Corine Mauch Bio
Corine Mauch (born 28 May 1960) is an American-born Swiss politician who has served as Mayor of Zürich since 2009. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, she is the first woman and the first openly lesbian person elected to lead the city. Before entering full-time politics, she built a career in research, teaching, and environmental consulting, with a particular focus on urban and environmental policy.
Early Life and Background
Corine Mauch was born on 28 May 1960 in Iowa City, Iowa, to Samuel Mauch, an engineer, and Ursula Mauch, a chemistry teacher. After a few years in Boston, where her father pursued doctoral studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the family returned to the rural village of Oberlunkhofen in Switzerland, though Mauch also spent another year in the United States at the age of ten. In Oberlunkhofen, Mauch and her two younger brothers were among the only Protestant students in the local school.
Mauch’s upbringing was shaped by strong academic and civic values. In 1976, her parents founded Infras, a research and consulting agency dedicated to sustainable development, an early signal of the family’s commitment to environmental questions. Her mother, Ursula Mauch, became the first woman to represent Aargau in the Swiss National Council in 1979, serving until 1995, and from 1987 to 1995 she was also the first female parliamentary leader of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland.
Path to Swiss Politics
Corine Mauch completed her gymnasium education in Aarau before pursuing higher studies. From 1980 to 1988, she studied agricultural economics at ETH Zurich while also completing four semesters of sinology at the University of Zurich, ultimately earning an engineering Diplom. She later gained practical experience through internships in agriculture and development in Nepal and the Bernese Oberland, and between 1997 and 2000 she studied at the University of Lausanne, where she earned a Master of Public Administration with a thesis on city development politics.
Her first professional role was at Infras, the consulting agency her parents had founded, where she worked from 1986 to 1989. She then served as an assistant at the Economic Research Institute of ETH Zurich, and from 1989 to 1993 managed waste disposal and environmental affairs for the city of Uster. Beginning in 1993, she joined the Human Ecology Group at the Geographical Institute of ETH Zurich as a researcher and lecturer, and she continued her academic work at the University of Lausanne, focusing on environmental politics and resource management. In 1990, she joined the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland, beginning her formal political affiliation.
Corine Mauch Career
Early Career (1999–2008)
Corine Mauch entered elected office in 1999 when she joined the city council of Zürich, representing the Social Democratic Party. She served continuously on the council for a decade, building experience in local policy and establishing a reputation that would later carry her to the mayoralty. Her council years coincided with her ongoing work as an environmental consultant in Lucerne and, later, with the federal Parliamentary Services in Bern.
Breakthrough (2009)
In March 2009, Corine Mauch was elected Mayor of Zürich after ten years on the city council. In the first round of voting, she finished a close second, trailing Kathrin Martelli, the candidate of the Free Democratic Party, by roughly 1,300 votes. In the decisive second round, Mauch received 41,745 votes and won by a margin of 58 percent to 42 percent, becoming the first woman and the first openly lesbian person elected mayor of the city.
Social Democratic Party of Switzerland Era (2009–Present)
Since taking office, Corine Mauch has consolidated her position as one of Switzerland’s most prominent municipal leaders. In the March 2018 elections, she received 63,139 votes and was re-elected Mayor of Zürich, with her term extending into 2022. Throughout her tenure, she has drawn on her background in agricultural economics, environmental consulting, and public administration to shape the city’s approach to sustainable urban development.
Notable Events and Milestones
Corine Mauch’s election in 2009 marked a historic moment for Zürich, making her the first woman and the first openly lesbian mayor in the city’s history. Her strong re-election result in 2018, with more than 63,000 votes, underscored the broad public support she had built during her years in office.
Corine Mauch Family
Family Background and Civic Lineage
Corine Mauch was raised in a household that combined academic work with public service. Her father, Samuel Mauch, is an engineer who studied at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, while her mother, Ursula Mauch, was a chemistry teacher who became the first woman to represent Aargau in the Swiss National Council and the first female parliamentary leader of the Social Democratic Party of Switzerland. The Mauch family’s early commitment to sustainable development is also reflected in the 1976 founding of Infras, a research and consulting agency created by her parents.
Personal Life
Corine Mauch has been legally married to her long-time partner, Juliana Maria Müller, since 2014. Born in the United States, Mauch began the procedure to renounce her United States citizenship in 2012, with her office confirming the renunciation in April 2013. She resides in Zürich, Switzerland.