# Maria Schaumayer

Maria Schaumayer (born on October 7, 1931 – January 23, 2013) was an Austrian economist and politician, a member of the Austrian People's Party. From 1990 to 1995, she served as the Governor of the Austria’s central bank, the Oesterreichische Nationalbank (OeNB). In 1996, she was named an Honorary Citizen of Vienna, and in 2000, she was awarded the Golden Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria.

## Early years and education

Maria Schaumayer was born on October 7, 1931, in Graz. She graduated from the Realgymnasium in Fürstenfeld in 1949 and then studied international trade and economics at the University of World Trade in Vienna and law at the University of Innsbruck, completing her studies in 1952. Schaumayer received her doctorate in 1954 with a degree in economics.

## Career

Initially, Schaumayer worked at the highly regarded Creditanstalt, where she became authorized signatory in 1961. She was also a member of the Viennese Association of Academics. From 1965 to 1973, Schaumayer was a member of the city council and regional government of Vienna, nominated by the Austrian People's Party (ÖVP). She was responsible for municipal enterprises and building regulations and other technical matters. From 1969 to 1982, she also served in the Municipal Council and Landtag of Vienna.
After the 1973 elections, she left the state government and in May 1974 become a vorstand of Kommunalkredit AG, a specialist bank in Vienna, which specialized in public infrastructure projects. In 1982, she was appointed as the CFO of OMV. In 1990, she was appointed Governor of the Oesterreichische Nationalbank. On her 60th birthday in 1991, she founded the Dr. Maria Schaumayer Foundation, with the aim of actively supporting the careers of women in business and science and promoting research into and improving the framework conditions for such careers. During her term in office, the salaries of the central bankers were also drastically cut. Her own salary was reduced from nine to six million schillings (440,000 euros) as a result of the reform.
At the beginning of 1995, she left the central bank. Starting in 2000, she served as a government representative for the compensation of forced laborers under the Nazi regime. This work also brought her international recognition. In this capacity, she played a key role in negotiating bilateral agreements between Austria and six European countries, as well as the USA, and reached an agreement with a group of civil claimants represented by lawyer Ed Fagan.
In addition to her professional career, Schaumayer has held many honorary positions. In May 2006, she was the first woman ever to be made an honorary member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
Maria Schaumayer passed away on January 23, 2013, and was buried at the Döbling Cemetery on February 2, 2013, in a grave dedicated for honorary purposes. In 2014, a square in Döbling was named after her, and in 2016, it was renamed Maria-Schaumayer-Platz.

## Awards and honours

* Golden Decoration of Honour for Services to the City of Vienna, 1984
* Golden Decoration of Honour of Styria with Star, 1992
* Honorary Senator of the Vienna University of Economics and Business, 1992
* Silver Decoration with Ribbon for Services to the Republic of Austria, 1995
* Honorary Citizen of Vienna, 1996
* Golden Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria, 2000
* Grand Decoration of Honour Pro Merito with Ribbon from the Vienna University of Economics and Business, 2001
* Grand Golden Decoration of Honour "Pro Merito" on Ribbon of the WU Vienna, 2002
* Honorary Member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, 2006
* "Leopold Kunschak Prize", 2007 (as the first woman)
* Honorary Senator of the University of Innsbruck, 2008