Heinz Riesenhuber
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Heinz Riesenhuber | |
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 Riesenhuber 2014 | |
| Minister of Scientific Research | |
| In office 1982–1993 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | December 1, 1935 Frankfurt |
| Political party | CDU |
| Occupation | Chemist |
Heinz Riesenhuber (born December 1, 1935) is a German politician (CDU) who served as Minister of Scientific Research under Chancellor Helmut Kohl from 1982 to 1993.
Life and education
Riesenhuber received his high school diploma (Abitur) in 1955 in Frankfurt am Main. He studied economics and chemistry until 1961. After that, he worked for four years as a researcher in the department of chemistry at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität and earned a Doctorate degree in chemistry in 1965.
From 1966 to 1982 he worked for Metallgesellschaft AG, Frankfurt/Main. Within the Metallgesellschaft Group, he was CEO for the subsidiary "Erzgesellschaft mbH" (from 1968), and from 1971 to 1982 Chief technical officer of "Synthomer Chemie GmbH", another subsidiary.
Political career
Riesenhuber became a member of the CDU in 1961. Between 1965 and 1969 he was head of the youth organization of CDU (Junge Union) in Hessen. He was chairman of CDU Frankfurt from 1973 to 1978. In 1979 he was elected as a chairman of CDU district Untermain.
From 1976 onwards, he served as a member of the federal German legislature, the Bundestag, representing Frankfurt am Main I - Main-Taunus. On October 4, 1982, he was appointed Minister of Scientific Research. He served as such until January 21, 1993.
In 2009 he became the 17th Alterspräsident (Father of the House) of the Bundestag due to his status as the oldest member of the legislature.
Honors
Riesenhuber earned an Honorary degree Dr. h.c. from
- Weizmann Institute of Science in Rehovot (Israel)
- University of Krakau (Poland)
- University of Surrey (England)
- University of Göttingen, 1997
Trivia
His personal brand is his Bow tie. He always wears such a tie. In his political campaigns for the Bundestag he used a poster showing only a bow tie in the national colours of Germany: Black, red and gold. Neither his name nor his party was mentioned but everybody in his constituency recognized Riesenhuber.
References
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| National | |
| Academics | |
| People | |
Alterspräsidents of the Bundestag
- Christian Democratic Union of Germany politicians
- German Roman Catholics
- Members of the Bundestag for Hesse
- Government ministers of Germany
- Living people
- 1935 births
- Knight Commanders of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts
- Alterspräsidents of the Bundestag