Hofrat Univ.-Prof. DDDr. Franz Grass

After graduating from the high school at the Jesuit college “Stella Matutina” in Feldkirch in 1933, Franz Grass began his studies at the Faculty of Law and Political Science at the University of Innsbruck. In 1933, he became a member of the Austria Innsbruck fraternity. In 1937, he earned his Dr. iur. degree, and in 1938, his Dr. rer. pol. degree.

After the Anschluss, he was dismissed from his position as a judicial clerk and imprisoned for four weeks. He then began studying medicine at the University of Innsbruck, completing his studies in 1943 with a doctorate in medicine (Dr. med.). In May 1940, he was forced to interrupt his studies due to another four-week imprisonment. “The legal and medical interests of my ancestors likely had some influence on the course of my studies,” Franz Grass said, describing his academic path.

After the war, he became involved in local politics and supported the establishment and expansion of the Austrian Workers’ and Employees’ Union (ÖAAB), the ÖVP’s labor organization. Although he worked as a physician in Innsbruck, he earned his habilitation in 1947 at the Faculty of Law and Political Science in the field of canon law and the history of ecclesiastical law.