Gustav Schädler | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Prime Minister of Liechtenstein | |
| In office 10 June 1922 – 24 June 1928 | |
| Monarch | Johann II |
| Deputy | Alfons Feger |
| Preceded by | Felix Gubelmann (acting) |
| Succeeded by | Prince Alfred Roman of Liechtenstein (acting) |
| Liechtenstein government councillor | |
| In office 2 March 1922 – 10 June 1922 | |
| Prime Minister | Josef Ospelt |
| Member of theLandtag of Liechtenstein | |
| In office 1919–1922 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1883-11-18)18 November 1883 |
| Died | 19 June 1961(1961-06-19) (aged 77) Vaduz, Liechtenstein |
| Political party | Christian-Social People's Party |
| Spouse | |
| Relations | Adolf Real (father-in-law) |
| Children | 2 |
Gustav Schädler (/ˈʃɛdlər/,German:[ˈɡʊstafˈʃɛːdlɐ];18 November 1883 – 19 June 1961) was a teacher and politician fromLiechtenstein who served asPrime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1922 to 1928. He previously served as a government councillor in 1922 and in theLandtag of Liechtenstein from 1919 to 1922.
Starting his career as a teacher, he gained political prominence as a public speaker before serving in the Landtag of Liechtenstein and then as a government councillor as a member of theChristian Social People's Party (VP). He was a major proponent of Liechtenstein's constitutional revision, and represented the VP at thecastle agreements in 1920. Appointed as prime minister in 1922, Schädler achieved forming acustoms union with Switzerland and the reorientation the Liechtenstein's administration to the recently introduced1921 constitution. Though his tenure also faced economic challenges such as the1927 Alpine Rhine flood, and Liechtenstein was consistently faced financial difficulties. He was forced to resign byJohann II as a result of anembezzlement scandal in 1928.
Following his resignation as prime minister, Schädler again worked as a teacher. He re-entered politics as an editor of theLiechtensteiner Vaterland duringWorld War II. In 1946, he was sentenced to 6 months of prison due to illegal espionage for German intelligence agencies, but he did not serve the sentence due to health reasons. He died unexpectedly following a surgery in 1961.
Schädler was born on 18 November 1883 inTriesenberg as the son of Adolf Schädler and Maria, (née Beck) as one of five children. He attended teacher's training college inBad Saulgau before being trained as a teacher in linguistics and history inZurich from 1906 to 1912. From 1914 to 1922, he worked as a teacher in the state school inVaduz.[1]
Schädler, who had already risen to political promience as a public speaker, was appointed byJohann II to the Landtag of Liechtenstein in 1919 as a member of theChristian Social People's Party (VP), where he served until 1922.[1][2] During this time, alongsideWilhelm Beck, he was a proponent for Liechtenstein's constitutional revision and political alignment towards Switzerland.[1] In 1920 he, alongside Beck andAnton Walser, represented the VP at thecastle agreements with Johann II and his representatives, which largely succeeded in fulfilling the party's demands towards the constitutional revision.[3] He also wrote for the VP's press, and was a correspondent to the Swiss newspaperNeue Zürcher Zeitung.[1]
Following the1921 stamp affair Schädler, alongside Franz Xaver Gassner, were appointed to investigative commission, which found deficiencies in the Liechtenstein stamping transactions, which damaged the reputation of the country's stamps.[4] He was appointed as a government councillor on 2 March 1922 in theJosef Ospelt cabinet.[1] He also continued this position under the provisional governments ofAlfons Feger andFelix Gubelmann.[5]
Schädler was the second prime minister of Liechtenstein, serving from 6 June 1922 to 24 June 1928.[1][6] The1922 Liechtenstein general election resulted in a win for the VP, and following the resignation ofJosef Ospelt, Schädler was appointed as prime minister.[1][7][8]
Schädler's tenure as prime minister oversaw Liechtenstein's political and economic reorientation towards Switzerland.[1] His government successfully negotiated the establishment of a customs union between the two countries, which took effect in 1924, along with the adoption of theswiss franc the same year.[1][9] His government was also responsible for reorientating the country's administration to the recently introduced1921 constitution.[1] To support this, Schädler's government also adopted several laws created by Wilhelm Beck andEmil Beck (no relation); notably theLaw on General State Administration in 1922 and tax law in 1922, property law in 1923, and state court law in 1925.[10]
Following the1926 elections, there was a government crisis when the VP refused to electLudwig Marxer as a government councillor. It directly led toearly elections a few months later, and ended due to Marxer's resignation.[11]
Liechtenstein consistently faced financial difficulties during Schädler's tenure. In 1922, 1925, 1927 and 1928 the country was forced to take loans from Switzerland.[12] His government introduced thepersonal and corporate law in 1926, also written by Wilhelm and Emil Beck, which increased the amount of companies residing in Liechtenstein, and also invited investors primarily fromGermany due to a lessened tax burden.[13] Following areferendum in September 1925, theLawena Power Plant resumed construction and was completed in 1927.[14][15] It was deemed an economic necessity and was Liechtenstein's first source of domestic energy.[15]
On 25 September 1927, theAlpine Rhine flooded and destroyed large portions ofSchaan,Gamprin andRuggell, resulting in the deaths of two people. The event had devasting effects on Liechtenstein's economy, and the recovery effort involved rescue efforts from the Austrian and Swiss militaries and clean-up from international scouts. Schädler was able to secure aid from Switzerland, but also had to take out a loan of 1.5 million Swiss francs. In addition, Johann II donated another million francs to support repairs. The disaster prompted the establishment of a Liechtenstein state savings and loan bank.[16]
From 1926 to 1928, members of the VP, Franz Thöny,Anton Walser, Niko Beck, and Rudolf Carbone embezzled around 4 million francs from theNational Bank of Liechtenstein for various speculative transactions.[17][18] The national bank had previously been restructured by the VP in 1922, and many of its officials were replaced by allies of the party. By 1927, the bank's management and supervision was hampered by continued political conflict, and oversight boards failed to address the problem, allowing the embezzlement to continue.[19]
When the scandal came to light in June 1928, the FBP demanded that Schädler's government immediately resign and the Landtag be dismissed.[20] The party threatened to hold a street demonstration to pressure the government if this did not happen.[21] Johann II, who blamed the VP for the scandal, refused to receive Schädler inVienna and instead invited leading figures of the FBP, who recommended the dismissal of Schädler's government.[21] As a result, Johann II demanded that Schädler resign and threatened to enact an emergency constitutional clause should he not do so.[22] He resigned on 15 June 1928 and the following day Johann II dismissed the Landtag and early elections were called.Prince Alfred of Liechtenstein was temporarily appointed as acting as prime minister. The subsequent1928 general election resulted in a majority for the FBP and he was succeeded byJosef Hoop as prime minister.[17]
The constitution gave the reigning prince the right to appoint the prime minister, but it had no specific clause for dismissing them. Due to Johann II forcing Schädler's resignation against the will of the VP, it raised questions regarding the constitution. The VP believed that they had been treated unfairly by the prince; the members of the Landtag belonging to the VP refused to accept the resignation, believing it to be unconstitutional. On the other hand, Johann II justified the dismissal as necessary for Liechtenstein's security.[23]
Following his resignation as prime minister in 1928, Schädler again worked as a teacher in Vaduz until 1945. He was a member of the Liechtenstein school board from 1939 to 1945.[1]
In 1931, an inditement was placed against Schädler in theLiechtenstein state court for violating supervisory and official duties in the administration of the national bank.[1][17] However, he was later acquitted, partly because the charges had exceeded thestatute of limitations and partly because his conduct was not judged to be the result of gross negligence.[1]
Schädler, alongsidePatriotic Union (VU) presidentOtto Schaedler, was the editor of theLiechtensteiner Vaterland from 1943 to 1944.[24][25] During this time he wrote articles about Switzerland, supposedly for the German press, but it was used by German intelligence agencies. In 1946, he was sentenced to 6 months in prison for illegal espionage. The VU considered the conviction unfair, but ultimately he did not serve the sentence due to health reasons.[1] He retired in 1945, but continued to contribute to theNeue Zürcher Zeitung by writing about Liechtenstein's history and culture.[26]
Schädler married Olga Real (29 July 1889 – 26 July 1974), the daughter ofAdolf Real, on 16 December 1918 and they had 2 children together. He was from Triesenberg, but lived in Vaduz from 1914.[1]
Schädler, who suffered from a heart condition, died unexpectedly on 19 June 1961 due to complications from a surgery he had underwent a few weeks prior. He was 77 years old.[26]
