Walter Kieber

Walter Kieber (20 February 1931 – 21 June 2014) was a lawyer and political figure from Liechtenstein who served as Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 1974 to 1978.

Early life and career
Kieber was born on 20 February 1931 in Feldkirch as the son of ÖBB official Alfons Kieber and his mother Elisabeth Brandauer. He attended elementary and high school in Bregenz before from 1950 he studied law at the University of Innsbruck, where he graduated with a doctorate in 1954.

In 1955 Kieber joined the law firm Marxer & Partner Rechtsanwälte as a partner run by Ludwig Marxer. Upon Marxer's death in 1962, Kieber, partner Adulf Peter Goop and Ludwig's son Peter Marxer took over the firm and oversaw its expansion into the largest in Liechtenstein.

Prime Minister of Liechtenstein
Kieber was the Deputy Prime Minister of Liechtenstein from 18 March 1970 to 27 March 1974 under Alfred Hilbe. Kieber was Prime Minister of Liechtenstein, serving from 27 March 1974 to 26 April 1978. The 1974 Liechtenstein general election resulted in a win for the Progressive Citizens' Party and Kieber was appointed Prime Minister. In 1975, he was a signatory of the Helsinki Accords to create the Conference for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the precursor of today's OSCE. He also oversaw Liechtenstein's full ascension into the Council of Europe in 1978.

The Progressive Citizens' Party lost the 1978 Liechtenstein general election and Kieber again served as Deputy Prime Minister from 26 April 1978 under Hans Brunhart. He resigned at the request of Franz Joseph II on 1 July 1980.

Later life
In 1993 Kieber was a co-founder of the Centrum Bank AG in Vaduz and was a member of the bank's board of directors until 2001. He was the president of the Liechtenstein Bar Association from 1992 to 1997.

Personal life
Kieber married Selma Ritter (born 10 September 1934) on 16 April 1959. They had two children together.

Kieber died on 21 June 2014, at the age of 83.

Honours

 * 🇦🇹 Austria: Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria (1975)
 * 🇱🇮 Liechtenstein: Grand Cross with Diamonds of the Order of Merit of the Principality of Liechtenstein (2003)