Rudolf Schuster facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Rudolf Schuster
Schuster in 2011
2nd President of Slovakia
In office 15 June 1999 – 15 June 2004
Prime Minister	Mikuláš Dzurinda
Preceded by	Michal Kováč Mikuláš Dzurinda (Acting) Jozef Migaš (Acting)
Succeeded by	Ivan Gašparovič
Member of the National Council
In office 30 October 1998 – 15 June 1999
Mayor of Košice
In office 1994–1999
In office 1983–1986
Czechoslovakia Ambassador to Canada
In office 28 August 1990 – 3 May 1992
Preceded by	Ján Janovic
Succeeded by	Position abolished
Speaker of the National Council
In office 30 November 1989 – 26 June 1990
Preceded by	Viliam Šalgovič
Succeeded by	František Mikloško
Personal details
Born	(1934-01-04) 4 January 1934 (age 91) Košice, Czechoslovakia
Political party	Independent (1990–1998, 1999–present)
Other political affiliations	Communist Party (1964–1990) Party of Civic Understanding (1998–1999)
Spouse	Irena Schusterová-Trojáková ​ ​ (m. 1961; died 2008)​
Alma mater	Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava
Signature

Rudolf Schuster was the second president of Slovakia. He was born on January 4, 1934. He served as president from 1999 to 2004. He was chosen in an election on May 29, 1999. His term officially began on June 15.

In 2004, he tried to be re-elected as president. However, he did not win. He received 7.4% of the votes. Other candidates, like Ivan Gašparovič, received more votes. Ivan Gašparovič then became the next president.

Rudolf Schuster's Early Life and Career

Rudolf Schuster was born in a city called Košice. From 1964 to 1990, he was a member of the Communist Party of Slovakia. Before becoming president, he held several important jobs.

Mayor of Košice

Schuster was the Mayor of Košice twice. He served from 1983 to 1986. He was also mayor from 1994 to 1999. The word for mayor in Slovak is primátor.

Other Important Roles

He was the last Communist president of the Slovak National Council. This was from 1989 to 1990. He also worked as an Ambassador. He represented Czechoslovakia in Canada from 1990 to 1992. Later, he led a political group called the Party of Civic Understanding. This was from 1998 to 1999.

Language Skills and Family

Rudolf Schuster is very good with languages. He speaks German, Slovak, Czech, Russian, English, and Hungarian. His father's family came from a group called Carpathian Germans. His mother's family was of Hungarian origin.

He married Irena Trojáková in 1961. She passed away in 2008. They had two children, a son named Peter and a daughter named Ingrid. He also has two granddaughters. In his free time, he enjoys sports and traveling. He is also a writer and likes photography.

In 1998, Schuster started the Party of Civic Understanding. This party was a centre-left political group. In 1999, he received a special honor. The city of Miskolc made him an honorary citizen. This was to thank him for his good work. He helped build strong ties between Miskolc and Košice when he was mayor.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld meets with President of Slovakia Rudolf Schuster in Bratislava in 2002.

Rudolf Schuster as a Writer

Rudolf Schuster is a member of the Association of Slovak Writers. He has written stories for different television films. He is well-known for his detective novels. He also writes travel books. These books are mostly about his trips to Brazil and Canada.

Awards and Recognitions

Rudolf Schuster has received many awards. These awards are from Slovakia and other countries. They recognize his important work and contributions.

Awards from Slovakia

Ribbon bar	Country	Honours	Date
	Czechoslovakia	Honour for Services to the Building	1983
	Czechoslovakia	Czechoslovak Order of Labour	1989
	Slovakia	First Class of the Pribina Cross	1998
	Slovakia	First Class of the Order of Andrej Hlinka	2019
	Slovakia	First Class of the Order of Ľudovít Štúr	2019
	Slovakia	First Class of the Milan Rastislav Štefánik Cross	2019
	Slovakia	Medal for Services to Slovak Diplomacy	2023
	Slovakia	Gratitude Medal	2024

Awards from Other Countries

Ribbon bar	Country	Honours	Date
	Algeria	Collar of the National Order of Merit	2003
	Argentina	Collar of the Order of the Liberator General San Martín	2001
	Austria	Grand Star of the Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria	2004
	Brazil	Grand Collar of the Order of the Southern Cross	2001
	Brazil	Grand Cross of the Order of Rio Branco	2024
	Chile	Collar of the Order of Merit	2001
	Croatia	Grand Order of King Tomislav with Sash and Great Morning Star	2001
	Czech Republic	Grand Cross of the Order of the White Lion	2019
	Germany	Grand Cross Special Class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany	2001
	Greece	Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer	2000
	Holy See	Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Pope Pius IX	2002
	Hungary	Grand Cross with Chain of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary	2003
	Italy	Knight Grand Cross with Collar of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic	2002
	Lebanon	Extraordinary Class of the Order of Merit	2001
	Luxembourg	Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Gold Lion of the House of Nassau	2002
	Poland	Knight of the Order of the White Eagle	2002
	Portugal	Grand Collar of the Order of Prince Henry	2003
	Romania	Grand Collar of the Order of the Star of Romania	2000
	Sweden	Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim	2002
	Slovenia	Gold Order of Freedom of the Republic of Slovenia	2003
	SMOM	Collar of the Order pro Merito Melitensi	1999
	Spain	Collar of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic	2002
	Ukraine	First Class of the Order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise	2004

See also

In Spanish: Rudolf Schuster para niños