Friedrich Josef Baumgartner (born November 12, 2016) is an American boy from Scarborough, Maine, who was born in Vienna, Austria. He is best known for forfeiting his Austrian citizenship due to fears of serving in the military.
Early Childhood
Friedrich was born on November 12, 2016, in Vienna, Austria. He is the only child of Elisabeth and Konrad Baumgartner. He initially lived a simple childhood. As a normal Austrian child, Friedrich attended a public elementary school in Vienna.
Immigration to America and Loss of Austrian citizenship
In 2025, at the age of eight, Friedrich learned that he would be obligated to serve in the Austrian military as the country of Austria requires its male citizens to serve in the military. In order to not be conscripted into the Austrian military, Friedrich went to the United States, where he purposefully burned his Austrian passport, thereby loosing his citizenship with the Federal Republic of Austria. Afterwards, Friedrich applied to become a U.S. citizen. Now being a U.S. citizen, Friedrich’s original parents back in Austria lost custody of him. He would soon be adopted by a man named Timothy Smith, who was a resident of Scarborough, Maine.
Personal Life
Friedrich currently lives in Scarborough, Maine, United States of America, North America. He is a student within the Scarborough school district. He is also currently in fourth grade. Friedrich is bilingual in both German and English.