Beat Jans facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Beat Jans
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Official portrait, 2024
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| Swiss Federal Councillor | |
| Assumed office 1 January 2024 |
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| Department | Justice and Police (2024–present) |
| Preceded by | Alain Berset |
| President of Executive Council of Basel-Stadt | |
| In office 1 July 2021 – 14 December 2023 |
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| Preceded by | Elisabeth Ackermann |
| Succeeded by | Lukas Engelberger |
| Member of National Council (Switzerland) | |
| In office 31 May 2010 – 17 December 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Rudolf Rechsteiner |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Beat Jans
12 July 1964 Basel, Switzerland |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party |
| Spouses |
Tracy Renee Glass
(m. 2004) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residences | Basel, Switzerland |
| Alma mater | ETH Zurich (Diploma) |
| Signature |  |
| Website | |
Beat Jans (born 12 July 1964) is a Swiss politician and environmental scientist. He is a member of the Federal Council, which is like the government cabinet of Switzerland. He was chosen in 2023 and started his role on 1 January 2024.
Beat Jans belongs to the Social Democratic Party. Before joining the Federal Council, he was a member of the National Council (one part of the Swiss parliament) from 2010 to 2020. He also served as the president of the Executive Council of Basel-Stadt from 2021 to 2023.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Beat Jans was born on 12 July 1964, in Basel, Switzerland. His father, Anton Jans, was a metalworker, and his mother, Maria Jans, was a sales associate. He grew up in Riehen in a working-class family. His mother moved to Switzerland from Germany after World War II.
In 1985, he finished his training as a farmer. He then studied at a technical college and became an agricultural technician in 1987. In 1994, he earned a degree in Environmental Sciences from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) in Zurich.
Career and Public Service
From 1987 to 1989, Beat Jans worked on development projects in Paraguay and Haiti with a Swiss organization called Helvetas.
He was also part of the board of Pro Natura, a Swiss nature conservation group, from 2000 to 2010. He left this role when he became a member of the National Council. From 2010 to 2015, he was on the board of ecos, an organization focused on sustainable development.
Political Journey
Beat Jans joined the Social Democratic Party (SP) in 1998. In 2001, he became a member of the Grand Council of Basel-Stadt, which is the local parliament for the Basel area. There, he worked on the economics and taxes committee.
He joined the National Council in 2010, representing Basel-Stadt. He was re-elected to the National Council in 2011, 2015, and 2019. In the National Council, he also served on the economics and taxes committee.
In 2015, he became the vice-president of the Social Democratic Party. He stepped down from this role later that year when the party changed its leadership structure.
In October 2020, he was elected to the Executive Council of Basel-Stadt, which is the local government of Basel. He became its president in November 2020. He resigned from the National Council in December 2020 to focus on his new role in Basel.
Becoming a Federal Councillor
In 2023, Beat Jans became a candidate for the Federal Council. This is a very important position, as the Federal Council is the highest executive authority in Switzerland. He was chosen by his party, the Social Democratic Party, to replace Alain Berset.
The election for the Federal Council happened on 13 December 2023. After a few rounds of voting, Beat Jans was elected. He officially started his new role as a Federal Councillor on 1 January 2024. He is now in charge of the Federal Department of Justice and Police.
Personal Life
On 11 June 2004, Beat Jans married Tracy Renee Glass. She is an American biostatistician, which means she works with statistics in biology and health. They met while hiking in Hawaii.
Tracy moved to Basel to work at Novartis, a big pharmaceutical company. She now works as a team leader at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute. Beat and Tracy have two daughters. His wife and children are dual citizens of Switzerland and the United States.
See also
In Spanish: Beat Jans para niños
