Franz Josef Jonas (4 October 1899 – 24 April 1974) was an Austrian politician who served as the

President of Austria The president of Austria (german: Bundespräsident der Republik Österreich) is the head of state of the Republic of Austria. Though theoretically entrusted with great power by the Constitution, in practice the president is largely a ceremonial ...

between 1965 and 1974. He was a typesetter by profession and a member of the

Social Democratic Party of Austria The Social Democratic Party of Austria (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Österreichs , SPÖ), founded and known as the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria (german: link=no, Sozialdemokratische Arbeiterpartei Österreichs, SDAPÖ) unti ...

. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, he got involved in

Viennese Viennese may refer to: * Vienna, the capital of Austria * Viennese people, List of people from Vienna * Viennese German, the German dialect spoken in Vienna * Music of Vienna, musical styles in the city * Viennese Waltz, genre of ballroom dance * V ...

communal politics and was

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of Vienna from 1951 to 1965. From 1965, he was federal president and was re-elected in 1971. Jonas was a fervent supporter of

Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communi ...

, and starting in 1923, became a long-time instructor of the language. His address to the 1970

World Congress of Esperanto The World Esperanto Congress ( eo, Universala Kongreso de Esperanto, UK) is an annual Esperanto convention. It has the longest tradition among international Esperanto conventions, with an almost unbroken run for 113 years. The congresses have be ...

, which was held in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

, was delivered in Esperanto. In 1974, he died in office, the fourth consecutive president to do so. In Vienna, a large tram station officially called '' Schottentor'' which was built when he was mayor is colloquially named after him (''Jonas-Reindl'', which translates as ''Jonas bowl''). In 1966, Jonas was awarded the Grand Cross of

The Royal Norwegian Order of St. Olav The Royal Norwegian Order of Saint Olav ( no, Den Kongelige Norske Sankt Olavs Orden; or ''Sanct Olafs Orden'', the old Norwegian name) is a Norwegian order of chivalry instituted by King Oscar I on 21 August 1847. It is named after King Olav I ...

with Collar, and in 1969 the Pierre de Coubertin medal.Newsletter No. 22
Comité international olympique, Château de Vidy 1007 Lausanne, p. 402

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jonas, Franz 1899 births 1974 deaths Presidents of Austria Mayors of Vienna Austrian Esperantists Austrian people of Czech descent Politicians from Vienna Burials at the Vienna Central Cemetery Social Democratic Party of Austria politicians Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Grand Star of the Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria Honorary Knights Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath Recipients of the Pierre de Coubertin medal