Breitner, Hugo

POLITICIAN (AUSTRIA)
BORN 9 Nov 1873, Wien - DIED 5 Mar 1946, Claremont, California
GRAVE LOCATION Wien: Feuerhalle Simmering, 11., Simmeringer Hauptstraße 337 (Abteilung ML, Gruppe 1, Nummer 1A)

Hugo Breitner was the son of Jewish grain trader who had moved from Budapest to Vienna. Hugo attended the Commerial Academy in Vienna from 1890 to 1893 and worked for the Zentraleuropäischen Länderbank afterwards. In 1901 he left the Jewish faith. From 1907 to 1911 he was the vice president of the Reichsvereins der Bank- und Sparkassenbeamten Österreichs.

In 1918 he joined the Social Democratic Workers Party and from 1918 to 1931 he was a member of the City Council in Vienna. In 1923 he introduced a substantial new tax, the Wohnbausteuer. This tax that was used for social housing. It was hated by the rich part of the population and it made him into target of the Christian Social Party.

In 1932 he resigned from the city council for health reasons and in 1933 he left the municipal council as well. He became the manager of the Wiener Zentralsparkasse, but during the uprising of February 1934 he was arrested. After two weeks he was released. He lived in Florence for a few years and in 1939 he moved to the USA. He obtained a teaching position in Claremont, California. When the war ended he planned on returning to Austria, but he died in Claremont in 1946. His ashes were transferred to Austria and buried at the Feuerhalle simmering in Vienna.

Related persons
• cooperated with Danneberg, Robert

Images

The urns of Julius Tandler and Hugo Breitner and the cenotaph for Robert Danneberg at the Feuerhalle Simmering, Vienna.
Picture by Androom (12 Aug 2010)

 

Sources
Hugo Breitner - Wikipedia


Breker, Arno

Published: 27 Jun 2020
Last update: 02 Mar 2022