List of presidents of the Council of States
| No. | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) | Term | Party | Canton | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Jonas Furrer (1805–1861) | 1848 | Radical Left | Zurich | |
| 2 |  | François Briatte (1805–1877) | 1848–1850 | Radical Left | Vaud | |
| 3 |  | Johann Jakob Rüttimann (1813–1876) | 1850–1851 | Liberal Centre | Zurich | |
| 4 | | Paul Migy (1814–1879) | 1851 | Radical Left | Bern | |
| 5 |  | Karl Kappeler (1816–1888) | 1851–1852 | Radical Left | Thurgau | |
| (2) | | François Briatte (1805–1877) | 1852–1853 | Radical Left | Vaud | |
| 6 |  | Johann Jakob Blumer (1819–1875) | 1853–1854 | Radical Left | Glarus | |
| 7 |  | James Fazy (1794–1878) | 1854 | Radical Left | Geneva | |
| (5) | | Karl Kappeler (1816–1888) | 1854–1855 | Radical Left | Thurgau | |
| 8 |  | Constant Fornerod (1819–1889) | 1855 | Radical Left | Vaud | |
| 9 | | Samuel Schwarz (1814–1868) | 1855–1856 | Liberal Centre | Aargau | |
| 10 |  | Aimé Humbert-Droz (1819–1900) | 1856 | Radical Left | Lucerne | |
| 11 |  | Jakob Dubs (1822–1879) | 1856 | Radical Left | Zurich | |
| (2) | | François Briatte (1805–1877) | 1856–1857 | Radical Left | Vaud | |
| 12 | | Johann Baptist Weder (1800–1872) | 1857 | Radical Left | St. Gallen | |
| 13 | | August Stähelin (1812–1886) | 1857–1858 | Liberal Centre | Basel-Stadt | |
| 14 | | Niklaus Niggeler (1817–1872) | 1858–1859 | Radical Left | Bern | |
| (2) | | François Briatte (1805–1877) | 1859–1860 | Radical Left | Vaud | |
| 15 |  | Emil Welti (1825–1899) | 1860 | Radical Left | Aargau | |
| (6) | | Johann Jakob Blumer (1819–1875) | 1860–1861 | Liberal Centre | Glarus | |
| 16 |  | Nicolaus Hermann (1818–1888) | 1858–1859 | Catholic Right | Obwalden | |
| 17 |  | Wilhelm Vigier (1823–1886) | 1862–1863 | Radical Left | Solothurn | |
| 18 | | Eduard Häberlin (1820–1884) | 1863 | Liberal Centre | Thurgau | |
| 19 |  | Karl Schenk (1823–1895) | 1863–1864 | Radical Left | Bern | |
| 20 | | Jules Roguin (1823–1908) | 1864–1865 | Liberal Centre | Vaud | |
| (3) | | Johann Jakob Rüttimann (1813–1876) | 1865–1866 | Liberal Centre | Zurich | |
| (15) | | Emil Welti (1825–1899) | 1866 | Radical Left | Aargau | |
| 21 | | Christian Sahli (1825–1897) | 1866–1867 | Liberal Centre | Bern | |
| (6) | | Johann Jakob Blumer (1819–1875) | 1867–1868 | Liberal Centre | Glarus | |
| 22 |  | Arnold Otto Aepli (1816–1897) | 1868–1869 | Liberal Centre | St. Gallen | |
| 23 |  | Eugène Borel (1835–1892) | 1869 | Radical Left | Neuchâtel | |
| 24 | | Johann Weber (1828–1878) | 1869–1870 | Radical Left | Bern | |
| 25 |  | Abraham Stocker (1825–1887) | 1870–1871 | Radical Left | Lucerne | |
| 26 |  | Augustin Keller (1805–1883) | 1871–1872 | Radical Left | Aargau | |
| (5) | | Karl Kappeler (1816–1888) | 1872 | Radical Left | Thurgau | |
| (20) | | Jules Roguin (1823–1908) | 1872–1873 | Liberal Centre | Vaud | |
| 27 | | Alois Kopp (1827–1891) | 1873–1874 | Catholic Right | Lucerne | |
| 28 |  | Alphons Koechlin (1821–1893) | 1874–1875 | Catholic Right | Basel-Stadt | |
| 29 | | Gottlieb Ringier (1837–1929) | 1875 | Liberal Centre | Aargau | |
| 30 |  | Numa Droz (1844–1899) | 1875–1876 | Radical Left | Neuchâtel | |
| 31 |  | Johann Jakob Sulzer (1821–1897) | 1876 | Democratic Left | Zurich | |
| 32 | | Paul Nagel (1831–1880) | 1876–1877 | Liberal Centre | Thurgau | |
| 33 | | Karl Hoffmann (1820–1895) | 1877–1878 | Radical Left | St. Gallen | |
| 34 |  | Antoine Vessaz (1833–1911) | 1878 | Radical Left | Vaud | |
| 35 | | Florian Gengel (1834–1905) | 1878–1879 | Radical Left | Grisons | |
| 36 | | Karl Rudolf Stehlin (1831–1881) | 1879–1880 | Liberal Centre | Basel-Stadt | |
| (21) | | Christian Sahli (1825–1897) | 1880–1881 | Liberal Centre | Bern | |
| (5) | | Karl Kappeler (1816–1888) | 1881 | Radical Left | Thurgau | |
| 37 | | Auguste Cornaz (1834–1896) | 1881–1882 | Radical Left | Neuchâtel | |
| (17) | | Wilhelm Vigier (1823–1886) | 1882–1883 | Liberal Centre | Solothurn | |
| 38 |  | Walter Hauser (1837–1902) | 1883–1884 | Democratic Left | Zurich | |
| 39 |  | Martin Birmann (1828–1890) | 1884 | Liberal Centre | Basel-Landschaft | |
| 40 | | Theodor Wirz (1842–1901) | 1884–1885 | Catholic Right | Obwalden | |
| 41 | | Esajas Zweifel (1827–1904) | 1885–1886 | Liberal Centre | Glarus | |
| 42 | | Alphonse Bory (1838–1891) | 1886–1887 | Radical Left | Vaud | |
| 43 | | Albert Scherb (1839–1908) | 1887 | Radical Left | Thurgau | |
| 44 | | Adam Herzog (1829–1895) | 1887 | Catholic Right | Lucerne | |
| 45 |  | Alexandre Gavard (1845–1898) | 1887–1888 | Radical Left | Geneva | |
| 46 | | Heinrich Gustav Schoch (1841–1895) | 1888–1889 | Democratic Group | Schaffhausen | |
| (33) | | Karl Hoffmann (1820–1895) | 1889–1890 | Radical Left | St. Gallen | |
| 47 |  | Gustav Muheim (1851–1917) | 1890 | Catholic Right | Uri | |
| 48 | | Armin Kellersberger (1838–1905) | 1890–1891 | Radical Left | Aargau | |
| 49 |  | Fritz Göttisheim (1837–1896) | 1891–1892 | Radical Left | Basel-Stadt | |
| 50 |  | Henri Gaspard de Schaller (1828–1900) | 1892–1893 | Catholic Right | Fribourg | |
| 51 | | Friedrich Eggli (1838–1895) | 1893 | Radical Left | Bern | |
| 52 | | Oskar Munzinger (1849–1932) | 1893–1894 | Radical Left | Solothurn | |
| 53 | | Henri de Torrenté (1845–1922) | 1894–1895 | Catholic Right | Valais | |
| 54 | | Adolphe Jordan (1845–1900) | 1895–1896 | FDP | Vaud | |
| 55 | | Johann Jakob Hohl (1834–1913) | 1896 | FDP | Appenzell Ausserrhoden | |
| 56 | | Othmar Blumer (1848–1900) | 1896–1897 | FDP | Zurich | |
| 57 | | Luzius Raschein (1831–1899) | 1897–1898 | FDP | Grisons | |
| 58 | | Josef Hildebrand (1855–1935) | 1898–1899 | Catholic Right | Zug | |
| 59 | | Rinaldo Simen (1849–1910) | 1899 | FDP | Ticino | |
| 60 | | Arnold Robert (1846–1925) | 1899–1900 | FDP | Neuchâtel | |
| 61 | | Georg Leumann (1842–1918) | 1900–1901 | FDP | Thurgau | |
| 62 | | Karl Reichlin (1841–1924) | 1901–1902 | FDP | Schwyz | |
| 63 |  | Casimir von Arx (1852–1931) | 1902 | FDP | Solothurn | |
| 64 |  | Arthur Hoffmann (1857–1927) | 1902–1903 | FDP | St. Gallen | |
| 65 |  | Adrien Lachenal (1849–1918) | 1903–1904 | FDP | Geneva | |
| 66 | | Emil Isler (1851–1936) | 1904–1905 | FDP | Aargau | |
| 67 | | Albert Ammann (1860–1929) | 1905–1906 | FDP | Schaffhausen | |
| 68 |  | Adalbert Wirz (1848–1925) | 1906–1907 | Catholic Right | Obwalden | |
| 69 | | Paul Scherrer (1862–1935) | 1907–1908 | FDP | Basel-Stadt | |
| 70 | | Adrien Thélin (1842–1922) | 1908–1909 | FDP | Vaud | |
| 71 | | Paul Emil Usteri (1853–1927) | 1909–1910 | FDP | Zurich | |
| 72 | | Josef Winiger (1855–1929) | 1910–1911 | Catholic Right | Lucerne | |
| 73 |  | Felix Calonder (1863–1952) | 1911–1912 | FDP | Grisons | |
| 74 | | Gottfried Kunz (1859–1930) | 1912–1913 | FDP | Bern | |
| 75 |  | Eugène Richard (1843–1925) | 1913–1914 | FDP | Geneva | |
| 76 | | Johannes Geel (1854–1937) | 1914–1915 | FDP | St. Gallen | |
| 77 |  | Georges Python (1856–1927) | 1915–1916 | KVP | Fribourg | |
| 78 |  | Philippe Mercier (1872–1936) | 1916–1917 | FDP | Glarus | |
| 79 | | Beat Heinrich Bolli (1858–1938) | 1917–1918 | FDP | Schaffhausen | |
| 80 | | Friedrich Brügger (1854–1930) | 1918–1919 | KVP | Grisons | |
| 81 | | Auguste Pettavel (1845–1921) | 1919–1920 | FDP | Neuchâtel | |
| 82 |  | Johannes Baumann (1874–1953) | 1920–1921 | FDP | Appenzell Ausserrhoden | |
| 83 | | Joseph Räber (1872–1934) | 1921–1922 | KVP | Schwyz | |
| 84 | | Albert Böhi (1862–1945) | 1922–1923 | FDP | Thurgau | |
| 85 | | Henri Simon (1868–1932) | 1923–1924 | FDP | Vaud | |
| 86 | | Josef Andermatt (1871–1942) | 1924–1925 | KVP | Zug | |
| 87 | | Gottfried Keller (1873–1945) | 1925–1926 | FDP | Aargau | |
| 88 | | Robert Schöpfer (1869–1941) | 1926–1927 | FDP | Solothurn | |
| 89 |  | Emile Savoy (1877–1935) | 1927–1928 | KVP | Fribourg | |
| 90 |  | Oskar Wettstein (1866–1952) | 1928–1929 | FDP | Zurich | |
| 91 |  | Anton Messmer (1858–1937) | 1929–1930 | KVP | St. Gallen | |
| 92 | | Paul Charmillot (1865–1932) | 1930–1931 | FDP | Bern | |
| 93 | | Jakob Sigrist (1869–1935) | 1931–1932 | KVP | Lucerne | |
| 94 |  | Andreas Laely (1864–1955) | 1932–1933 | FDP | Grisons | |
| 95 | | Antonio Riva (1870–1942) | 1933–1934 | KVP | Ticino | |
| 96 | | Ernest Béguin (1879–1966) | 1934–1935 | FDP | Neuchâtel | |
| 97 | | Walter Amstalden (1883–1966) | 1935–1936 | KVP | Obwalden | |
| 98 | | Edwin Hauser (1864–1949) | 1936–1937 | DP | Glarus | |
| 99 |  | Bernard Weck (1890–1950) | 1937–1938 | KVP | Fribourg | |
| 100 | | Ernst Löpfe (1878–1970) | 1938–1939 | FDP | St. Gallen | |
| 101 | | Albert Zust (1874–1952) | 1939–1940 | KVP | Lucerne | |
| 102 | | Albert Malche (1876–1956) | 1940–1941 | FDP | Geneva | |
| 103 |  | Hans Fricker (1879–1956) | 1941–1942 | KVP | Aargau | |
| 104 | | Norbert Bosset (1883–1969) | 1942–1943 | FDP | Vaud | |
| 105 | | Adolf Suter (1882–1947) | 1943–1944 | KVP | Schwyz | |
| 106 | | Paul Altwegg (1884–1952) | 1944–1945 | FDP | Thurgau | |
| 107 |  | Joseph Piller (1890–1954) | 1945–1946 | KVP | Fribourg | |
| 108 | | Walter Ackermann (1890–1969) | 1946–1947 | FDP | Appenzell Ausserrhoden | |
| 109 | | Alphons Iten (1898–1964) | 1947–1948 | KVP | Zug | |
| 110 | | Gustav Wenk (1884–1956) | 1948–1949 | SP | Basel-Stadt | |
| 111 | | Paul Haefelin (1889–1972) | 1949–1950 | FDP | Solothurn | |
| 112 | | Gotthard Egli (1884–1979) | 1950–1951 | KVP | Lucerne | |
| 113 | | Bixio Bossi (1896–1990) | 1951–1952 | FDP | Ticino | |
| 114 | | Johann Schmuki (1890–1970) | 1952–1953 | KVP | St. Gallen | |
| 115 | | Jean-Louis Barrelet (1902–1976) | 1953–1954 | FDP | Neuchâtel | |
| 116 | | Armin Locher (1897–1967) | 1954–1955 | KVP | Appenzell Innerrhoden | |
| 117 | | Rudolf Weber (1887–1972) | 1955–1956 | BGB | Bern | |
| 118 | | Kurt Schoch (1904–1980) | 1956–1957 | FDP | Schaffhausen | |
| 119 | | Fritz Stähli (1895–1961) | 1957–1958 | KCVP | Schwyz | |
| 120 |  | Augustin Lusser (1896–1973) | 1958–1959 | KCVP | Zug | |
| 121 |  | Gabriel Despland (1901–1983) | 1959–1960 | FDP | Vaud | |
| 122 | | Antonio Antognini (1893–1972) | 1960–1961 | KCVP | Ticino | |
| 123 | | Ernst Vaterlaus (1891–1976) | 1961–1962 | FDP | Zurich | |
| 124 | | Frédéric Fauquex (1898–1976) | 1962–1963 | LPS | Vaud | |
| 125 |  | Ludwig Danioth (1902–1996) | 1963–1964 | KCVP | Uri | |
| 126 | | Jakob Müller (1895–1967) | 1964–1965 | FDP | Thurgau | |
| 127 | | Dominik Auf der Maur (1896–1978) | 1965–1966 | KCVP | Schwyz | |
| 128 | | Willi Rohner (1907–1977) | 1966–1967 | FDP | St. Gallen | |
| 129 | | Emil Wipfli (1900–1988) | 1967–1968 | KCVP | Uri | |
| 130 |  | Christian Clavadetscher (1897–1980) | 1968–1969 | FDP | Lucerne | |
| 131 |  | Paul Torche (1912–1990) | 1969–1970 | KCVP | Fribourg | |
| 132 |  | Arno Theus (1911–1999) | 1970–1971 | DP | Grisons | |
| 133 |  | Ferruccio Bolla (1911–1984) | 1971–1972 | FDP | Ticino | |
| 134 |  | Marius Lampert (1902–1991) | 1972–1973 | CVP | Valais | |
| 135 |  | Kurt Bächtold (1918–2009) | 1973–1974 | FDP | Schaffhausen | |
| 136 |  | Heinrich Oechslin (1913–1985) | 1974–1975 | CVP | Schwyz | |
| 137 |  | Willi Wenk (1914–1994) | 1975–1976 | SP | Basel-Stadt | |
| 138 |  | Hans Munz (1916–2013) | 1976–1977 | FDP | Thurgau | |
| 139 |  | Robert Reimann (1911–1987) | 1977–1978 | CVP | Aargau | |
| 140 |  | Ulrich Luder (1919–1987) | 1978–1979 | FDP | Solothurn | |
| 141 |  | Josef Ulrich (1917–2007) | 1979–1980 | CVP | Schwyz | |
| 142 |  | Peter Hefti (1922–2012) | 1980–1981 | FDP | Glarus | |
| 143 |  | Jost Dillier (1921–2016) | 1981–1982 | CVP | Obwalden | |
| 144 |  | Pierre Dreyer (1924–2005) | 1982 | CVP | Fribourg | |
| 145 |  | Walter Weber (1917–2008) | 1982–1983 | SP | Solothurn | |
| 146 |  | Édouard Debétaz (1917–1999) | 1983–1984 | FDP | Vaud | |
| 147 | | Markus Kündig (1931–2011) | 1984–1985 | CVP | Zug | |
| 148 | | Peter Gerber (1923–2012) | 1985–1986 | SVP | Bern | |
| 149 | | Alois Dobler (born 1929) | 1986–1987 | CVP | Schwyz | |
| 150 |  | Franco Masoni (born 1928) | 1987–1988 | FDP | Ticino | |
| 151 | | Hubert Reymond (born 1938) | 1988–1989 | LPS | Vaud | |
| 152 | | Luregn Mathias Cavelty (born 1935) | 1989–1990 | CVP | Grisons | |
| 153 | | Max Affolter (1923–1991) | 1990–1991 | FDP | Solothurn | |
| 154 | | Arthur Hänsenberger (1927–2014) | 1991 | FDP | Bern | |
| 155 |  | Josi Meier (1926–2006) | 1991–1992 | CVP | Lucerne | |
| 156 | | Otto Piller (born 1942) | 1992–1993 | SP | Fribourg | |
| 157 | | Riccardo Jagmetti (born 1929) | 1993–1994 | FDP | Zurich | |
| 158 | | Niklaus Küchler (born 1941) | 1994–1995 | CVP | Obwalden | |
| 159 |  | Otto Schoch (1934–2013) | 1995–1996 | FDP | Appenzell Ausserrhoden | |
| 160 | | Édouard Delalay (born 1936) | 1996–1997 | CVP | Valais | |
| 161 | | Ulrich Zimmerli (born 1942) | 1997–1998 | SVP | Bern | |
| 162 | | René Rhinow (born 1942) | 1998–1999 | FDP | Basel-Landschaft | |
| 163 |  | Carlo Schmid-Sutter (born 1950) | 1999–2000 | CVP | Appenzell Innerrhoden | |
| 164 |  | Françoise Saudan (born 1939) | 2000–2001 | FDP | Geneva | |
| 165 | | Anton Cottier (1943–2006) | 2001–2002 | CVP | Fribourg | |
| 166 |  | Gian-Reto Plattner (1939–2009) | 2002–2003 | SP | Basel-Stadt | |
| 167 |  | Fritz Schiesser (born 1954) | 2003–2004 | FDP | Glarus | |
| 168 |  | Bruno Frick (born 1953) | 2004–2005 | CVP | Schwyz | |
| 169 |  | Rolf Büttiker (born 1950) | 2005–2006 | FDP | Solothurn | |
| 170 |  | Peter Bieri (born 1952) | 2006–2007 | CVP | Zug | |
| 171 |  | Christoffel Brändli (born 1943) | 2007–2008 | SVP | Grisons | |
| 172 |  | Alain Berset (born 1972) | 2008–2009 | SP | Fribourg | |
| 173 |  | Erika Forster-Vannini (born 1944) | 2009–2010 | FDP | St. Gallen | |
| 174 |  | Hansheiri Inderkum (born 1947) | 2010–2011 | CVP | Uri | |
| 175 |  | Hans Altherr (born 1950) | 2011–2012 | FDP | Appenzell Ausserrhoden | |
| 176 |  | Filippo Lombardi (born 1956) | 2012–2013 | CVP | Ticino | |
| 177 |  | Hannes Germann (born 1956) | 2013–2014 | SVP | Schaffhausen | |
| 178 |  | Claude Hêche (born 1952) | 2014–2015 | SP | Jura | |
| 179 |  | Raphaël Comte (born 1979) | 2015–2016 | FDP | Neuchâtel | |
| 180 |  | Ivo Bischofberger (born 1958) | 2016–2017 | CVP | Appenzell Innerrhoden | |
| 181 |  | Karin Keller-Sutter (born 1963) | 2017–2018 | FDP | St. Gallen | |
| 182 |  | Jean-René Fournier (born 1957) | 2018–2019 | CVP | Valais | |
| 183 |  | Hans Stöckli (born 1952) | 2019–2020 | SP | Bern | |
| 184 |  | Alex Kuprecht (born 1957) | 2020–2021 | SVP | Schwyz | |
| 185 |  | Thomas Hefti (born 1959) | 2021–2022 | FDP | Glarus | |
| 186 |  | Brigitte Häberli-Koller (born 1958) | 2022–2023 | Centre | Thurgau | |
| 187 |  | Eva Herzog (born 1962) | 2023–2024 | SP | Basel-Stadt | |
| 188 |  | Andrea Caroni (born 1980) | 2024–present | FDP | Appenzell Ausserrhoden | |