Feurstein deceased

A life on behalf of the people

Gottfried Feurstein died shortly after his 85th birthday.

(Bild: MOMA Fotografenmeister / Mathis)

Gottfried Feurstein, a member of the National Council for many years, passed away on Tuesday a few days after his 85th birthday. He was the quintessential Christian Socialist.

He took care of people with all their concerns and worries and made them his own to a certain extent, according to Gottfried Feurstein's companions. Nobody could count how many times he asked for help in his role as a member of the National Council or later as an ombudsman for the welfare of others.

He did not always make himself popular with everyone. As a young ÖVP member of the National Council, for example, he was a member of the AKH investigation committee, collected a lot of file material and took a hard line with the then Chancellor Bruno Kreisky. But even though the SPÖ icon took the youngster from the Bregenzerwald to task, the ÖVP member was always held in high regard by the Social Democrats.

During the Kreisky era, Feurstein entered the National Council and aroused the chancellor's displeasure.

(Bild: APA/Robert Jäger)

Gottfried Feurstein incurred the displeasure of his federal party leader and later Chancellor Wolfgang Schüssel when he voted against the party line in 2002: as a Vorarlberg resident, he did not want the money from the Vorarlberg regional health insurance funds to be used to restructure the Vienna regional health insurance fund.

A philanthropist with handshake quality
Gottfried Feurstein, a clever and always critical mind, was not only a fighter for more justice. He was also regarded as extremely reliable, a man with the quality of a handshake. Later, as Chairman of the Vorarlberg Seniors' Association (2008 to 2016), he worked side by side with the representatives of the Red Pensioners' Association, Erich De Gaspari and Manfred Lackner. "Despite all the competition, in the end it was not party politics that prevailed, but factual politics. We pulled together in the provincial and national senior citizens' councils," the Social Democrats recall.

The philanthropist knew no mercy when it came to dealing with older citizens. "Even a black lawyer once felt his wrath," recalls a companion.

Legendary meetings in the Vorsäß
Gottfried Feurstein was a member of the National Council for 27 years (1975 to 2002), but the social politician was denied a position in the provincial government. Nevertheless, he was in constant contact with the governor and members of the government. A favorite place for this exchange was his farmhouse in Schönenbach. Many a legendary meeting took place there.

The Christian Socialist's commitment did not go unappreciated: among other things, Feurstein was awarded the Grand Decoration of Honor in Silver with Star (2002) at federal level. In 2003, he received the Gold Medal of Honor of the State of Vorarlberg.