Mathwar/Personlist/Lukacs Eugene
Eugene Lukacs
(* August 14th 1906, † December 21st 1987)
Life
Lukacs left school teaching in 1933 and took up a position as an actuary at an insurance company, having E Helly, another of Jewish origin, amongst his colleagues in the insurance company. The political situation in Austria continued to deteriorate. A civil war followed with four days of fighting. All political parties were abolished except the Fatherland Front but, in July 1934, a group of Nazis attempted to seize power but they were compelled to surrender, and their leaders were executed. Hitler and Mussolini allied themselves in 1936 and Austria became totally isolated. During this time Lukacs had married Elizabeth Weisz. They had met at the University of Vienna in 1927 while they were both studying mathematics and physics.
In 1937 Lukacs left the insurance company. He also taught mathematics at the Volkshochschule Wien Volksheim but his position was becoming increasingly difficult. In March 1938, German troops, accompanied by Hitler himself, entered Austria. Austria was absorbed into Germany and the Nazis arrested the leaders of the Austrian political parties. Many Austrians, especially those of Jewish origin, went into exile and Lukacs and his wife decided that they had to take this route. Elizabeth Lukacs left for the United States late in 1938 while Eugene left some time later, reaching the United States in February 1939.