statesman who served three times as Austrian prime minister.

A graduate of the University of Vienna, Gautsch von Frankenthurn entered the imperial Ministry of Education (1874) and served as Austrian minister of education in the cabinets of Eduard, Count von Taaffe (1885–93), and Kasimir, Count von Badeni (1895–97). With the fall of Badeni, he was appointed prime minister (November 1897), but the failure of his proposed reform of the Bohemian language laws prompted his resignation (March 1898).

After several years as president of the government accounting office, Gautsch von Frankenthurn was recalled to the post of prime minister (Jan. 1, 1905), but again his ministry foundered, this time because of suffrage reform (May 1906). He was recalled once more in June 1911, but his third ministry expired after a few months. Ever faithful to the imperial summons, he remained, until the death of the emperor Francis Joseph I, one of the most trusted servants of the crown.