o. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Dr. Richard Kerschagl

• Born on: 25.5.1896
• Birthplace: Vienna (Wien),
• Category: Employee

The English version is based on a translation by Artificial Intelligence. The authentic version is considered to be the German version.

Richard Kerschagl claimed to come from an "old German farming family"; he studied at the University of Vienna and earned his doctorate in law there in 1919, followed by a doctorate in political science in 1922 with a dissertation supervised by Othmar Spann. After working as a research assistant for both Friedrich von Wieser and Spann, he was active at the Oesterreichische Nationalbank as an economic advisor from 1920. From 1921, Kerschagl taught economics at the University for World Trade as a lecturer (since 1930 with the title of an extraordinary professor) and habilitated there in 1931. From 1936, he also served as a professor of trade policy at the Consular Academy (now the Diplomatic Academy) in Vienna.

His scholarly work is particularly characterized by a large number of publications in the 1920s and 1930s, which, however, also led to accusations of superficiality and eclecticism; from the then-prevailing school disputes, he tried – despite a temporary closeness to the Spann circle – to keep his distance. Kerschagl's active lecturing both in the Catholic Leo Society and the German Club suggests his political closeness to the Christian Social Party and at the same time to German nationalist circles; he became a member of the Heimwehr in 1929. After 1934, he openly supported the authoritarian corporate state and was appointed as a member of the State Council and the National Council.

After Kerschagl was passed over at the University for World Trade during the filling of the extraordinary chair in favor of Walter Heinrich in 1933, he was placed in a promising position as the third candidate in the appointment proposal for the successor of the deceased full professor Josef Gruntzel. Ultimately, in 1937, after a series of political interventions in his favor, he was appointed to the university, although the position had been downgraded to an extraordinary professorship, for which Kerschagl was at least compensated with the title of an ordinary professor.

After the "Anschluss" of Austria, Kerschagl was immediately arrested as a supporter of the corporate state and dismissed from the university at the end of August 1938 for his "rejection and partly extremely aggressive opposition to National Socialism". After his release in August 1938, he worked outside Austria in the private sector and unsuccessfully sought rehabilitation; towards the end of the war, he was in Carinthia, as confirmed to him, as a resistance fighter.

In 1945, Kerschagl returned to the university and was reinstated in his previous position as an extraordinary professor despite occasional criticism due to his activities in the Heimwehr. In 1946, he was appointed an ordinary professor and elected rector for the terms 1947/48 and 1948/49 as well as 1960/61 and 1961/62. He remained head of the Institute for Economics and World Economics at the University for World Trade until his retirement. At the University of Vienna, he was appointed a honorary lecturer in 1949 and a honorary professor in 1952, teaching there regularly until the winter semester of 1971/72.

In the Second Republic, Kerschagl became a member of the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP), for which he held various economic and science policy functions; for example, Kerschagl was president of the Austrian UNESCO Commission. Kerschagl's wish to be appointed Minister of Finance or President of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank was not fulfilled, as Reinhard Kamitz was preferred for both positions. Scientifically, Kerschagl continued his activities from the interwar period, although he did not achieve resonance beyond the local environment. At the University for World Trade, he succeeded in habilitating several of his assistants, thereby enabling them to pursue an academic career.

Richard Kerschagl retired in 1967, having previously been honored with a festschrift for his 70th birthday. The dominance he and Walter Heinrich exercised in teaching at the University for World Trade over three decades led to a detachment from the "mainstream" of development and a lack of reception of newer research approaches. By the end of the 1960s, there was a significant backlog in economics education. Under his successor, Stephan Koren, initial steps were soon taken to address this deficit.

Richard Kerschagl passed away on December 30, 1976, in Hermagor.

Author: Hansjörg Klausinger

Source material

Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Universitätsarchiv, Personalakt Richard Kerschagl.
Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Universitätsarchiv, Protokolle der Sitzungen des Professorenkollegiums 1930−1972.
Wirtschaftsuniversität Wien, Universitätsarchiv, Präsidialprotokoll Zl. 208/1938.
Österreichisches Staatsarchiv, Archiv der Republik, Bundesministerium für Unterricht, Personalakt Richard Kerschagl.
Österreichisches Staatsarchiv, Archiv der Republik, Zivilakten der NS-Zeit, Gauakt Richard Kerschagl.
Österreichisches Staatsarchiv, Archiv der Republik, Bundesministerium für Handel und Verkehr, Karton 3643, Zl. 134.722-14AH/1936 („Ernennungsakt Kerschagl“).
Österreichisches Staatsarchiv, Archiv der Republik, Bundesministerium für Handel und Verkehr, Fasz. 577, Zl. 126694-38.
Hansjörg Klausinger, Die Volkswirtschaftslehre an der Hochschule für Welthandel, 1918−1973, Vienna University of Economics and Business, Department of Economics, Working Paper No. 202, Wien 2015, https://epub.wu.ac.at/4627/1/wp202.pdf [12.01.2016].
Reinhard Müller, Eintrag „Richard Kerschagl“, in: Soziologie in Österreich: http://agso.uni-graz.at/sozio/biografien/k/kerschagl_richard.htm [12.01.2016].