Thomas Klestil | |
|---|---|
 Klestil in 1999 | |
| President of Austria | |
| In office 8 July 1992 – 6 July 2004 | |
| Chancellor | Franz Vranitzky Viktor Klima Wolfgang Schüssel |
| Preceded by | Kurt Waldheim |
| Succeeded by | Heinz Fischer |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1932-11-04)4 November 1932 Vienna, Austria |
| Died | 6 July 2004(2004-07-06) (aged 71) Vienna, Austria |
| Cause of death | Multiple organ failure |
| Political party | People's Party |
| Spouses | |
| Alma mater | Vienna University of Economics and Business |
| Signature |  |
Thomas Klestil (German pronunciation:[ˈtoːmasˈklɛstɪl]ⓘ; 4 November 1932 – 6 July 2004) was an Austriandiplomat and politician who served as thepresident of Austria from 1992 until his death in 2004. He was elected in 1992 and re-elected in 1998.
Born inVienna to aworking class family — his father was a tramway employee — Klestil went to school inLandstraße where he made friends withJoe Zawinul. He studied at theVienna University of Economics and Business Administration and received his doctorate in 1957.[1] After entering thecivil service he worked in Austria as well as abroad, e.g. forOECD. In 1969, he established the Austrianconsulate-general in Los Angeles, where he befriendedArnold Schwarzenegger.[1] Fluent in English, Klestil served as thePermanent Representative of Austria to the United Nations (1978–1982) and Ambassador to the United States (1982–1987) prior to his election as president.[2]
After being nominated by the conservativeAustrian People's Party to run for president, he succeededKurt Waldheim on 8 July 1992. However, in the course of his two terms of office, Klestil's alienation from his own party became increasingly obvious, so much so that there was open antagonism betweenFederal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel and Klestil when, in 2000, the latter had to swear in the newly formed coalition government withJörg Haider'sAustrian Freedom Party.[1] Klestil, who during his election campaign had vowed to be an "active" president, repeatedly criticized the Austrian government and, in an interview with a Swissdaily given in 2003, stated that, theoretically speaking, it was in his power to dismiss the government any time he found it necessary to do so.[citation needed] As a matter of fact, the Austrian constitution gives far-reaching powers to the president, but these had never been exercised by any of Klestil's predecessors.
Klestil gave his support to the development ofKiryat Mattersdorf, aHaredi Jewish neighborhood in northernJerusalem founded by theMattersdorferRav, RabbiShmuel Ehrenfeld, in 1959 in memory of theSiebengemeinden (Seven Communities) ofBurgenland that were destroyed in theHolocaust, Mattersdorf being one of them.[3] Ehrenfeld's son, RabbiAkiva Ehrenfeld, who served as president of the neighborhood, established close ties with the Austrian government to obtain funding for several institutions, including a kindergarten and the Neveh Simcha nursing home. Following Klestil's official state visit to Israel in 1994, which included a side tour of Kiryat Mattersdorf, Klestil hosted Ehrenfeld at an official reception at theHofburg Palace in Vienna on 24 January 1995.[4][5]
Klestil met his future wife Edith Wielander (1932–2011) at the age of 17 in 1949. The marriage took place in 1957 and until the election as Austrian president in 1992, the couple had three children together. The couple separated in 1994, when Klestil made public that he had a love affair with diplomatMargot Löffler.[6] The couple divorced in September 1998, and Klestil married Löffler three months later.[7] When Klestil died in 2004, Wielander attended the funeral service.
Klestil suffered from health issues related to his lungs, including a serious illness in 1996.
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On 5 July 2004, three days before he was to leave office, he suffered aheart attack orheart failure, probably caused by his long-term lung problems, and was left in critical condition. He died on 6 July at 23:33 local time at the AKH (Allgemeines Krankenhaus – General Hospital) in Vienna frommultiple organ failure.[1]
On 10 July 2004, his state funeral service was held inSt. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, and he was interred in the presidential crypt at Vienna's Central Cemetery (Zentralfriedhof). Among the notable dignitaries who attended his funeral were Russian presidentVladimir Putin, former Austrian president andUN secretary-generalKurt Waldheim, and Austrian-bornGovernor of CaliforniaArnold Schwarzenegger.[8] Klestil was the fifth president of Austria to die in office since 1950.
Austria : Great Star of Honour forServices to the Republic of Austria (20 December 1992)
Italy : Grand Cross with Collar of theOrder of Merit of the Italian Republic (27 January 1993)
Netherlands : Grand Cross of theOrder of the Netherlands Lion (22 February 1994)
Argentina : Grand Collar of theOrder of the Liberator General San Martín (1995)[9]
United Kingdom : Knight Grand Cross of theOrder of St. Michael and St. George
Peru : Grand Cross of theOrder of the Sun of Peru (1996)
Norway : Grand Cross of theOrder of St. Olav (8 April 1996)
Sweden : Knight of theRoyal Order of the Seraphim (5 February 1997)
Spain : Knight of the Collar of theOrder of Isabella the Catholic (8 July 1997)[10]
France : Grand Cross of theLegion of Honour (21 August 1998)
Poland :Order of the White Eagle (23 September 1998)
Ukraine : Grand Collar of theOrder of Prince Yaroslav the Wise (13 October 1998)[11]
Slovakia : Grand Cross (or 1st Class) of theOrder of the White Double Cross (1 November 1998)[12]
Romania : Collar of theOrder of the Star of Romania (22 January 1999)
Croatia : Knight Grand Cross of theGrand Order of King Tomislav ("For outstanding contribution to the promotion of friendship and development co-operation between the Republic of Croatia and the Republic of Austria." – 2 March 2001)
Thailand : Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of theOrder of the White Elephant (MPCh) (2002)
Algeria :Order of the Athir (13 March 2003)
Portugal : Collar of theOrder of Prince Henry[13]
| Diplomatic posts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Ambassador of Austria to the United Nations 1978–1982 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Ambassador of Austria to the United States 1982–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | President of Austria 1992–2004 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
