Eduard Strauß

Eduard Strauß was born the son of a goldsmith and completed secondary school in 1912. He then studied at the Imperial and Royal Export Academy (later the University of World Trade and the University of Economics) and at the Faculty of Law at the University of Vienna, but did not graduate in either case. As early as 1913, he joined the Lower Austrian provincial government's inspectorate for trade promotion.

During the First World War, Eduard Strauß served in the Imperial and Royal Army and in Volhynia. Army and in Volhynia as well as on the Isonzo and Piave rivers (last rank: lieutenant in the reserve). After the war, he became involved in the Christian Social Party, becoming deputy chairman of the Vienna-Neubau district and a member of the Vienna party leadership.

His further professional career took place in the shadow of Eduard Heinl. In 1919, he became a consultant to the Trade Promotion Institute of the Vienna Chamber of Commerce, Trade and Industry, of which Heinl was the director. In 1921, Eduard Strauß is involved in the founding of Wiener Messe AG, of which he becomes a member of the Supervisory Board and Management Board. From 1921 to 1938, he was also Managing Director of the Main Association of Vienna Trade Fair Interested Parties. In 1936, he became deputy director of the Trade Promotion Institute, and at the beginning of 1938 he even became director for a short time.

From 1933, Eduard Strauß became involved in the Fatherland Front. As a representative of the non-self-employed members of the Industry and Mining Group, he was appointed a member of the Federal Economic Council, of which he was a member from November 1, 1934 to March 12, 1938.

After the Anschluss in March 1938, Eduard Strauß was dismissed from all positions and retired at the end of August 1938, with his salary cut in half. He was unemployed until September 1939, after which he was employed at the "Kaufhaus der Wiener" (formerly Gerngroß). He was rejected by the German Wehrmacht due to his anti-Nazi stance, but was drafted into the Volkssturm in January 1945.

After the war, Eduard Strauß became involved in the ÖVP and the Wirtschaftsbund. He was commissioned by the Provisional State Government to rebuild the Vienna Chamber of Commerce, of which he was Secretary General in 1945/46. The same applies to the Trade Promotion Institute, of which he was Director from 1946 to 1949 and which he reorganized into the Economic Promotion Institute (WIFI) of the Chamber of Commerce.