This websites chronicles and documents Austrian immigration to the United States over time. It accompanies a print publication, Towards the American Century: Austrian Immigration to the United States, as well as several physical exhibits on the subject. It is a cooperation between the Embassy of Austria in the United States and the Austrian Marshall Plan Center for European Studies at The University of New Orleans.

This is an ongoing project; it was officially inaugurated on July 18, 2019 and strives to become the premier source and resource on Austrian immigration to the United States. Individuals wishing to make a scholarly contribution, via their research, a story, artifacts, or photographs, are welcome to get in touch.

Site Curators:

Günter Bischof, PhD (The University of New Orleans)
Hannes Richter, PhD (Austrian Embassy Washington)

Academic Advisory Board:

Guenter Bischof, PhD
University of New Orleans, Chair

Jonathan Singerton, PhD
University of Innsbruck

Annemarie Steidl, PhD
University of Vienna

Philipp Strobl, PhD
University of Innsbruck

Nicole Phelps, PhD
University of Vermont

Janek Wasserman, PhD
University of Alabama

Acknowledgements:

The Embassy of Austria in the United States and Ambassador Wolfgang Waldner, who commissioned this project, have enabled us to engage with the subject matter. In particular, we would like to thank Thorsten Eisingerich, Director of the Austrian Press and Information Service, for overseeing this project for the Embassy, and we are grateful for the help of his colleagues, Julia Aßl, Franziska Riel, and Fabienne Moser, who were instrumental in the final editorial process of both the book and the physical exhibit accompanying this project.

We are grateful for a generous grant by the Future Fund of the Republic of Austria for aiding with the printing cost of the book and thank Anita Dumfahrt, Herwig Hösele, and Kurt Scholz for their untiring efforts in making research and publication funds available to the Austrian scholarly community. The Austrian National Library and the director of its Picture Archives and Graphics Department, Dr. Hans Petschar, have provided us with very generous access to their holdings, allowing a thorough survey of the visual materials pertaining to this project.

Furthermore, at uno press we would like to thank Abram Himelstein and George Kroening Darby with their team for their sterling support; our designer Kevin Stone has done yeoman‘s work in producing a presentable book, gorgeously illustrated.

We are grateful to Elfi Thiemer at the Presidential Chancellery of Austria, Karin Schmid-Gerlich at the U.S. Embassy in Vienna, Lonnie Johnson and the Austrian Fulbright Commission, Jason Naum at the Botstiber Foundation, the offices of Norbert Bischofberger and Wolfgang Puck, as well as to Markus Schweiger and Claudia Kraif at the Austrian Marshall Plan Foundation for their generous help while preparing the printed volume.

In addition, Günter Bischof received support from Jonathan Singerton and Hans Petschar; his work on the biographies of Austrian immigrants, highlighted in this publication, was financially supported by the Botstiber Foundation of Media, Pennsylvania. He would like to thank Terry Kline and Siegfried Beer for making the initial grant possible. At the University of New Orleans, Bischof has enjoyed support from Matthew Tarr, Vice President of Research, Kim Long, the Dean of Liberal Arts and Education, Robert Dupont, the Chair of the History Department, and Marc Landry and Gertraud Griessner, the staff of the Austrian Marshall Plan Center for European Studies.

Banner image: Pexels/ Pixabay