Pierre Fatio

[1] François, the son of a Protestant refugee from the Val Bregaglia, was a merchant and banker from Vevey, Switzerland, who became a citizen of the Republic of Geneva in 1647.

Fatio was elected to the Grand Council in 1688 and held several positions in government: lord of Saint-Victor and chapter in 1691, auditor in 1696, and châtelain of Peney in 1700.

[1] In 1705, his application for the Small Council was rejected in favor of his brother, Jacques-Francois Fatio, who did not have his experience in public affairs.

During the political troubles of 1707, Fatio proposed several democratizing reforms, including requiring that the General Council (the electoral body) meet annually.

A commemorative plaque declaring him a "defender of citizens' rights" now marks the entrance to the Rue Jean Calvin, in the historical center of Geneva.