Gustaf Adolf Jakob Neumann (1924–18 February 2013;

Klosterneuburg Klosterneuburg (; frequently abbreviated as Kloburg by locals) is a town in Tulln District in the Austrian state of Lower Austria. It has a population of about 27,500. The Klosterneuburg Monastery, which was established in 1114 and soon after gi ...

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

) was an Austrian

investigative journalist Investigative journalism is a form of journalism in which reporters deeply investigate a single topic of interest, such as serious crimes, political corruption, or corporate wrongdoing. An investigative journalist may spend months or years rese ...

and newspaper editor known for his activism against

miscarriages of justice A miscarriage of justice occurs when a grossly unfair outcome occurs in a criminal or civil proceeding, such as the conviction and punishment of a person for a crime they did not commit. Miscarriages are also known as wrongful convictions. Inno ...

during the 1950s."About the editor"
Klosterneuburger Zeitung.

Education

He finished his "junior grade" at the missionary school in

Dachsberg Dachsberg is a municipality in the district of Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg in Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after ...

, "meant to act as missionary for the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales in Namibia. However, these plans failed because of "nazi disputes about the counterreformation of Ferdinand II. and because of nazi opposition against the plea for tolerance by Joseph II." (?). The missionary school was closed then by the NS–Stillhaltekommissar (in English maybe "NS-'keep still'-commissioners). Neumann finished his senior grades at the school of Benedictine monks in Kremsmünster and

Schottenstift The Schottenstift ( en, Scottish Abbey), formally called Benediktinerabtei unserer Lieben Frau zu den Schotten ( en, Benedictine Abbey of Our Dear Lady of the Scots), is a Catholic monastery founded in Vienna in 1155 when Henry II of Austria brou ...

in Vienna, where he also got his "school-leaving certificate".

Poetry

His first poetry readings were given in 1943 and 1944. However, early lyrics were released by the Edmund Huyke publisher in

Leipzig Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as ...

, yet were destroyed during the

Second World War 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 opposi ...

. ("Critics of the press in Moravia, Bohemian Austria and upper Austria praised Neumann's work with headlines such as 'A new Star in the sky of poets'").

Work as publisher

In 1945, Neumann founded ''Hausruck publishing'' house in Grieskirchen. Since 1945, with 21 years, he began to publish the weekly paper '' Echo der Heimat'' (in English maybe "echo of the homeland") for upper Austria and soon after for every federal state. That is when he began to report about

Nazi concentration camps From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps, (officially) or (more commonly). The Nazi concentration camps are distinguished from other types of Nazi camps such as forced-labor camps, as well as con ...

and political crimes. Neumann has since then been owner and manager of book- and offsetprinters for over 30 years.

Political life

He joined the political party ''

Verband der Unabhängigen The Federation of Independents (german: Verband der Unabhängigen, VdU) was a German nationalist and national-liberal political party in Austria active from 1949 to 1955. It was the predecessor of the Freedom Party of Austria (FPÖ). Formation ...

'' ("formation of independents"). With 24 years he was at that time the youngest party leader of Austria, yet not electable because of his age. However, Neumann has been overthrown by radicalized groups. By his publishing activity, Neumann helped to rehabilitate 13 wrongly convicted men (among them Rudolf Rechberger, Huberth Ranneth und Josef Auer). He also saved innumerable farm workers and people affected by liabilities they couldn't afford from

injustice Injustice is a quality relating to unfairness or undeserved outcomes. The term may be applied in reference to a particular event or situation, or to a larger status quo. In Western philosophy and jurisprudence, injustice is very commonly—but n ...

and

arbitrariness Arbitrariness is the quality of being "determined by chance, whim, or impulse, and not by necessity, reason, or principle". It is also used to refer to a choice made without any specific criterion or restraint. Arbitrary decisions are not necess ...

. Gerhard Mauz
"Schuldig, weil wir keinen anderen haben"
Der Spiegel, 18/1965, p.116.

Today

Today, he acts as the President of the supervisory board of the Casinos Austria International Holding plc. Since June 2007 he is honorary president of the organization. Neumann has been "decorated" with the title of "professor" and the "great golden sign of honor for accomplishments for the state of lower Austria" ("given" by

Erwin Pröll Erwin Pröll (born 24 December 1946, in Ziersdorf-Radlbrunn), is an Austrian conservative politician (ÖVP). From 1992 to 2017, he was the Governor of Lower Austria. He was born in Radlbrunn, Lower Austria and after obtaining his Matura at ...

?). He is also author of many articles and reports. Neumann is also the founder of the ''Gustaf Adolf Neumann Stiftung Tiere-Rechte'' ("Gustaf Adolf Neumann foundation for animal rights"). He is also consultant in architectural and graphical matters. He is father of 7 children, two times widower.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Neumann, Gustaf Adolf Jakob 1924 births 2013 deaths People from Lower Austria Austrian Roman Catholics Austrian journalists Investigative journalists