Thomas Klestil
10th President of Austria
In office 8 July 1992 – 6 July 2004
Preceded by	Kurt Waldheim
Succeeded by	Heinz Fischer
Born	4 November 1932 Vienna
Died	6 July 2004 Vienna
Political party	Austrian People's Party (ÖVP)

Thomas Klestil (4 November 1932 – 6 July 2004) was an Austrian diplomat and politician. He was elected Federal President of Austria (Bundespräsident) in 1992 (on 56.9 % of the popular vote) and was re-elected to the position in 1998. His second—and final—term of office was due to end on 8 July 2004, but his death two days prior to his retirement from office cut his term short. Official photograph from the presidential web site. ... The Leopoldine Wing of Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna: home to the offices of the Federal President. ... July 8 is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 176 days remaining. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Kurt Josef Waldheim (born December 21, 1918) is an Austrian diplomat and conservative politician. ... Heinz Fischer (born 9 October 1938) is the federal president of Austria. ... November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... Inhabitants according to official census figures: 1800 to 2005 Vienna in 1858 Vienna (German: Wien ) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Inhabitants according to official census figures: 1800 to 2005 Vienna in 1858 Vienna (German: Wien ) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... The Austrian Peoples Party (de:Österreichische Volkspartei, or ÖVP) is an Austrian political party. ... November 4 is the 308th day of the year (309th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 57 days remaining. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This page is about negotiations; for the board game, see Diplomacy (game). ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Leopoldine Wing of Hofburg Imperial Palace in Vienna: home to the offices of the Federal President. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... July 8 is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 176 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Biography until 1992

Born in Vienna to a working class family—his father worked for the tramway—Klestil went to school in Landstraße where he made friends with Joe Zawinul. He studied at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration and received his doctorate in 1957. After entering the civil service he worked in Austria as well as abroad, for example for OECD. Fluent in English, Klestil was the Austrian Ambassador to the United Nations (1978–1982) and Ambassador to the United States (1982–1987) prior to his election as president. Inhabitants according to official census figures: 1800 to 2005 Vienna in 1858 Vienna (German: Wien ) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... The term working class is used to denote a social class. ... Landstraße (literally country road in German) is the third district of Vienna. ... Josef Erich Zawinul (born July 7, 1932 in Vienna, Austria) is a jazz keyboardist and composer. ... The Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien (WU Wien) or Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration is the largest University focusing on business and economics in Europe and, in terms of student body, one of the largest universities in Austria. ... 1957 (MCMLVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A civil servant or public servant is a civilian career public sector employee working for a government department or agency. ... The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) is an international organization of those developed countries that accept the principles of representative democracy and a free market economy. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... For other uses, see Ambassador (disambiguation). ... The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, and social equity. ... 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1987 (MCMLXXXVII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Presidency

After being nominated by the conservative Austrian People's Party to run for Federal President, he succeeded Kurt Waldheim on 8 July 1992. However, in the course of his two terms of office, Klestil's alienation from his own party became increasingly obvious, so much so that there was open antagonism between Federal Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel and Klestil when, in 2000, the latter had to swear in the newly formed coalition government with Jörg Haider's Austrian Freedom Party. Klestil, who during his election campaign had vowed to be an "active" president, repeatedly criticized the Austrian government and, in an interview with a Swiss daily given in 2003, stated that, theoretically speaking, it was in his power to dismiss the government any time he found it necessary to do so. As a matter of fact the Austrian Constitution does give far-reaching powers to the Federal President, but these had never been exercised by any of Klestil's predecessors. The Austrian Peoples Party (de:Österreichische Volkspartei, or ÖVP) is an Austrian political party. ... Kurt Josef Waldheim (born December 21, 1918) is an Austrian diplomat and conservative politician. ... July 8 is the 189th day of the year (190th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 176 days remaining. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... Wolfgang Schüssel Wolfgang Schüssel (born on June 7, 1945 in Vienna, Austria) is a Christian Democratic Austrian politician. ... This article is about the year 2000. ... Jörg Haider in Carinthia (promotional photo) Jörg Haider (born 26 January 1950) is an Austrian politician. ... The Austrian Freedom Party (Freiheitliche Partei Österreichs, abbreviated to FPÖ) is an Austrian political party usually associated with the name of Jörg Haider. ... A selection of newspapers A newspaper is a publication containing news, information and advertising, usually printed on low-cost paper called newsprint. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Thomas Klestil, who had three grown-up children by his first marriage, divorced his wife of many years shortly after his successful election campaign of 1992 and subsequently, in 1998, married work colleague Margot Löffler, the woman he allegedly was already having an affair with at the time of his election. In 1996 he was taken seriously ill but recovered. It has been suggested that Divorcee be merged into this article or section. ... 1992 (MCMXCII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ...

On 5 July 2004, three days before he was to leave office, he suffered a heart attack or heart failure, probably caused by his longtime lung problems and was left in critical condition. He died on 6 July at 23:33 local time at the AKH (Allgemeines Krankenhaus - General Hospital) in Vienna from multiple organ failure. On 9 July 2004 he was interred in the presidential crypt at Vienna's Central Cemetery (Zentralfriedhof). July 5 is the 186th day of the year (187th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 179 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Acute myocardial infarction (AMI or MI), commonly known as a heart attack, is a disease that occurs when the blood supply to a part of the heart is interrupted. ... July 6 is the 187th day of the year (188th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 178 days remaining. ... Multiple organ dysfunction syndrome MODS; previously known as multiple organ failure (MOF) is altered organ function in an acutely ill patient requiring medical intervention to maintain homeostasis. ... July 9 is the 190th day of the year (191st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 175 days remaining. ... Exterior of the Dr. Karl Lueger-Gedächtniskirche, Zentralfriedhof, Vienna. ...

Trivia

He was played by actor Guy Siner as a wildly exaggerated character in episode 4 of the sit-com That's My Bush!. In the episode US president George W. Bush (Timothy Bottoms) unintentionally blows up the Vienna State Opera with the new SDI-system, after his neighbour short-circuits its wires when helping Bush get free cable. Klestil swears revenge and with his assistants dig a tunnel under the Atlantic ocean, turning up outside the White House. They enter disguised as telephone repairmen and in the Oval Office hold Bush, Karl Rove and Donald Rumsfeld hostage. In the climatic showdown Rumsfeld takes out an unwitting Klestil and his assistants with the SDI-laser, turning the Austrians into smoking skeletons. Guy Siner is an English/American actor, born 16 October 1947. ... Cast photo Thats My Bush! was a short-lived live-action political satire/sitcom from South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. ... Timothy Bottoms (born August 30, 1951) is an American actor. ... Vienna State Opera (German: Wiener Staatsoper), located in Vienna, Austria, is one of the most important opera companies in Europe. ... The Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI), commonly called Star Wars after the popular science fiction movies of the time, was proposed by U.S. President Ronald Reagan on March 23, 1983[1] to use ground-based and space-based systems to protect the United States from attack by strategic nuclear ballistic... North façade of the White House, seen from Pennsylvania Avenue. ... The Oval Office is the official office of the President of the United States, in the West Wing of the White House, built in 1909. ...

External links

• Official homepage of the Austrian president
• Biography, time table & speeches in German

Presidents of Austria
Karl Seitz • Michael Hainisch • Wilhelm Miklas • war period • Karl Renner • Theodor Körner • Adolf Schärf • Franz Jonas • Rudolf Kirchschläger • Kurt Waldheim • Thomas Klestil • Heinz Fischer