Ernst Koref
Austrian politician (1891-1988)
Ernst Koref (March 11, 1891, in Linz – November 15, 1988, ibid.) was a social democrat politician and the mayor of Linz from 1945 to 1962.
Biography
Ernst Koref was the fifth child of a railway official. He had four younger brothers and sisters. He attended Gymnasium in Linz and thanks to his conspicuous talent, he was allowed to make a speech in the 60th reign anniversary of Kaiser Franz Josef in 1908. Afterwards, Koref studied German studies and English studies in Wien, but for earning his living, he worked on the side as a Hofmeister in the houses of nobilities.
In 1914, he gained his PhD and joined the army in the first world war as an officer. He was sent to the Russian front and was taken prisoner. He got away and finished his military service as an interpreter on the Italian front. After the war, he worked as a teacher and schools inspector. From 1927 to 1934, Koref was a member of local council and from 1930 to 1934 a member of National Council.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “Ernst Koref” is austrian politician (1891-1988). The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through Ernst, Koref and Austrian, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “austrian politician (1891-1988)” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Aug 14, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q1359032. VIAF identifies the subject as 192130643. The Library of Congress control number is n87824178. 3 of 3 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1891, 1988, 1945 and 1962.
Public reputation and documentary evidence do not always develop together; absence from a summary is not evidence of historical absence. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Ernst Koref”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Ernst Koref primary sources, Ernst Koref archive and Ernst research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Ernst Koref”?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Ernst Koref” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.