14 Facts About Josef Klaus

Josef Klaus was an Austrian politician of the conservative People's Party.

Josef Klaus served as State Governor of Salzburg from 1949 to 1961, as Minister of Finance from 1961 to 1963 and as Chancellor of Austria from 1964 to 1970.

Josef Klaus studied law at the University of Vienna, where he joined the Cartellverband of Catholic male student fraternities.

Josef Klaus obtained his doctorate in 1934 and worked in the legal department of the Chamber of Labour which at that time was integrated into the Austrofascist unitary trade union centres by the government of the Federal State of Austria.

Josef Klaus was captured in early 1945 and held in a POW camp.

Josef Klaus was elected governor of the Austrian state of Salzburg in 1949.

Josef Klaus became Minister of Finance under Raab's successor Alfons Gorbach, whom he succeeded as OVP party chairman on 20 September 1963.

When Gorbach resigned on 25 February 1964, Josef Klaus followed him as Chancellor.

In office from 2 April 1964, Josef Klaus initially continued the grand coalition with the Socialists under Vice-Chancellor Bruno Pittermann according to the Proporz system that had governed Austria since 1945.

Josef Klaus led the OVP into the 1966 legislative election, during which he called for an end to the coalition.

However, reversing himself, Josef Klaus proposed new coalition terms to Pittermann's successor as Socialist leader, Bruno Kreisky.

Josef Klaus then formed an exclusively OVP cabinet, the first one-party government of the Second Republic.

Josef Klaus started many reforms and is remembered for his effective stewardship of the government, but he lost the 1970 election to Kreisky's Socialists.

Josef Klaus might have been able to continue by entering into a coalition with the Freedom Party of Austria, but immediately resigned after losing the elections.