Leopold Gratz

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Leopold Gratz in 1980
Leopold Gratz in 1980

Leopold Gratz (November 4, 1929March 2, 2006) was an Austrian politician.

Born in Vienna, Gratz was a law graduate and a member of the Austrian Social Democratic Party (SPÖ). From 1963 to 1966 he was a member of the Bundesrat, from 1970 to 1971 Federal Minister of Education and the Arts. From 1966 to 1973 and from 1986 to 1989 he served as a member of the Nationalrat, from 1971 to 1973 as the leader of the Socialist group in parliament.

From 1973 to 1984 he was Mayor of Vienna and head of Vienna's municipal government. In 1976, he became chairman of the Vienna chapter of the Austrian Social Democratic Party. From 1984 to 1986 he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and from 1986 to 1989 he was the first president of the Nationalrat. His term of office as mayor of Vienna was overshadowed by the "Bauring" affair and the scandal around the construction of the Vienna General Hospital. He had to resign from the government in 1989 following another scandal, the Udo Proksch affair.

Gratz died in Vienna.

Preceded by:
Felix Slavik
Mayor of Vienna
19731984
Succeeded by:
Helmut Zilk
Foreign Ministers of Austria
First Austrian Republic: Victor Adler | Otto Bauer | Karl Renner | Michael Mayr | Johann Schober | Walter Breisky | Leopold Hennet | Alfred Grünberger | Heinrich Mataja | Rudolf Ramek | Ignaz Seipel | Ernst Streeruwitz | Johann Schober | Ignaz Seipel | Johann Schober | Karl Buresch | Engelbert Dollfuß | Stephan Tauschitz | Egon Berger-Waldenegg | Kurt Schuschnigg | Guido Schmidt | Wilhelm Wolf
Second Austrian Republic: Karl Gruber | Leopold Figl | Bruno Kreisky | Lujo Tončić-Sorinj | Kurt Waldheim | Rudolf Kirchschläger | Erich Bielka | Willibald Pahr | Erwin Lanc | Leopold Gratz | Peter Jankowitsch | Alois Mock | Wolfgang Schüssel | Benita Ferrero-Waldner | Ursula Plassnik