Franz Jonas | |
|---|---|
 Jonas in 1965 | |
| President of Austria | |
| In office 9 June 1965 – 24 April 1974 | |
| Chancellor | Josef Klaus Bruno Kreisky |
| Preceded by | Adolf Schärf |
| Succeeded by | Rudolf Kirchschläger |
| Mayor and Governor of Vienna | |
| In office 18 June 1951 – 9 June 1965 | |
| Preceded by | Theodor Körner |
| Succeeded by | Bruno Marek |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1899-10-04)4 October 1899 Floridsdorf, Austria-Hungary |
| Died | 24 April 1974(1974-04-24) (aged 74) Vienna, Austria |
| Political party | Socialist Party of Austria |
| Spouse | Margarete Jonas |
Franz Josef Jonas (4 October 1899 – 24 April 1974) was an Austrian politician who served as thepresident of Austria between 1965 and 1974 as a member of theSocialist Party of Austria. He previously served asmayor of Vienna from 1951 to 1965 while simultaneously serving in theAustrian Parliament. Jonas first entered politics as a young adult while he was working as a typesetter, joining theSocialist Youth Movement and the Printers' Union. He served on the town council ofFloridsdorf beginning in 1945 and was then placed in command of Vienna's food supply and housing in 1948 and 1949, respectively. Jonas took interest in international affairs, making several international trips as mayor and as president. As president, he oversaw the creation of aminority government underBruno Kreisky, the leader of the Socialist Party. Jonas died in office after he was diagnosed with stomach cancer.
Franz Jonas was born inVienna on 4 October 1899. He was born to a working class family and had seven siblings. After graduating school, he attended the printers' school of graphic arts.[1] He later attended the Wiener Arbeiterbildungszentrum (transl. Viennese Workers' Education Centre) where his instructors included fellow future presidentsKarl Renner,Adolf Schärf, andTheodor Körner.[1] He did not receive formal schooling at a traditional university.[2] Jonas was conscripted duringWorld War I to fight in theAustro-Hungarian Armed Forces in 1917.[1] He served in the Deutschmeister regiment,[3] where he served on theEastern Front and theItalian front. He got a job as atypesetter at the end of the war in 1919 and continued in the profession until 1932.[1]
Jonas met Margarete "Grete" Towarek in 1921 at the home of a worker with the socialists, and they married on 22 December 1922. They honeymooned in theVienna Woods and then moved into a Krankenhaushäusern in Floridsdorf. They did not have any children, as they were first unable to support any financially and then were unable to have any because of health complications.[3] Jonas was interested in designing stamps, and he played sports.[1] He was also anEsperantist, joining theEsperanto workers movement and becoming an instructor of the language.[3]
Jonas became active in socialist politics, joining theSocialist Youth Movement, becoming an official in the Printers' Union, and serving as socialist organiser for his district in the 1930s.[1] He was arrested along with numerous other socialists in 1935 and charged with treason, but he was acquitted and released in 1936.[2] The typesetter shop where he had worked closed at this time, leaving him unemployed.[3] Jonas became an engine factory clerk duringWorld War II.[1] He was appointed to the town council ofFloridsdorf after the Allied powerstook control of Austria in 1945, where he became chairman in 1946.[2] Jonas was put in command of Vienna's food supply in 1948, and he became the Viennese Commissioner for Housing in 1949.[1] He became leader of Vienna's branch of theSocialist Party of Austria (SPÖ) in 1950.[3]
Jonas becamemayor of Vienna in June 1951 as the previous office holder, his former instructor Körner, becamepresident of Austria. Jonas served as the Viennese mayor for 14 years.[1] Because of his interest in foreign affairs, Jonas made several international trips while he was mayor.[1] He emphasised the city's international significance, seeking to revitalise it as a hub for European culture and diplomacy. Jonas was elected to parliament the same year his mayoralty began. He served in theFederal Council from 1951 to 1953 and then moved to theNational Council.[2] He held this position until he was elected president in 1965. As mayor, Jonas also served the chairman of the Austrian union of towns and an executive within theCouncil of European Municipalities and Regions.[1] He was generally popular as mayor.[2]
PresidentAdolf Schärf of theSocialist Party of Austria (SPÖ) died in office, promptinga presidential election in 1965.[4] Jonas won the election and was elected president on 23 May 1965.[1] He was elected by the SPÖ with a popular vote of 2,324,436, defeatingAustrian People's Party (ÖVP) candidateAlfons Gorbach who received 2,260,888 votes.[4] Jonas's lack of a formal education was a major issue during the election.[2] He took office on 21 June 1951.[5]
In 1966, Jonas was awarded the Grand Cross ofThe Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav with Collar, and in 1969 theÖOC Pierre de Coubertin Medal.[6]
Jonas used his power to reject government appointments in the 1960s to oppose the ÖVP government's choices for president of the administrative court and for ambassador toWest Germany.[5] Jonas was popular among the public, to the point that SPÖ party leaderBruno Kreisky tried to make their names synonymous during the1970 legislative election.[4] No party won a majority of seats, so Jonas was responsible for approving a negotiated government. The SPÖ held a plurality and Kreisky asked Jonas to appoint aminority government with the implicit endorsement of theFreedom Party of Austria. Rather than force coalition negotiations, Jonas agreed and appointed Kreisky aschancellor of Austria.[5] Jonas was reelected presidenton 25 April 1971.[1] He received 2,488,372 votes, defeating ÖVP candidateKurt Waldheim who received 2,225,368 votes.[4] Jonas's second term began on 9 June 1971.[5]
Continuing his interest in international affairs, Jonas visited Iran in 1965, the United Kingdom in 1966, Thailand and Canada in 1967, Yugoslavia in 1968, Switzerland and Romania in 1969, Belgium, Bulgaria, and Hungary in 1970, Finland in 1972, and West Germany in 1973.[1] His visit to the United Kingdom received widespread attention as it was the first time a leader of a formerAxis nation visited anAllied nation.[3] He also hosted several leaders in Vienna, including Norwegian kingOlav V, Soviet presidentNikolai Podgorny, Yugoslav presidentJosip Broz Tito, British queenElizabeth II, and Romanian presidentNicolae Ceaușescu.[1] Jonas removed himself from his duties as president on 27 March 1974 following a diagnosis of stomach cancer.[2] He died in aVienna University clinic[1] on 24 April 1974.[5]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Mayor and Governor of Vienna 1951–1965 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of Austria 1965–1974 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
