerland
(1964–1967)
Jacques Freymond (1911–1998) was a Swiss political scientist and historian who made a significant contribution to the establishment of international relations studies in Switzerland. He received his Ph.D. in History from the University of Lausanne in 1939. Following a career as an international affairs journalist, he was appointed Professor of modern history at the University of Lausanne in 1943.
As Charlotte Joy notes in her article Jacques Freymond, historian and actor of Americanization in Switzerland during the Cold War, Freymond’s engagement with international affairs and his active role in cultural organizations such as the Nouvelle Société Helvétique helped establish him as a prominent figure in global political discourse. His growing reputation in the field earned him a Rockefeller Foundation fellowship in 1950, enabling him to conduct research at Yale and Columbia universities and further expand his expertise in international studies.
Prof. Freymond's academic career accelerated after his return to Switzerland and in 1955, he became the director of the Graduate Institute of International Studies (IUHEI) in Geneva. Under his leadership, the Institute expanded its research to include the Cold War, communism, multilateral diplomacy, strategic studies, and international trade. He built contacts with the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank, and helped many graduates secure influential positions in these institutions. Freymond founded the Geneva Centre for the Training of African Managers in 1961, later named the Geneva African Institute.
His books include The Revolutionary Internationals, 1864–1943 (co-editor, 1966); Western Europe Since the War: A Short Political History (1964); La Première Internationale: Recueil de documents (editor, 1962); and The Saar Conflict, 1945–1955 (1960).
Beyond academia, Prof. Freymond played an important role in Swiss diplomacy and corporate governance. He was a member of federal commissions on diplomatic training and advised the Swiss government on international affairs. His connections with the private sector led to his appointment to Nestlé's Board of Directors in 1959, where he encouraged corporate philanthropic efforts in education.
Prof. Freymond served on the IPSA Executive Committee from 1958 to 1961 and again from 1961 to 1964 before being elected IPSA President, a role he held from 1964 to 1967.
