Albert Mayer (jeweller)
Albert Mayer (jeweller) | |
|---|---|
| Born | Albert Roman Mayer July 19, 1890 Montreux, Vaud, Switzerland |
| Died | December 6, 1968 (aged 78) Montreux, Vaud, Switzerland |
| Occupations | Jeweller, sports administrator, politician |
| Known for | Member of the International Olympic Committee (1946–1968); senior official of the International Bobsleigh Federation; mayor of Montreux |
| Height | 178 cm (5 ft 10 in) |
| Relatives | Otto Mayer (brother) |
Albert Roman Mayer (19 July 1890 – 6 December 1968) was a Swiss jeweller, sports administrator and politician. He served as a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 1946 until his death and was one of the leading figures in international bobsleigh between the 1930s and 1960s.[1] He belonged to the long-established Swiss–German Mayer jewelry dynasty and co-ran the Montreux jewellery business Maison Roman Mayer with his brother Otto, who served as IOC Chancellor.
Early life and education
Mayer was born in Montreux, Vaud, into a family of jewellers established by his father Roman Mayer, who founded a luxury watch and jewellery shop in Territet in 1888. Albert attended schools in Montreux and then studied at the Basle School of Commerce, obtaining a commercial diploma. He later attended the Officers’ School in Lausanne and attained the rank of major in the Swiss Army.[2]
From 1939 to 1944 he served as aide-de-camp to General Henri Guisan, commander-in-chief of the Swiss armed forces during the Second World War.[2]
Jewellery business
After his studies, Mayer joined the family jewellery and watch firm Roman Mayer. Working together with his brother Otto, he managed the boutique, which catered to the international clientele of the Montreux Riviera. Commercial registers show the firm continuing as "Albert-Roman Mayer, Anna Mayer successeur" at Avenue du Casino 39, later reorganised as Roman Mayer SA.[3] The company remains a luxury watch retailer.
National sports administration
Mayer became involved in Swiss sport in the early 1920s. He joined the Swiss Olympic Committee in 1924 and headed the Swiss football delegation at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris, where Switzerland won the silver medal.[2]
He then specialised in winter sports and served as chef de mission of the Swiss team at several Winter Olympic Games:
At the 1932 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid he was chef de mission for the Swiss bobsleigh delegation.[2]
He held **no official role** at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.
International bobsleigh
Mayer became one of the leading figures in international bobsleigh. From 1930 to 1960 he served as vice-president (and in some accounts acting president) of the International Bobsleigh and Tobogganing Federation (FIBT).[1] He was involved in technical, organisational and political issues surrounding sliding sports and advocated for their continued inclusion in the Olympic programme.
He was a prominent voice during the debate surrounding the removal of bobsleigh from the 1960 Squaw Valley Games due to the cost of constructing a track.[4]
International Olympic Committee
Mayer was co-opted into the International Olympic Committee in September 1946, becoming part of the team that rebuilt IOC administration after the Second World War.[2] His brother **Otto Mayer** was appointed IOC Chancellor during the same period, making the Mayer brothers central to the Lausanne-based administration of the Olympic Movement.
Albert Mayer became known for outspoken interventions at IOC Sessions. At the 1951 Session in Vienna he criticised the recognition of the Soviet Olympic Committee while that of Israel was postponed, arguing that the IOC treated major powers and small nations differently.[1]
He remained an IOC member until his death in 1968, attending 20 Sessions.
Political career
Parallel to his sport leadership, Mayer pursued a political career in the canton of Vaud. A member of the Radical Democratic Party, he was:
- president of the Montreux–Vevey district section (1937–41)
- member of the Vaud Grand Council (from 1942)
- mayor (syndic) of Montreux-Planches (1947–51; 1956–60)
He contributed to the administrative unification of Montreux-Planches, Montreux-Châtelard and Veytaux, which formed the modern municipality of Montreux in 1962.[5]
He also held honorary civic positions, including honorary consul of the Republic of Korea in Montreux.
Death
Albert Mayer lived most of his life in Montreux and died there on 6 December 1968 at the age of 78.[1]
See also
- Otto Mayer
- Mayer jewelry dynasty
- International Olympic Committee
- International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation
References
- ^ a b c d "Albert Mayer". Olympedia. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Krotee, March (2012). "The Biographies of All IOC Members, Part X". Journal of Olympic History. 20 (1): 58–63.
- ^ "Albert-Roman Mayer, Anna Mayer successeur". Business-monitor.ch (in German). Retrieved 4 December 2025.
- ^ Barney, Robert K. (2014). "The Bobsled Controversy and Squaw Valley's Olympic Winter Games". Journal of Sport History. 41 (1): 73–96. Retrieved 4 December 2025.
- ^ "Fonds Albert Roman Mayer" (PDF). Archives de Montreux (in French). Retrieved 4 December 2025.