Hermann Lindrath (29 June 1896 in Eisleben – 27 February 1960 in Mannheim) was a German politician (CDU). From 1957 to 1960 he was Federal Minister of Public Holdings (Federal Patrimony) (Bundesminister für wirtschaftlichen Besitz des Bundes), one of the few federal ministers who died in office.[1]
Career
In 1914 Lindrath volunteered to serve in World War I. After the war he studied law and economics, completed his Ph.D. (Dr. rer. pol.) on "Enterprise models in the mining industry", worked in a bank, with the municipal administration and as a chartered accountant in Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, before he joined the management of HeidelbergCement.[2]
In 1953 Lindrath defeated industrialist Richard Freudenberg (of Freudenberg Group) who had held the constituency of Mannheim-Land in his first bid for a Bundestag seat. In 1957 he was reelected to represent his constituency for a second term.[3] The same year he was appointed to serve as Minister in chancellor Adenauer's government. Lindrath's appointment helped to achieve a balance between Catholics and Protestants among the cabinet members. Some say that exactly for this religious consideration Lindrath was given preference over Kurt-Georg Kiesinger from the same region.[4]
Lindrath's major contribution to German politics was his effort to sell off companies held by the German state, the Federal Republic of Germany, to the general public in a program of "popular capitalism" (called Volksaktien in German), which was initiated by Ludwig Erhard. Lindrath successfully sold the majority stake in Preussag, a diversified company with holdings in mining and transportation, and he concluded a deal with the state of Lower Saxony that paved the way for the privatization of Volkswagen, the VW car manufacturer, which was implemented after his successor, Hans Wilhelmi, had taken over responsibility.[5]
References
^Udo Kempf and Hans-Georg Merz (eds.), Kanzler und Minister 1949-1998. Biografisches Lexikon der deutschen Bundesregierungen, Wiesbaden: Westdeutscher Verlag, 2001, pp. 443-444.
^Udo Kempf and Hans-Georg Merz (eds.), Kanzler und Minister 1949-1998. Biografisches Lexikon der deutschen Bundesregierungen, Wiesbaden: Westdeutscher Verlag, 2001, pp. 443-444.
^Fritz Sänger and Klaus Liepelt: Wahlhandbuch 1965, Frankfurt: Europäische Verlagsanstalt, 1965, section 2.22, p. 61.
^Jürgen Domes: Bundesregierung und Mehrheitsfraktion, Cologne and Opladen: Westdeutscher Verlag, 1964, pp. 139-154.
^Udo Kempf and Hans-Georg Merz (eds.), Kanzler und Minister 1949-1998. Biografisches Lexikon der deutschen Bundesregierungen, Wiesbaden: Westdeutscher Verlag, 2001, pp. 445–446.
Bibliography
Udo Kempf and Hans-Georg Merz (eds.), Kanzler und Minister 1949-1998. Biografisches Lexikon der deutschen Bundesregierungen, Wiesbaden: Westdeutscher Verlag, 2001, pp. 443–447.
Rudolf Vierhaus and Ludolf Herbst (eds.), Biographisches Handbuch der Mitglieder des Deutschen Bundestages 1949-2002. Band I, A-M, Munich: Saur, 2002, pp. 505–506.
Berg (from 27 June 1955, from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
Blank (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
Blücher (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
Euler (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
Fassbender (from 18 November 1955 DP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
Henn (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
Hepp (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
Hoffmann
Hübner (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
Luchtenberg (from 18 September 1954, until 9 April 1956)
Lüders
Manteuffel (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
Neumayer (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
Onnen
Pfleiderer (until 20 September 1955)
Preiß (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
Preusker (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
Rademacher
Reif
Schäfer (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
Schneider (from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
Speaker: Horst Haasler until 15 March 1955; Karl Mocker 15 March 1955 till 26 April 1956; Erwin Feller from 26 April 1956]]
Members:
Bender (from 12 July 1955 Non-attached, from 14 July 1955 Group Kraft/Oberländer, from 15 July 1955 Guest of CDU/CSU-Fraktion, from 20 March 1956 CDU/CSU)
Eckhardt (from 12 July 1955 Non-attached, from 14 July 1955 Group Kraft/Oberländer, from 15 July 1955 Guest of CDU/CSU-Fraktion, from 20 March 1956 CDU/CSU)
Elsner
Engell
Feller
Fiedler (until 13 October 1953)
Finck (from 12 July 1955 Non-attached, from 14 July 1955 Group Kraft/Oberländer, from 15 July 1955 Guest of CDU/CSU-Fraktion, from 20 March 1956 CDU/CSU)
Finselberger
Gemein
Gille
Haasler (from 12 July 1955 Non-attached, from 14 July 1955 Group Kraft/Oberländer, from 15 July 1955 Guest of CDU/CSU-Fraktion, from 20 March 1956 CDU/CSU)
Keller
Klötzer
Körner (from 12 July 1955 Non-attached, from 14 July 1955 FDP, from 23 February 1956 Non-attached, from 15 March 1956 Demokratische Arbeitsgemeinschaft (DA), from 26 June 1956 FVP, from 14 March 1957 DP/FVP)
Kraft (from 12 July 1955 Non-attached, from 14 July 1955 Group Kraft/Oberländer, from 15 July 1955 Guest of CDU/CSU-Fraktion, from 20 March 1956 CDU/CSU)
Kunz
Kutschera
Meyer-Ronnenberg (from 20 August 1954 CDU/CSU)
Mocker
Oberländer (from 12 July 1955 Non-attached, from 14 July 1955 Group Kraft/Oberländer, from 15 July 1955 Guest of CDU/CSU-Fraktion, from 20 March 1956 CDU/CSU)
Petersen
Reichstein
Samwer (from 15 October 1953, from 12 July 1955 Non-attached, from 14 July 1955 Group Kraft/Oberländer, from 15 July 1955 Guest of CDU/CSU-Fraktion, from 20 March 1956 CDU/CSU)
