Anton Rintelen

Anton Rintelen (born Antonius Ludwig Carl Florentius Paul Rintelen; 15 November 187628 January 1946) was an Austrian academic, jurist and politician. Initially associated with the right wing Christian Social Party, he became involved in the July Putsch, a Nazi coup d'état plot, in 1934.

Early years The son of a well-known lawyer, Rintelen was born in Graz. He was also a professor at the Charles University in Prague before taking up a career in politics with the Christian Social Party. He served the party as Landeshauptmann of Styria from 1919 to 1926 and again from 1928 to 1933, and as Minister of Education in 1926 and 1932–33. Rintelen was also the founder and President of Steirer Bank, although the scandal that followed the collapse of this initiative in 1926 was enough to see him lose his role as Landeshauptmann for a period. He also maintained close links with another right-wing militia leader, Georg Escherich.

July Putsch

Despite having been a member of his government, Rintelen became an opponent of Engelbert Dollfuss. In 1934 he planned a coup d'état under the direction of Theodor Habicht, , and Fridolin Glass, after which Rintelen was considered a prospective Chancellor. The plan was to broadcast a false report that Dollfuss had transferred his power to Rintelen. Rintelen wanted to quit at the last minute but the plan went ahead, albeit it proved a failure. Dollfuss was killed, but the government managed to crush the uprising, with over 100 Nazis being killed in street-fighting across the country. After the coup failed, Rintelen tried to kill himself via a gunshot to the chest. He was seriously injured, but survived. While Rintelen was in the hospital, an Austrian Jew, Josef Kraus, donated blood to save his life. The Vienna papers carrying the story commented drily that 'if Dr. Rintelen had become Chancellor he would also have taken Jewish blood, but in a totally different fashion.' Rintelen's involvement in the July Putsch saw him tried by a military court for high treason in 1935. However, Justice Minister , the state leader of the Styrian Home Guard, instructed the public prosecutor to conduct the trial in such a way that he would not be sentenced to death. As such, Rintelen was sentenced to life imprisonment. He was released from prison in February 1938, a month before the Anschluss, but took no further part in politics. He died in 1946.