Fred Sinowatz
| Fred Sinowatz | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| 18th Chancellor of Austria | |
|
In office 24 May 1983 – 16 June 1986 |
|
| President | Rudolf Kirchschläger |
| Deputy | Norbert Steger |
| Preceded by | Bruno Kreisky |
| Succeeded by | Franz Vranitzky |
| Vice-Chancellor of Austria | |
|
In office 20 January 1981 – 24 May 1983 |
|
| Chancellor | Bruno Kreisky |
| Preceded by | Hannes Androsch |
| Succeeded by | Norbert Steger |
| Minister of Education | |
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In office 4 November 1971 – 24 May 1983 |
|
| Chancellor | Bruno Kreisky |
| Preceded by | Leopold Gratz |
| Succeeded by | Helmut Zilk |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
5 February 1929 Neufeld an der Leitha, Burgenland, Austria |
| Died | 11 August 2008 (aged 79) Vienna, Austria |
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPÖ) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Alfred "Fred" Sinowatz (5 February 1929 – 11 August 2008) was an Austrian politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPÖ), who served as Chancellor of Austria from 1983 to 1986. Prior to becoming Chancellor, he had served as Federal Minister of Education from 1971 to 1983 and Vice-Chancellor from 1981 to 1983.
After a three-years term in office, Sinowatz resigned as Chancellor after Kurt Waldheim's victory in the 1986 presidential election.
Born in Neufeld an der Leitha, Burgenland, Sinowatz' family belonged to the local Croatian minority. He attended the gymnasium in Wiener Neustadt and Baden, where he obtained his Matura degree. Educated as a historian at the University of Vienna, he received his doctorate in 1953. He embarked upon a career in the civil service of the Burgenland state government and joined the staff of the provincial archive in 1956.
Sinowatz became an elected member of the municipal assembly (Gemeinderat) of his hometown Neufeld in 1957 and served as a regional SPÖ party secretary from 1961. Also in 1961 he became MP of the Burgenland state diet (Landtag), from 1964 to 1966 as speaker of the parliament. In 1966 he joined the provincial government as Minister of Education.
Upon the 1971 legislative election, Sinowatz became a member of the Austrian National Council parliament. On 4 November 1971, he took office as Federal Minister of Education and Arts in the second cabinet of Chancellor Bruno Kreisky. During the ensuing twelve years of his office, Sinowatz substantially reformed the system of education in Austria to allow and increase social mobility. In 1982 he promoted the recognition of Buddhism in Austria as an official religious community.
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