Elisabeth Waldheim
Encyclopedia
Elisabeth Waldheim (born 13 April 1922) is the widow of Kurt Waldheim
, the former UN Secretary-General and President of Austria. She was the First Lady
of Austria from 1986 to 1992.
She was born in Vienna
as the eldest of three sisters to Wilhelm Ritschel and his wife Hildegard. His father was a military official in the imperial army. After the fall of the Habsburg empire, he became an entrepreneur. His daughter Elisabeth was named after the former Austrian empress Elisabeth
and she even got her nickname "Sissy".
Elisabeth decided to study law at University of Vienna, where she first met Kurt Waldheim. On 19 August 1944, in the middle of the Second World War, they got married in Vienna. Their first daughter Lieselotte was born in 1945.
Elisabeth gave up her own job in order to support her husband's diplomatic and political career. He became Austrian minister of foreign affairs and UN Secretary General. In 1986 he was elected President of Austria and she became Austria's First Lady
.
The couple had three children: daughter Lieselotte Waldheim-Natural is working at the United Nations, daughter Christa Waldheim-Karas became an artist (she is married to Othmar Karas, Austrian Member of the European Parliament
), and son Gerhard Waldheim is an investment banker.
Mrs Waldheim speaks German, English and French.
Kurt Waldheim
Kurt Josef Waldheim was an Austrian diplomat and politician. Waldheim was the fourth Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1972 to 1981, and the ninth President of Austria, from 1986 to 1992...
, the former UN Secretary-General and President of Austria. She was the First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
of Austria from 1986 to 1992.
She was born in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
as the eldest of three sisters to Wilhelm Ritschel and his wife Hildegard. His father was a military official in the imperial army. After the fall of the Habsburg empire, he became an entrepreneur. His daughter Elisabeth was named after the former Austrian empress Elisabeth
Elisabeth of Bavaria
Elisabeth of Austria was the spouse of Franz Joseph I, and therefore both Empress of Austria and Queen of Hungary. She also held the titles of Queen of Bohemia and Croatia, among others...
and she even got her nickname "Sissy".
Elisabeth decided to study law at University of Vienna, where she first met Kurt Waldheim. On 19 August 1944, in the middle of the Second World War, they got married in Vienna. Their first daughter Lieselotte was born in 1945.
Elisabeth gave up her own job in order to support her husband's diplomatic and political career. He became Austrian minister of foreign affairs and UN Secretary General. In 1986 he was elected President of Austria and she became Austria's First Lady
First Lady
First Lady or First Gentlemanis the unofficial title used in some countries for the spouse of an elected head of state.It is not normally used to refer to the spouse or partner of a prime minister; the husband or wife of the British Prime Minister is usually informally referred to as prime...
.
The couple had three children: daughter Lieselotte Waldheim-Natural is working at the United Nations, daughter Christa Waldheim-Karas became an artist (she is married to Othmar Karas, Austrian Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
), and son Gerhard Waldheim is an investment banker.
Mrs Waldheim speaks German, English and French.