Samuel David Mendelssohn

Samuel David Mendelssohn
1st, 3rd, 5th Government Commissioner for Education and Youth for the district of Rheinhessen-Pfalz
In office January 1, 1975 – July 2, 1977; October 9, 1983; – December 22, 1983; March 17, 1985 – November 28, 1985
Preceded by	(1st) new creation; (3rd) Werner Böhm; (5th) Waltraud Rheinhardt
Succeeded by	(1st) Werner Böhm; (3rd) Waltraud Rheinhardt; (5th) Victor von Stutenbreck
Personal details
Born	May 17, 1942 Jerusalem
Died	September 16, 2006 Ludwigshafen
Political party	none, candidated for FDP
Spouse(s)	Barbara Modersohn Becker (1966–1971); Marianne Weber (1982–1997)
Occupation	political scientist, teacher

Samuel David Nathaniel Aaron Mendelssohn (May 17, 1942 Jerusalem–September 16, 2006), known as Samuel David Mendelssohn, was a German political scientist, author and independent politician for the Free Democrats.

Biography

Mendelssohn was born as the only son of Amschel and his wife Elvira in Jerusalem. In 1943 the Mendelssohns' emigrated to Liechtenstein and in 1945 to Munich, Germany. There Mendelssohn joined the University and earned a doctorate in 1965 in Political Science as Dr. disc. pol..

From 1966 to 1971, Mendelssohn was married to Barbara Modersohn-Becker; he became a widower when Barbara died in childbirth with the birth of their last child, Ariane. They have five children: Maximilian (* 1967), Sebastian (* 1968), Rahel (* 1970), Daniel (* 1971) und Ariane (* 1971). In 1982 he married Marianne Weber and they had two daughters: Marina (* 1984) and Christiane (* 1985). Marianne also died in childbirth in 1997.

Mendelssohn lived in Ludwigshafen (1966–1975) and in Landau (since 1975).

Political science

Mendelssohn wrote many essays about the political situation in Germany between 1964 to 1985 and also to the German reunification in 1990.

Today Mendelssohn is known as one of the most notable political scientists in Europe in the post-war time.

Politics

Mendelssohn was also politically active: He was a member of the city council of Ludwigshafen and from 1975 till 1977 he was Government Commissioner for Education and Youth for the district of Rheinhessen-Pfalz (Regierungskommissar für Bildung und Jugend für den Regierungsbezirk Rheinhessen-Pfalz) of Rhineland-Palatinate. He held this office for a second and a third time in 1983 and 1985.

Official Mendelssohn joined no party, but he sympathised with the FDP.

Didactics

Since 1968 Mendelssohn had been a teacher on a Realschule in Landau. He gave lessons in politics, English and German. Since 1973 he was also the principal of this school. He reformed the didactics in politics in school.

In 1999 Mendelssohn held his last lesson as teacher.

Political offices
Preceded by —	Government Commissioner for Education and Youth for the district of Rheinhessen-Pfalz 1975–1977	Succeeded by Werner Böhm
Preceded by Werner Böhm	Government Commissioner for Education and Youth for the district of Rheinhessen-Pfalz (acting) 1983	Succeeded by Waltraud Rheinhardt
Preceded by Waltraud Rheinhardt	Government Commissioner for Education and Youth for the district of Rheinhessen-Pfalz (acting) 1985	Succeeded by Victor von Stutenbreck