Ernst Florian Winter facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ernst Florian Winter
|
|
|---|---|
Winter in September 2007.
|
|
| Born | 16 December 1923 Vienna, Austria
|
| Died | 16 April 2014 (aged 90) |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan Columbia College |
| Occupation | Historian, political scientist |
| Spouse(s) |
Johanna von Trapp
(m. 1948; died 1994) |
| Children | 7 |
Ernst Florian Winter (born December 16, 1923 – died April 16, 2014) was a historian and expert in politics from Austria and America. He was the first leader of the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna after World War II. He also led the International Council of the Austrian Service Abroad.
Contents
Ernst Florian Winter's Life Story
Early Years in Austria
Ernst Florian Winter was born in Vienna, Austria. He was the oldest of eight children. His father, Ernst Karl Winter, was a sociologist and a former vice mayor of Vienna. Ernst Florian went to school in Vienna, including the Neulandschule. He was part of a Catholic youth group called Bund Neuland.
Ernst Florian often joined his father in his political work. Important people, like Alfred Missong and Engelbert Dollfuss, would visit their home for long talks. When Chancellor Kurt Schuschnigg met with Adolf Hitler in 1938, he later visited the Winters' home. The 14-year-old Ernst Florian wrote down what they discussed.
Just before the Anschluss (when Nazi Germany took over Austria) in March 1938, Ernst Karl Winter had to leave Austria. He went to Switzerland for political safety. His family had to stay behind. When the Gestapo (Nazi secret police) came looking for his father, they took Ernst Florian to the police station. Luckily, his mother, Margarete, got him released the same day. A few days later, Margarete, Ernst Florian, and his six brothers and sisters fled Austria. Their youngest sibling was born after they moved to the United States.
Moving to America
The Winter family traveled through Switzerland, France, and England. They finally arrived in New York City in October 1939. They were one of the first non-Jewish families to leave Austria for political reasons. Many Austrian immigrants met at the Winters' house almost every Sunday.
In 1939, Ernst Karl Winter started the Austrian American Center in New York. This group organized protests and published weekly papers. Even though he was young, Ernst Florian Winter was chosen to lead the youth group. He even met U.S. Vice President Henry A. Wallace with his father.
Winter joined the U.S. Army on his 18th birthday. He wrote on his application that he wanted to help free his home country, Austria. But he also said he was "not willing to kill." He had seen terrible pictures of Nazi concentration camps, which affected him deeply. In 1943, Winter became an American citizen. In 1944, he earned a degree from the University of Michigan.
Helping to Free Austria
Winter was part of the D-Day invasion in Normandy. On May 4, 1945, he was one of the first Austro-Americans to enter the Innviertel region of Austria. He was with the 86th division of the 3rd U.S. Army.
He was asked by Baron Georg Ludwig von Trapp to check out a mansion. This house in Aigen was the summer home of Heinrich Himmler, a top Nazi leader. Winter found a swastika carved on the altar in the house chapel. A few weeks after Austria was freed, Winter had to leave again. His army division went to Japan for similar duties.
Studying and Teaching
After returning to the U.S., Winter earned a degree in social science from Columbia College. He then studied political science and international relations at Columbia University. He earned his Master of Arts degree in 1951. His Ph.D. was completed in 1954.
Winter started teaching history and political science at Iona College in New Rochelle, New York. He also taught as a visiting professor at other famous universities.
.jpg)
In 1960, he came back to Austria. He helped set up the study of political science there. In 1964, he was chosen to be the first director of the Diplomatic University of Vienna. He taught there for many years. He also helped start the Institute for Higher Studies (IHS) in 1963 and led it from 1967 to 1968.
He married Johanna von Trapp (1919–1994) in 1948. She was the daughter of Georg Ludwig von Trapp and Agathe Whitehead. They had seven children: Ernst Florian, Johanna, Florian, Notburga, Agathe, Hemma, and Severin. From 1964 to 1977, they lived in Schloss Eichbüchel. They held special discussions and seminars there for ten years. Famous professors like Henry Kissinger visited them.
Diplomatic Work
From 1968 to 1970, Winter worked for UNESCO in Paris. He was also a main negotiator between the U.S. and China. Winter was part of a UN group that worked on strategies for China from 1970 to 1972.
In 1970, Henry Kissinger asked him to send a secret message to Zhou Enlai, the Chinese prime minister. Kissinger wanted to meet Chinese leaders, hoping President Nixon could visit China. In 1972, Winter was the first American invited by Zhou Enlai to stay in China for two months. In 1974, he led the first UN agency mission to China. The next year, he led another mission to China.
Helping Others
Farming in Kosovo
Starting in the 1990s, Winter began farming organically in eastern Tyrol, Austria. He also took part in a United Nations environment program called "Agriculture in Kosovo." As part of this program, he taught at the University of Business and Technology in Priština.
Austrian Service Abroad
Since 2009, Winter was the chairman of the international council of the Austrian Service Abroad. This organization helps young Austrians do community service abroad.
Awards and Honors
- On May 3, 2008, Winter received the Egon Ranshofen-Wertheimer Award. This award is given to Austrians living abroad who show dedication to Austria. He shared it with the Trapp Family and actor Dietmar Schönherr.
- On August 10, 2010, Austrian President Heinz Fischer gave Winter the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art, 1st class.
- On October 10, 2010, Winter received the Weltmenschpreis 2010 award.
- In 2012, he was given a Decoration for Services to the Liberation of Austria.
See also
In Spanish: Ernst Florian Winter para niños
