Hertha Firnberg (18 September 1909 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 ...
– 14 February 1994 Vienna) was an Austrian politician.
Life
Hertha Firnberg was born on 18 September 1909 as the eldest daughter of Anna, née Shamanek, and Dr. Josef Firnberg. She was born in the 18th district of Vienna,
Währing
Währing () is the 18th district of Vienna and lies in northwestern Vienna on the edge of the Vienna Woods. It was formed in 1892 from the unification of the older suburbs of Währing, Weinhaus, Gersthof, Pötzleinsdorf, Neustift am Walde and Sa ...
. Later, the family moved to
Niederrußbach in Lower Austria, where her father worked as a community doctor. After Hertha's birth, her mother gave up her job as a civil servant and gave birth to two brothers, and one sister.
After elementary school, she attended the middle school in
Hernals
Hernals (; Viennese German: Hernois) is the 17th district of Vienna, Austria (german: 17. Bezirk, Hernals).
Hernals is in northwest Vienna.Statistik Austria, 2007, webpagestatistik.at-23450.
Wien.gv.at webpage (see below: References).
It was anne ...
Vienna. In 1926, she joined the
Association of Socialist middle school students (VSM), in which she soon became deputy chairwoman. As a student at the
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...
, she was a member of the
Association of Socialist Students (VSSt).
In 1928, she joined the Social Democratic Workers Party, the leading party of the "Red Vienna". Together with her sister, she moved into a small housing estate in the 10th district,
Favoriten
Favoriten (; Central Bavarian: ''Favoritn''), the 10th district of Vienna, Austria (german: 10. Bezirk, Favoriten), is located south of the central districts. It is south of Innere Stadt, Wieden and Margareten. Favoriten is a heavily populat ...
. Trude ran a lending library in the house.
After two semesters, she changed to economic and social history. In 1930, she studied for a short time at the
University of Freiburg
The University of Freiburg (colloquially german: Uni Freiburg), officially the Albert Ludwig University of Freiburg (german: Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg), is a public university, public research university located in Freiburg im Breisg ...
. In February 1934, her political party was banned. In 1936, she received his doctorate with
Alfons Dopsch
Alfons Dopsch (14 June 1868 in Lobositz, Bohemia – 1 September 1953 in Vienna) was an Austrian social and economic historian who specialised in the history of medieval Europe. He studied at Institut fur Osterreichische Geschichtsforschung and wa ...
in Vienna with a dissertation entitled "Wage workers and freelance work in the Middle Ages and at the beginning of modern times: A contribution to the history of agricultural wage labor in Germany." The work, published, in 1935, by
Dopsch, identifies her as Hertha Hon-Firnberg. She was twice married briefly before the Second World War, both marriages ended in divorce.
As an active
Social Democrat
Social democracy is a Political philosophy, political, Social philosophy, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports Democracy, political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocati ...
, Firnberg could not practice as a social researcher. She earned her living tutoring and as a freelance business journalist. From 1941 to 1945, she worked for
Chic Parisienne, a leading fashion publisher; at the same time she learned bookkeeping and operational management.
After the end of the war, Hertha Firnberg received a position as librarian and assistant at the
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna (german: Universität Wien) is a public research university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world. With its long and rich histor ...
. In addition, she learned statistics and their application to the economic and social events. In addition, she worked part-time in an advertising and statistics office. When she started working in the
Lower Austrian Chamber of Labor in 1948, this was only in the reconstruction. Firnberg then became Senior Secretary, Department Head of Statistics and Head of the Study Library.
Political career
From 1959–1963, Firnberg was member for Vienna of the Federal Council, and from 1963–1983 member of the National Council. In 1967, she succeeded
Rosa Jochmann
Rosa Jochmann (19 July 1901 – 28 January 1994) was an Austrian resistance activist and Ravensbrück concentration camp survivor who became a politician (SPÖ).
Life Provenance and early years
Rosa Jochmann was born in the 20th district ...
as chairman of socialist women and held this position until 1981. Their political home was the SPÖ district organization in
Favoriten
Favoriten (; Central Bavarian: ''Favoritn''), the 10th district of Vienna, Austria (german: 10. Bezirk, Favoriten), is located south of the central districts. It is south of Innere Stadt, Wieden and Margareten. Favoriten is a heavily populat ...
.
She has held posts in the National Council in the Finance, Education and Judiciary Committees, as well as the second chairwoman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, spokeswoman for the Socialist Group on education, science and research issues and legal reform issues, especially family law.
From 1959–1970, she was also a member of the Austrian delegation to the Consultative Assembly of the Council of Europe, Vice-President of its Commission for Refugee and Population Affairs and member of the Asylum Advisory Council in the Ministry of the Interior.
When
Bruno Kreisky
Bruno Kreisky (; 22 January 1911 – 29 July 1990) was an Austrian social democratic politician who served as Foreign Minister from 1959 to 1966 and as Chancellor from 1970 to 1983. Aged 72 at the end of his chancellorship, he was the oldest Ch ...
formed his first cabinet in 1970, Firnberg was initially appointed minister without a portfolio, but with the task of founding a federal ministry for science and research. The Ministry was established by law on 24 July 1970, Firnberg was appointed the first Minister of Science of Austria. She was only the second woman Minister in the history of Austria after
Grete Rehor. In her term as a minister (1970–1983) – she also belonged to the federal governments Kreisky which enacted university reform in 1975 (University Organization Act 1975).
The Hertha Firnberg Programme is named after her.
References
External links
* https://web.archive.org/web/20181113032147/https://www.parlament.gv.at/PAKT/VHG/XXIV/AB/AB_10542/imfname_251156.pdf
{{DEFAULTSORT:Firnberg, Hertha
1994 deaths
1909 births
People from Währing
Members of the Federal Council (Austria)
Women government ministers of Austria
University of Vienna alumni
Members of the National Council (Austria)
Social Democratic Party of Austria politicians
20th-century Austrian women politicians
20th-century Austrian politicians