, née Chrobak, 1869–1946 Hainisch held aloof from political parties. He was chosen president because of his personal authority, although he was not a member of the parliament. He was an independent candidate. He was elected and assumed office in 1920 and stayed for two terms until 1928. He was married to Emilia Figdor, the descendant of a prominent Viennese assimilated Jewish family. Emilia's father, Gustav, was a town councillor of the city of Vienna. As a president, he worked hard to improve the dire situation Austria found itself in after the war. He did a lot to develop the
agricultural sector, encouraged the
electrification of the
railway, and tried to develop more
tourism, especially in the
Alps. Trade with neighbouring countries, such as
Germany, was encouraged. He also became a protector of local traditions and
culture and initiated the creation of the law of protected monuments. He also became an honorary member of the Akademie der Wissenschaften (Academy of Sciences). In 1928, the main parties proposed to amend the constitution in order to re-elect Hainisch for a third term. Federal Chancellor
Ignaz Seipel proposed a one-year term for Hainisch, but Hainisch declined a third term. He subsequently served as Commerce Minister from 1929 to 1930. Controversially, he supported
Pan-German ideas and later supported the
Anschluss of Austria to
Nazi-Germany in 1938, as did many of his compatriots. He died in February 1940, just nearly two years after the Anschluss and a few months after
World War II started. == Works ==