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Rudolf Kirchschläger

March 04, 2023

Rudolf Kirchschläger, GColIH (German: [ˈʁuːdɔlf ˈkɪʁçˌʃlɛːɡɐ] (listen); 20 March 1915 – 30 March 2000) was an Austrian diplomat, politician and judge. From 1974 to 1986, he served as President of Austria.

Rudolf Kirchschläger
R.E. GColIH
President of Austria
In office
8 July 1974 – 8 July 1986
ChancellorBruno Kreisky
Fred Sinowatz
Franz Vranitzky
Preceded byFranz Jonas
Succeeded byKurt Waldheim
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
21 April 1970 – 24 June 1974
ChancellorBruno Kreisky
Preceded byKurt Waldheim
Succeeded byErich Bielka
Personal details
Born20 March 1915
Niederkappel, Upper Austria, Austro-Hungarian Empire
Died30 March 2000(2000-03-30) (aged 85)
Vienna, Austria
SpouseHerma Kirchschläger (1940–2000)
Children2
Alma materUniversity of Vienna (Dr. iur.)
Profession
  • Diplomat
  • politician
  • judge
Signature

Early life and education

Born in Niederkappel, Upper Austria, Kirschläger was orphaned at the age of 11. He graduated from high school in Horn in 1935 with distinction and started to study law at the University of Vienna. However, after the Anschluss of Austria in 1938, he had to give up his studies. Upon refusing to join the NSDAP, his scholarship was revoked and Kirchschläger could not finance his studies any longer. Kirchschläger worked as a bank clerk in 1938 until he was drafted to service in the infantry of the Wehrmacht in the summer of 1939. Kirchschläger fought as a soldier from the very beginning of the war, first during the invasion of Poland, later on the Western Front, and after 1941 against Russia on the Eastern Front.

In late 1940, in order to get out of the military, he used a two-month front-leave to prepare for the final exam (Staatsexamen) of his law studies. Subsequently, he passed the exams and graduated to Doctor iuris.

However, he was sent back to the Eastern Front, where he was wounded in 1942. Towards the end of war, he was captain and training officer at the military academy at Wiener Neustadt in the Vienna region. In early April 1945, commanding a company of cadets fighting approaching Soviet troops, he was badly wounded on his leg, an injury from which he never fully recovered.

Post-World War II

After the war, Kirchschläger worked as a district judge until 1954 in Langenlois and later Vienna. In 1954, he got the chance to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, although he did not speak any foreign languages. In order to take part in the negotiations on the Austrian State Treaty, he taught himself English in only a few months. From 1967 until 1970, he was ambassador in Prague. Despite orders not to do so, he issued exit visas to Czech citizens who tried to flee from the Communists during the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.[citation needed] From 1970 to 1974 he was Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Presidency

Kirchschläger was elected President of Austria in 1974. In a programmatic lecture at Innsbruck University in February 1971 he outlined his understanding of an "ethical foreign policy". In 1974, he issued a pardon to convicted Austrian Nazi war criminal Franz Novak, who had coordinated the railroad deportation of European Jews to concentration and extermination camps.[1]

In 1980, he was elected for a second term with an approval rate of 80%, the highest rate ever obtained in any presidential elections. In February 1984, he paid the first state visit of an Austrian president to the United States.[2][3]

Personal life and death

 
Herma Kirchschläger, 1978

He was married to Herma Sorger (1916–2009) from 17 August 1940[4] until his death; they had two children: Christa (born 1944) and Walter (born 1947).[5][6][7]

Kirchschläger died of a heart attack on 30 March 2000 near Vienna, aged 85.[8]

Honours

Austrian honours

Foreign honours

Literature

  • Rudolf Kirchschläger, Der Friede beginnt im eigenen Haus. Gedanken über Österreich. Vienna: Molden (1980); ISBN 3-217-01070-1
  • Rudolf Kirchschläger, Ethik und Außenpolitik Hans Köchler (ed.), Philosophie und Politik. Dokumentation eines interdisziplinären Seminars. Innsbruck: Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Wissenschaft und Politik, pp. 69–74 (1973)
  • Alois Mock, Herbert Schambeck (Hrsg.): Verantwortung in unserer Zeit. Festschrift für Rudolf Kirchschläger. Österreichische Staatsdruckerei, 1990.
  • Rabl, Erich: Rudolf Kirchschläger (1915-2000), Jurist, Diplomat, Außenminister und Bundespräsident. In: Harald Hitz, Franz Pötscher, Erich Rabl, Thomas Winkelbauer (Hg.): Waldviertler Biographien, Bd. 3, Horn (Waldviertler Heimatbund) 2010, S. 399–428. ISBN 3-900708-26-6.
  • Schenz, Marco: Bundespräsident Rudolf Kirchschläger. Böhlau-Verlag, Wien 1984.

References

  1. ^ "Holocaust und Kriegsverbrechen vor Gericht: Der Fall Österreich". Studienverlag. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  2. ^ "Visits to the U.S. by Foreign Heads of State and Government—1984". Bureau of Public Affairs. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
  3. ^ "Remarks of President Reagan and President Rudolf Kirchschläger of Austria at the State Dinner". Ronald Reagan Presidential Library. 28 February 1984. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
  4. ^ "Search results". www.google.com.[better source needed]
  5. ^ Senta Ziegler: Österreichs First Ladies. Wien. Ueberreuter 1999
  6. ^ "Herma Kirchschläger ist tot" (in German). DiePresse.com. 30 May 2009. Retrieved 30 May 2009.
  7. ^ Senta Ziegler. "Österreichs First Ladies". Wien. Ueberreuter 1999
  8. ^ Saxon, Wolfgang (31 March 2000). "Rudolf Kirchschlager, 85, Judge Who Became Austria's President". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 March 2009.
  9. ^ "Le onorificenze della Repubblica Italiana". quirinale.it. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
  10. ^ Jean Schoos: Die Orden und Ehrenzeichen des Großherzogtums Luxemburg und des ehemaligen Herzogtums Nassau in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart. Verlag der Sankt-Paulus Druckerei AG. Luxemburg 1990. ISBN 2-87963-048-7. S. 344.
  11. ^ Boletín Oficial del Estado
  12. ^ Boletín Oficial del Estado
  13. ^ "Cidadãos Estrangeiros Agraciados com Ordens Portuguesas". Página Oficial das Ordens Honoríficas Portuguesas. Retrieved 4 August 2017.
  14. ^ AAS 82 (1990), Heft 12, S. 1463.
  15. ^ AAS 93 (2001), Heft 8, S. 563.

March 04, 2023
rudolf, kirchschläger, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, marc. This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Rudolf Kirchschlager news newspapers books scholar JSTOR March 2017 Learn how and when to remove this template message Rudolf Kirchschlager GColIH German ˈʁuːdɔlf ˈkɪʁcˌʃlɛːɡɐ listen 20 March 1915 30 March 2000 was an Austrian diplomat politician and judge From 1974 to 1986 he served as President of Austria Rudolf KirchschlagerR E GColIHPresident of AustriaIn office 8 July 1974 8 July 1986ChancellorBruno Kreisky Fred Sinowatz Franz VranitzkyPreceded byFranz JonasSucceeded byKurt WaldheimMinister of Foreign AffairsIn office 21 April 1970 24 June 1974ChancellorBruno KreiskyPreceded byKurt WaldheimSucceeded byErich BielkaPersonal detailsBorn20 March 1915Niederkappel Upper Austria Austro Hungarian EmpireDied30 March 2000 2000 03 30 aged 85 Vienna AustriaSpouseHerma Kirchschlager 1940 2000 Children2Alma materUniversity of Vienna Dr iur ProfessionDiplomatpoliticianjudgeSignature Contents 1 Early life and education 2 Post World War II 3 Presidency 4 Personal life and death 5 Honours 5 1 Austrian honours 5 2 Foreign honours 6 Literature 7 ReferencesEarly life and education EditBorn in Niederkappel Upper Austria Kirschlager was orphaned at the age of 11 He graduated from high school in Horn in 1935 with distinction and started to study law at the University of Vienna However after the Anschluss of Austria in 1938 he had to give up his studies Upon refusing to join the NSDAP his scholarship was revoked and Kirchschlager could not finance his studies any longer Kirchschlager worked as a bank clerk in 1938 until he was drafted to service in the infantry of the Wehrmacht in the summer of 1939 Kirchschlager fought as a soldier from the very beginning of the war first during the invasion of Poland later on the Western Front and after 1941 against Russia on the Eastern Front In late 1940 in order to get out of the military he used a two month front leave to prepare for the final exam Staatsexamen of his law studies Subsequently he passed the exams and graduated to Doctor iuris However he was sent back to the Eastern Front where he was wounded in 1942 Towards the end of war he was captain and training officer at the military academy at Wiener Neustadt in the Vienna region In early April 1945 commanding a company of cadets fighting approaching Soviet troops he was badly wounded on his leg an injury from which he never fully recovered Post World War II EditAfter the war Kirchschlager worked as a district judge until 1954 in Langenlois and later Vienna In 1954 he got the chance to work in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs although he did not speak any foreign languages In order to take part in the negotiations on the Austrian State Treaty he taught himself English in only a few months From 1967 until 1970 he was ambassador in Prague Despite orders not to do so he issued exit visas to Czech citizens who tried to flee from the Communists during the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia citation needed From 1970 to 1974 he was Minister of Foreign Affairs Presidency EditKirchschlager was elected President of Austria in 1974 In a programmatic lecture at Innsbruck University in February 1971 he outlined his understanding of an ethical foreign policy In 1974 he issued a pardon to convicted Austrian Nazi war criminal Franz Novak who had coordinated the railroad deportation of European Jews to concentration and extermination camps 1 In 1980 he was elected for a second term with an approval rate of 80 the highest rate ever obtained in any presidential elections In February 1984 he paid the first state visit of an Austrian president to the United States 2 3 Personal life and death Edit Herma Kirchschlager 1978 He was married to Herma Sorger 1916 2009 from 17 August 1940 4 until his death they had two children Christa born 1944 and Walter born 1947 5 6 7 Kirchschlager died of a heart attack on 30 March 2000 near Vienna aged 85 8 Honours EditAustrian honours Edit Grand Cross Order of Merit of the Austrian Republic Austria 1974 Foreign honours Edit Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Italy 1971 9 Knight of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau 10 House of Nassau 1975 Knight of the Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Spain 1978 11 Knight of the Order of the Elephant Denmark 1979 Knight of the Collar of the Order of Charles III Spain 1979 12 Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry Portugal 1984 13 Grand Cross of the Order of Pope Pius IX 14 Holy See 1990 First Class of the Order of Tomas Garrigue Masaryk Czech Republic 1996 Knight Grand Cross with Collar of Order of Pope Pius IX Holy See 2000 15 Literature EditRudolf Kirchschlager Der Friede beginnt im eigenen Haus Gedanken uber Osterreich Vienna Molden 1980 ISBN 3 217 01070 1 Rudolf Kirchschlager Ethik und Aussenpolitik Hans Kochler ed Philosophie und Politik Dokumentation eines interdisziplinaren Seminars Innsbruck Arbeitsgemeinschaft fur Wissenschaft und Politik pp 69 74 1973 Alois Mock Herbert Schambeck Hrsg Verantwortung in unserer Zeit Festschrift fur Rudolf Kirchschlager Osterreichische Staatsdruckerei 1990 Rabl Erich Rudolf Kirchschlager 1915 2000 Jurist Diplomat Aussenminister und Bundesprasident In Harald Hitz Franz Potscher Erich Rabl Thomas Winkelbauer Hg Waldviertler Biographien Bd 3 Horn Waldviertler Heimatbund 2010 S 399 428 ISBN 3 900708 26 6 Schenz Marco Bundesprasident Rudolf Kirchschlager Bohlau Verlag Wien 1984 References Edit Holocaust und Kriegsverbrechen vor Gericht Der Fall Osterreich Studienverlag Retrieved 21 July 2015 Visits to the U S by Foreign Heads of State and Government 1984 Bureau of Public Affairs Retrieved 14 March 2009 Remarks of President Reagan and President Rudolf Kirchschlager of Austria at the State Dinner Ronald Reagan Presidential Library 28 February 1984 Retrieved 14 March 2009 Search results www google com better source needed Senta Ziegler Osterreichs First Ladies Wien Ueberreuter 1999 Herma Kirchschlager ist tot in German DiePresse com 30 May 2009 Retrieved 30 May 2009 Senta Ziegler Osterreichs First Ladies Wien Ueberreuter 1999 Saxon Wolfgang 31 March 2000 Rudolf Kirchschlager 85 Judge Who Became Austria s President The New York Times Retrieved 14 March 2009 Le onorificenze della Repubblica Italiana quirinale it Retrieved 27 August 2019 Jean Schoos Die Orden und Ehrenzeichen des Grossherzogtums Luxemburg und des ehemaligen Herzogtums Nassau in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart Verlag der Sankt Paulus Druckerei AG Luxemburg 1990 ISBN 2 87963 048 7 S 344 Boletin Oficial del Estado Boletin Oficial del Estado Cidadaos Estrangeiros Agraciados com Ordens Portuguesas Pagina Oficial das Ordens Honorificas Portuguesas Retrieved 4 August 2017 AAS 82 1990 Heft 12 S 1463 AAS 93 2001 Heft 8 S 563 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Rudolf Kirchschlager amp oldid 1139421211, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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