Guido Schmidt

Who was Guido Schmidt?

Guido Schmidt was an Austrian diplomat and politician.

He was a member of the Christian Socialist "Vaterländische Front" party. From 1928 he was vice director of President Wilhelm Miklas' parliament and played an important part in the conclusion of the Juliabkommen in 1936. He was a friend of Kurt Schuschnigg, who made him Secretary of Foreign Affairs on February 12, 1936. He held that post until March 11, 1938, one day before the "Anschluss" of Austria to Hitler's Germany took place.

During World War II he worked in the industrial sector. In 1945, Schmidt was imprisoned because of his pro-Nazi attitude, but he was acquitted in 1947. Schmidt was the father of the successful and influential Austrian business-man, Guido Schmidt-Chiari.