Biography.guide
Home › People › Historian › William Klinger
Portrait of William Klinger

William Klinger

1972 – 2015

Croatian historian

Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About William Klinger

Lived 1972 – 2015 (aged 42). William Klinger was a Croatian historian.

William Klinger (24 September 1972 − 31 January 2015) was a Croatian historian who specialized in modern Croatian and Yugoslav history as well as history of communism and nationalism.

Biography Klinger was born on 24 September 1972 in Rijeka, SFR Yugoslavia, but his family roots are reportedly in Pakrac and of German Jewish ethnic descent. He graduated summa cum laude from the University of Trieste in 1997 with a BA in history, while attending also the University of Klagenfurt due to a stipend he received from the Austrian government. He gained master's degree at the Central European University in Budapest and doctoral degree at the European University Institute in Florence, where he wrote his doctoral dissertation titled "Negotiating the Nation: Fiume, from Autonomism to State making 1848-1924". He died the same day at Elmhurst Hospital, where he was taken after he was found lying near the park's public pool. His acquaintance Alexander Bonich was questioned by the police on the following day, when he admitted to killing Klinger. At trial, the prosecution accused Bonich of luring Klinger to the United States on false pretenses - Bonich offered to get Klinger an apartment in Astoria and set him up with a university job if Klinger gave him money. Klinger wired 68,000 euros to Bonich for a nonexistent apartment and job; the two apparently had a falling out after the fraud was discovered leading to Bonich shooting Klinger.

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Education
European University Institute, University of Trieste
Positions held
European University Institute

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped William Klinger's

Frequently asked questions

Who was William Klinger?

Croatian historian

When was William Klinger born?

William Klinger was born on 24 September 1972 in Rijeka.

When did William Klinger die?

William Klinger died on 31 January 2015 in New York City.

What was William Klinger's occupation?

William Klinger was a historian.

What nationality was William Klinger?

William Klinger was Croatian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: William Klinger

· Wikidata: Q8014069

· DBpedia: William Klinger

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). William Klinger. https://biography.guide/william-klinger/

MLA: "William Klinger." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/william-klinger/.

Chicago: "William Klinger." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/william-klinger/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-22 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:09 UTC