Rudolf Kirchschläger

Rudolf Kirchschläger (born March 20, 1915, death March 30, 2000) was an Austrian diplomat, politician, judge and from 1974 to 1986 Austrian president.

Education and early life

Kirschläger was an orphan from 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, he had to give up his studies. Without joining the NSDAP, which he refused to do, his scholarship was revoked and Kirchschläger could not finance his studies any more. Kirchschläger worked as a bank clerk in 1938 untill he was drafted to service in the infrantry of the Wehrmacht in summer of 1939. Kirchschläger fought as a soldier from the very beginning of the war, first during the invasion of Poland, later on the Westfront and after 1941 against Russia on the eastern front.

In late 1940 in order to get out of the military and be assigned to a job in Austria, he used a two-month front-leave in order to prepare for the final exam (Staatsexamen) of his law studies. Working up to 20 hours a day, while keeping himself awake with large amounts of honey, he subsequently passed the exams and graduated to Dr. iuris. Nevertheless this accomplishment did not help him immediately, he was sent back to the eastern front, where he was wounded badly by a russian grenate in 1942 (an injury he would never fully recover from).

Post WW2 life

After the war Kirchschläger worked as a district judge untill 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 teached himself English within only a few months.

From 1967 to 1970 he was ambassador in Prague. His behaviour during the Soviet invasion in Prague in spring 1968 is most notable. Despite orders not to do so, he issued thousands of exit visas to tchech citizens who tried to flee from the Communists.

From 1970 to 1974 he was minister of foreign affairs and was elected President of Austria in 1974. His integrity as President and his diligency with that he exercised his office raised him to an admired and beloved figure within Austrian politics. In 1980 he was elected for a second term with an approval rate of 80 %, the highest rate ever obtained in any presidential elections.

Kirchschläger died in 2000 near Vienna.