Czernin, Ottokar

Czernin, Ottokar

 

Born Sept. 26,1872, in Dymokury, near Podébrady, in what is now Czechoslovakia; died Apr. 4,1932, in Vienna. Austrian political figure; count.

In 1903, Czernin was elected a deputy to the Bohemian diet from the chauvinistic German Party. In 1912 he became a member of the Austro-Hungarian House of Lords. From December 1916 to April 1918 he served as minister of foreign affairs. Recognizing the profound crisis of the Hapsburg monarchy, Czernin sought a compromise peace treaty with the Entente. For this reason he conducted secret negotiations with France; news of the negotiations, however, reached the press and led to his resignation. From 1920 to 1923, Czernin was a member of the National Council of Austria.