Series on the state election

“He was the Archduke Johann of the 20th century”

Josef Krainer

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian/Christian Jauschowetz)

"Krone" series on the Styrian parliamentary elections: Even in his old age, he was the "young Krainer". Yet Josef Krainer junior perhaps left an even greater mark on Styria than his father.

Arnold Schwarzenegger described his friend and mentor Josef Krainer junior as the "Archduke Johann of the 20th century" in his obituary in the "Krone" newspaper. Arnie was not the only one to be influenced by "Joschi", as everyone called him: Waltraud Klasnic, Hermann Schützenhöfer and Reinhard Lopatka all went through his school.

They not only learned from the many ideas he had for the province with his "Model Styria" think tank, but above all from his humanity: "Wherever people approached him, he knew everyone by name, remembered family and other details from a single encounter," recalls Schwarzenegger, who was impressed that his friend treated everyone equally: "Nobody left his office without the feeling that the governor had given me his full attention."

Patron of the arts: Krainer painted by Adolf Osterrider

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian/Christian Jauschowetz)

He was born with a feel for politics
But how did "Joschi" come to be like this? Born in 1930, Josef junior was practically born into politics. As a child, he watched his father's political rise and was present in the Grazer Landstube in 1948 at the age of 18 when Josef senior was sworn in as provincial governor. But the junior followed his own path: he studied law in Graz, Bologna and the USA, where he also met his future wife. He taught at Graz University for several years before starting his political career in the Farmers' Union in his mid-30s.

In 1970, he accepted a seat in the National Council, where he quickly made a name for himself as the fiercest critic of Chancellor Bruno Kreisky. The grandees of the ÖVP liked this so much that they actually wanted to make him party leader. But "Joschi" was alienated by the Viennese intrigues and returned to Styria in 1971, shortly after the sudden cardiac death of his father, as a provincial councillor.

He became provincial governor in 1980
Together with the popular Friedrich Niederl, who succeeded his father as provincial governor, Krainer, who was considered to be an intellectual, established a very broad base for the People's Party. This path led him to the highest political office in the country in 1980: He was governor of Styria until 1996 and initiated a great deal for the state: with the former State Councillor for Culture Hanns Koren, for example, he created a breeding ground in which art and culture could flourish. Under his leadership, Styria became the first federal state to have a Court of Audit and he wanted to overcome the Iron Curtain by founding the Alps-Adriatic Joint Venture.

However, the provincial father, who was usually dressed in traditional costume, never lost sight of the needs of ordinary Styrians - and was even prepared to clash with his party colleagues in Vienna: For example, when the plan to station Draken aircraft in Styria became public, Krainer rehearsed a rebellion against the ÖVP defense minister Robert Lichal, who had died that week. There was even talk of the provincial VP splitting from the federal party. Ultimately, however, Krainer had to admit defeat in 1988 and the Draken ended up in Styria.

Krainer with Schwarzenegger, who saw him as a role model

(Bild: Jauschowetz Christian/Christian Jauschowetz)

Consistent retreat after a bitter loss
But more defeats were to follow: While Krainer had won absolute victory for the ÖVP in the 1980 and 1986 elections, this was lost in the 1991 election. And in the 1995 election, the SPÖ under Peter Schachner-Blazizek came so close to the ÖVP that Josef Krainer junior announced his resignation on the evening of the election and handed over to Waltraud Klasnic.

"I was briefly affected, then I started a new life and was able to do what I didn't have time for before. Today I am a happy pensioner," Krainer told the "Krone" newspaper on the occasion of his 80th birthday in 2010. But even though he was very consistent in his retirement from politics, he remained a politically-minded person to the end, prudently seeking a balance between tradition and innovation.

In 2010, he called for the right response to climate change
When asked about his three wishes in life, he told the "Steirerkrone" newspaper at the time: "Firstly, may my grandchildren be healthy and successful. Secondly, may our current politicians lead the country into a good future. And thirdly, may the world take climate change seriously and respond to it properly."