Deutsch, Julius

Born Feb. 2, 1884, at Lackenbach; died Jan. 17, 1968, in Vienna. Austrian politician and one of the leaders of the Austrian Social Democratic Party.

Deutsch became active in the working-class movement at the beginning of the 20th century. From 1909 he worked in the central apparatus of the Social Democratic Party. From 1914 to 1918 he served as an artillery officer; from 1918 to 1919 he was deputy state secretary and, from 1919 to 1920, state secretary for war. He became one of the organizers of the Schutzbund in 1923 and subsequently its leader. After the defeat of the armed demonstration of the Schutzbund group in February 1934 he emigrated to Czechoslovakia. From 1936 to 1939 he fought in the Republican army in Spain, attaining the rank of general. In 1939 he emigrated to France and from 1940 to 1946 he was in the United States. From 1946 to 1951 he was director of the foreign department of the secretariat of the Austrian Socialist Party. In the 1950’s he retired from active political life.