Franz Josef Erne

Franz Josef Erne attended grammar school in Bregenz and, after graduating from high school in 1899, began studying law in Graz in the winter semester of 1899/1900, where he was accepted into the Carolina student fraternity in 1899.

After completing his one-year voluntary service with the Landesschützenregiment Nr. 11 in Innsbruck, he continued his law studies in Innsbruck in 1901 and graduated as Doctor iuris in 1906. He then embarked on a career as a judge and initially worked in Bregenz and from 1912 at the Princely Liechtenstein District Court in Vaduz.

During the First World War, he was called up to the Landesschützenregiment No. II and was deployed on the Gabonese front. He was taken prisoner of war in Russia and returned in 1920. He then worked as a judge again and became politically active. Between 1934 and 1938, he held the office of President of the Vorarlberg State Parliament.

Shortly after the Anschluss, Franz Josef Erne was removed from office as Vice President of Feldkirch District Court on March 13, 1938 and had to spend a few days in Gestapo custody. On November 30, 1938 he is forced to retire, but is reinstated on October 30, 1939 due to a shortage of judges. He was arrested again on August 20, 1944, interned in the AEL Reichenau near Innsbruck and released after ten days.