Michael Mayr (10 April 1864 – 21 May 1922) was an Austrian politician, who served as
Chancellor of Austria
The chancellor of the Republic of Austria () is the head of government of the Republic of Austria. The position corresponds to that of Prime Minister in several other parliamentary democracies.
Current officeholder is Karl Nehammer of the Aus ...
in the
First Austrian Republic
The First Austrian Republic (german: Erste Österreichische Republik), officially the Republic of Austria, was created after the signing of the Treaty of Saint-Germain-en-Laye on 10 September 1919—the settlement after the end of World War I w ...
from July 1920 to June 1921. He was a member of the Christian Social Party, and by profession a
historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the stu ...
.
Life
Mayr was born in
Adlwang
Adlwang is a municipality in the district of Steyr-Land in the Austrian state of Upper Austria.
Geography
Adlwang lies south of Bad Hall and west of Steyr
Steyr (; Central Bavarian: ''Steia'') is a statutory city, located in the Austrian fede ...
in
Upper Austria
Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, a ...
, the son of a farmer. He studied history and geography 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 ...
and earned a
doctorate
A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...
in 1890. From 1897 through 1920 he served as director of the
Tyrol
Tyrol (; historically the Tyrole; de-AT, Tirol ; it, Tirolo) is a historical region in the Alps - in Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Emp ...
State Archives (''Tiroler Landesarchiv''). In 1900 he became a Professor of Modern History at the
University of Innsbruck
The University of Innsbruck (german: Leopold-Franzens-Universität Innsbruck; la, Universitas Leopoldino Franciscea) is a public research university in Innsbruck, the capital of the Austrian federal state of Tyrol, founded on October 15, 1669.
...
.
Mayr's political career began under the
Austro-Hungarian Empire
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
, when from 1907 to 1911 he was a member of the Imperial Council (''Reichsrat'') legislature and from 1908 to 1914 of the Tyrolean ''
Landtag
A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non- ...
'' assembly. With the breakup of the Empire at the end of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Mayr was in 1919/20 a delegate for the Christian Social Party to the
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repre ...
drafting the new
Constitution of Austria
The Constitution of Austria (german: Österreichische Bundesverfassung) is the body of all constitutional law of the Republic of Austria on the federal level. It is split up over many different acts. Its centerpiece is the Federal Constitutional ...
. State Chancellor (''Staatskanzler'')
Karl Renner
Karl Renner (14 December 1870 – 31 December 1950) was an Austrian politician and jurist of the Social Democratic Workers' Party of Austria. He is often referred to as the "Father of the Republic" because he led the first government of German ...
appointed him a state secretary in his grand coalition government on 17 October 1919.
After Renner's cabinet finally collapsed, Mayr on 7 July 1920 succeeded him as acting "director of the state chancellery", as part of an interim government of his Christian Social Party and the Social Democratic Labor Party (SDAP). Renner himself remained
State Secretary for Foreign Affairs
The State Secretary for Foreign Affairs ( sv, Kabinettssekreterare) is the highest position below the rank of cabinet minister at the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs. , Jan Knutsson is State Secretary.Austrian legislative election of October 17, to remain in opposition until the end of
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 ...
. From 10 November 1920, with the Constitution's coming into force, the cabinet formed the
Austrian Federal Government
The Government of Austria (german: Bundesregierung der Republik Österreich) is the executive cabinet of the Republic of Austria. It consists of the chancellor, who is the head of government, the vice chancellor and the ministers.
Appointm ...
, with Mayr as Federal Chancellor (''Bundeskanzler'').
On 20 November 1920, the newly established National Council parliament elected Mayr Chancellor of a Christian Social minority government. He also remained Foreign Minister of the country, until the cabinet resigned on 1 June 1921, in response to a referendum that was called in
Styria
Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...
proposing that the state leave Austria and join
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
Johann Schober
Johannes "Johann" Schober (born 14 November 1874 in Perg; died 19 August 1932 in Baden bei Wien) was an Austrian jurist, law enforcement official, and politician. Schober was appointed Vienna Chief of Police in 1918 and became the founding preside ...
, backed by the Christian-Socials and the
Greater German People's Party
The Greater German People's Party ( German ''Großdeutsche Volkspartei'', abbreviated GDVP) was a German nationalist and national liberal political party during the First Republic of Austria, established in 1920.
Foundation
After World War I an ...
. He died about a year later in
Waldneukirchen
Waldneukirchen is a municipality in the district of Steyr-Land in the Austrian state of Upper Austria.
Geography
The extension of Waldneukirchen is 5.5 km from north to south and 8.5 km from west to east. 14.8% of the area is forested, 7 ...
.
Writing
*''W. Lazius als Geschichtsschreiber Österreichs'', 1894 (" W. Lazius as Austrian Historian")
*"Der Generallandtag der österreichischen Erbländer in Augsburg 1525/26", in: ''Zeitschrift des Ferdinandeums'' 3(38), 1894 ("The General State Parliament of the Austrian Hereditary Lands in Augsburg, 1525-26")
*''Erinnerungen an A. Hofer'', 1899 ("Memories of A. Hofer")
*''Die Beziehungen Deutschlands zu Italien'', 1901 ("The Relations of Germany with Italy")
*''Der italienische Irredentismus: Sein Entstehen und seine Entwicklung vornehmlich in Tirol'', 1917 ("Italian Irredentism: Its Origins and Development Primarily in Tyrol")