Richard Schmitz

Richard Schmitz (14 December 1885 – 27 April 1954) was an Austrian politician who served as the eleventh Vice Chancellor of Austria from 30 September to 4 December 1930.

As a member of the Christian Social Party, Schmitz also served as Minister of Social Affairs as well as Federal Commissioner of Vienna. On 6 April 1934, Chancellor Engelbert Dollfuss appointed Schmitz Mayor of Vienna.

He succeeded elected Mayor Karl Seitz. Ardently anti-Nazi, Schmitz was Mayor four years later when Austria was absorbed into the Third Reich in the Anschluss. Until that point, Schmitz spoke out publicly against Nazism and its tactics.

Along with thousands of other prominent Austrians, Richard Schmitz was arrested and taken to Dachau concentration camp in Bavaria where he remained for the length of the war. In late April 1945 Schmitz was, together with other prominent concentration camp inmates, transferred to Tyrol where the SS left the prisoners behind. He was liberated by American troops on 5 May 1945.