Theodor Korner Austrian politician Date of Birth: 23.04.1873 Country: Austria

Biography of Theodor Körner

Theodor Körner, an Austrian politician, served as the President of Austria from 1951 to 1957. He was born in Ujszőny (a suburb of modern-day Komárom) into a family of Austro-Hungarian army officers. Körner attended military school and the military academy, becoming a lieutenant in 1894. He served as an officer in Agram (now Zagreb) and rose to the rank of major by 1904. In the same year, he joined the Austrian General Staff. During World War I, Körner was one of the most active commanders on the Italian front. He retired from military service in 1924 as a general.

Always interested in politics, Körner became a member of the Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) and was elected to parliament in 1924. He served as the President of the Federal Council from December 1933 to February 1934. However, his political career was interrupted by the Austrian Civil War and the establishment of the Austrofascist dictatorship. Körner, along with many other party members, was arrested by the authoritarian government, which banned all opposition parties. Following the Anschluss and during World War II, he was once again arrested, this time by the Nazis.

After the war, on April 17, 1945, Körner was appointed as the temporary mayor of Vienna by the Soviet occupying forces in Austria. He was responsible for the reconstruction and restoration of the capital, which had suffered greatly during the war. After the death of Karl Renner, Körner's party nominated him as a candidate for the presidency of Austria, and he won the elections with just over 51 percent of the vote. He became the country's first president to be elected by direct voting. Körner passed away during his term.