User:Eli185/Arnold Eisler

Arnold Eisler (* 6. April 1879 in Holleschau / Holešov, Mähren; † 28. Jänner 1947 in New York City) was an Austrian politician of the Austrian Social Democratic Workers' Party (SDAP). In 1956 he was described in the Austrian Biographical Dictionary as an "excellent jurist and brilliant orator".

Professional life
After attending secondary school in Kremsier in Moravia, Eisler studied law at the University of Vienna from 1898 to 1902. After working as a trainee lawyer for six years, Arnold Eisler practiced law in Graz from 1909 and in Vienna from 1925. He was a lawyer for the province of Styria and a lawyer for the municipal tramways in Vienna. In 1917 Eisler published a work entitled "Oesterreichisches Erbrecht" ("Austrian Law of Succession") in the series "Gemeinverständliche Darstellungen österreichischer Gesetze" ("Gemeinverständliche Darstellungen of Austrian Laws") by the publishing house of the Graz bookstore "Arbeiterwille" ("Workers' Will").

On May 3, 1919, Eisler was appointed as a substitute member of the Provisional Constitutional Court (VfGH). As of July 20, 1921, the Federal Council elected him as an alternate member of the VfGH, and on December 5, 1924, as a full member of this court. Eisler's function ended on February 15, 1930. The conservative federal government had pursued the "depoliticization" of the VfGH and declared judicial mandates to be terminated, since, on the basis of a constitutional amendment, the Federal President now had to appoint the constitutional judges

Political career

 * Mitglied des Gemeinderates von Graz
 * Abgeordneter zum Steiermärkischen Landtag
 * 6. November 1918 – 30. Juni 1919 und 13. Juli 1920 – 26. November 1920: Landesrat (= Landesregierungsmitglied) in der Steiermark
 * 4. März 1919 – 9. November 1920: Mitglied der Konstituierenden Nationalversammlung
 * 17. Oktober 1919 – 7. Juli 1920: Unterstaatssekretär im Staatsamt für Justiz in der Staatsregierung Renner III (Die Angabe auf der Parlamentswebsite, Eisler sei bis 20. November 1920 Unterstaatssekretär gewesen, ist, wie damalige Berichte über die Wahl der Staatsregierung Mayr I zeigen, irrig.)
 * 10. November 1920 – 1. Oktober 1930 und 2. Dezember 1930 – 17. Februar 1934: Abgeordneter zum Nationalrat

Eisler was thus active throughout the First Republic as a Social Democratic parliamentarian, first for the constituency of Upper Styria, later for Graz and the surrounding area.

Refugee
Arnold Eisler was arrested by the Gestapo in the spring of 1938 following the "Anschluss" of Austria to the National Socialist German Reich. He was held for several weeks.

After his release, in June 1938 the future Austrian president Adolf Schärf took over Eisler's apartment at Vienna 8, Skodagasse 1, before he left the country. Schärf then lived there until his death.

In the fall of 1938, Eisler escaped via Czechoslovakia, Switzerland, France, and the West Indies, arriving in the United States in 1940. There he was a board member of the Socialists of Austria in America.

He died in New York.