General Henri Guisan studied in Lausanne, Lyon, and Hohenheim before becoming a farmer in Chesalles-sur-Oron, after which he entered the military. Guisan was made an IOC Member in June 1937, serving a bit over two years, and he never attended an IOC Session. He resigned in 1939 when he was appointed General-in-Chief of the Swiss Army and given the mandate to protect the country against a possible Nazi incursion. In July 1940 he gave a famous address to the Swiss Army telling them they would resist any Nazi invasion. Fortunately this never occurred and Guisan resigned his post in August 1945, having done his job. He became a Swiss national hero and lived out his life on the banks of Lake Leman in Lausanne. After his death, he was given a state and military funeral and 300,000 people attended his funeral march through Lausanne. Multiple Swiss towns erected monuments to his memory and numerous Swiss streets were re-named in his honor.
Switzerland