Austrian Americans (German: Österreichamerikaner, pronounced[ˈøːstɐraɪçameriˌkaːnɐ]) are Americans of Austrian descent, chiefly German-speaking Catholics and Jews. According to the 2000 U.S. census, there were 735,128 Americans of full or partial Austrian descent, accounting for 0.3% of the population. The true figure is difficult to pin down given the fluid borders and successive political reorganizations of the Habsburg monarchy and Central Europe, which at times included the multi-ethnic Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary.
The states with the largest Austrian American populations are New York (93,083), California (84,959), Pennsylvania (58,002, most of them in the Lehigh Valley), Florida (54,214), New Jersey (45,154), and Ohio (27,017). Many Americans of German, Czech, Polish, Slovak, Slovene, Croatian, and Ukrainian descent can also trace their ancestry to former Habsburg territories, meaning the population figures for Austrian Americans likely represents an undercount. These regions were major sources of immigrants to the United States before World War I, and their inhabitants often assimilated into larger immigrant and ethnic communities throughout the U.S.
The Archduchy of Austria never held any colonies in the Americas. Austrian migration to the U.S. probably started in the 18th century, when a group of 50 families from the city of Salzburg migrated to the newly founded Province of Georgia. Having a Protestant background, the Salzburg Protestants migrated because of Catholic repression in their country. They established their own community in Ebenezer, Georgia, in 1734. President Bill Clinton proclaimed September 26, 1997, as Austrian American Day and cited the Salzburgers' contributions to American history.
From around the 1870s until the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Austrians emigrated in large numbers to the U.S. Over two million people from Austria-Hungary immigrated to the United States throughout the 19th century, though because of the empire's multi-ethnic status, it is difficult to determine how many of these immigrants were ethnic Austrians. Over 275,000 Austrian Americans lived in the United States by 1900. Austria-Hungary was also one of six countries to send more than a million immigrants to the U.S. within a single decade, arriving at roughly two million between 1900 and 1909 alone. World War I caused diplomatic relations between the United States and the Austro-Hungarian Empire to be terminated on April 8, 1917, which resulted in a dramatic decrease in Austrian immigration to the United States.
Following the Anschluss, the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938, large numbers of Austrians migrated to the United States, most of whom were Jewish Austrians fleeing the Nazi persecution. By 1941, some 29,000 Jewish Austrians had emigrated to the United States. Most of them were doctors, lawyers, architects and artists, including composers, writers and stage and film directors). After World War II ended, some further 40,000 Austrians emigrated to the United States in the period 1945–1960.
Since the 1960s, Austrian immigration has been very limited, owing to Austria's high levels of development and political freedom. According to the 1990 United States census, 948,558 people identified their origins in Austria. Most of the present-day immigrants who currently live in the U.S. who were born in Austria identify themselves as being of Austrian ancestry, but the percentage who identify themselves as being of German ancestry is larger than the one expected on the basis of the opinion polls in Austria.
According to the United States Census Bureau, in 2015, there were 26,603 individuals living in the U.S. born in Austria who identified themselves as being of Austrian ancestry. By contrast, in the same year, there were 6,200 individuals living in the U.S. born in Austria who identified themselves as being of German ancestry. Most of the immigrants from South Tyrol, an Italian province formerly part of the Austrian Empire, identify themselves as being of German rather than Austrian ancestry. According to the Census Bureau, in 2015, there were 365 individuals living in the U.S. born in Italy who identified themselves as being of Austrian ancestry. By contrast, in the same year, there were 1,040 individuals living in the U.S. born in Italy who identified themselves as being of German ancestry.
Austrian immigrants adapted quickly to American society because the Austro-Hungarian Empire had also been a melting pot of many cultures and languages. On the other hand, despite the rejection that Austrians feel toward the behavior of the Germans, regarded by Austrians as less tolerants and cosmopolitans, they have suffered the same damages and discrimination that German immigrants have faced in the United States. They were considered by Americans to be the same because of their language and both world wars.
The emigration of religious groups from Austria to the United States, especially the Jews from Vienna after 1938, has also contributed to strengthen religious variety in the United States. Isidor Bush (1822–98) emigrated from Vienna in 1849 and became a leading Jewish citizen of the city of St. Louis and the state of Missouri through his business ventures, religious work, and political activities. His vineyards were famous and profitable.
Austrian-American communities in the United States
The U.S. communities with the highest percentage of self-professed Austrian Americans are:
Top U.S. communities by Austrian American Population
Georg Ludwig von Trapp – headed the Austrian singing family portrayed in The Sound of Music. His exploits at sea in World War I earned him numerous decorations.
Agathe von Trapp – eldest daughter of Baron Georg von Trapp and Agathe Whitehead von Trapp, The von Trapp Family from The Sound of Music
Maria F. von Trapp – second-oldest daughter of Baron Georg von Trapp and Agathe Whitehead von Trapp, The von Trapp Family from The Sound of Music
Werner von Trapp – second-oldest son of Georg Ritter von Trapp and Agathe Whitehead von Trapp, The von Trapp Family from The Sound of Music
Wolfgang Pauli – theoretical physicist and pioneer of quantum physics, received the Nobel Prize in Physics.
Victor Frederick Weisskopf – physicist of Jewish descent. During World War II, he worked at Los Alamos on the Manhattan Project to develop the atomic bomb, and later campaigned against the proliferation of nuclear weapons; medal received in 1979
Kurt von Schuschnigg – Austrofascist politician and Austrian federal Chancellor 1936-1938 and professor of political sciences at St. Louis University 1948-1967
↑Melissa Jane Taylor, "Family matters: the emigration of elderly Jews from Vienna to the United States, 1938-1941." Journal of Social History 45.1 (2011): 238-260. online
↑Siegmar Muehl, "Isidor Bush and the Bushberg Vineyards of Jefferson County," Missouri Historical Review (1999) 94#1 pp 42-58.
↑Archived February 1, 2016, at the Wayback Machine "Though his professional name was suggestive of a Latin Lover type, actor Ricardo Cortez was actually an Austrian Jew, born Jacob Krantz. He arrived in Hollywood in 1922, at a time when the Rudolph Valentino craze was at its height."
↑ regarding an Austrian decoration: "I have focused on Austrian studies most of my academic life. As an Austrian-American, it makes me especially proud."
↑ "Austrian born film star, Hedy Lamarr, of the 1930 and 40s was also a gifted electrical engineer."
"The Hedy Lamarr Story: Part 1". Archived from the original on February 28, 2005. Retrieved April 13, 2006. "Hedy Lamarr had been an American citizen since 1953."
↑ "Arnold Schwarzenegger, "The Austrian Oak", was a bodybuilding prodigy who won the..." "Arnold was the embodiment of the American (a naturalized citizen since 1983) dream..."
↑ "Galvanizing, stern-featured Viennese character actress with extensive Broadway experience..."
↑ "That's Erika Slezak, daughter of the famous Austrian-American actor Walter Slezak..."
↑ "Wilder, Austrian-born, but in the US since 1934, directed his last film in 1981."
↑ "A study of the life and work of Austrian composer Korngold..."
↑Rudhyar, Dane (1982). The Magic of Tone and the Art of Music. Shambhala Publications, Inc.
↑"Joseph Keppler". Archived from the original on January 22, 2008. Retrieved January 24, 2008. "Joseph Keppler was born in Vienna, Austria, on 1st February, 1838."
↑Wolfgang Pauli: "... in 1946 he became a naturalized citizen of the United States. Following World War II he returned to Zurich."
↑ "Growing up in Vienna in a well-to-do Jewish family..." "One of the most brilliant Jewish scientists to be driven from Germany by Nazi persecution..."
↑ "Wilhelm Reich, an Austrian-Ukrainian of Jewish background."
↑Wendel, Ray A. (2007). "In Honor Of Paul Watzlawick". Journal of Marital & Family Therapy. 33.3 (2007): 293–294.
↑[link removed] "Austrian-American legal philosopher, teacher, jurist, and writer on international law..."
↑ "Born and educated in Vienna. Immigrated to the United States and served in the 33rd Congressional District (Pittsburgh, PA)."
↑Obituary of Schuschnigg in The Times, London, November 19, 1977
↑"WolfgangPuck.com:Company". Archived from the original on September 12, 2006. Retrieved August 31, 2006. "The Austrian-born Puck began..."; WolfgangPuck.com (2005); retrieved August 31, 2006
Further reading
Jones, J. Sydney. "Austrian Americans." Gale Encyclopedia of Multicultural America, edited by Thomas Riggs, (3rd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2014), pp.189–202. online
Pochmann, Henry A. German Culture in America: Philosophical and Literary Influences 1600–1900 (1957). 890pp; comprehensive review of German influence on Americans esp 19th century. online
Pochmann, Henry A. and Arthur R. Schult. Bibliography of German Culture in America to 1940 (2nd ed 1982); massive listing, but no annotations.
Spaulding, E. Wilder. The Quiet Invaders: The Story of the Austrian Impact upon America (Vienna: Österreichische Bundesverlag, 1968).
Thernstrom, Stephen, ed. Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups (1980) pp 164–170. Online free to borrow
.jpg)
