Heide Simonis | |
|---|---|
 Simonis in 2009 | |
| Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein | |
| In office 19 March 1993 – 27 April 2005 | |
| Preceded by | Björn Engholm |
| Succeeded by | Peter Harry Carstensen |
| Schleswig-Holstein Minister of Finance | |
| In office 5 May 1988 – 19 March 1993 | |
| Preceded by | Roger Asmussen |
| Succeeded by | Claus Möller |
| Member of theBundestag | |
| In office 3 October 1976 – 8 June 1988 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Heide Steinhardt (1943-07-04)4 July 1943 Bonn,Greater German Reich |
| Died | 12 July 2023(2023-07-12) (aged 80) Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany |
| Political party | Social Democratic |
| Education | |
Heide Simonis (German:[ˈhaɪdəziˈmoːnɪs]; 4 July 1943 – 12 July 2023) was a German author and politician of theSocial Democratic Party (SPD). She was minister of finance inSchleswig-Holstein from 1988 until 1993, when she becameminister-president of Schleswig-Holstein. She was the first woman to serve as head of a state government in German history and the only woman to do so in the 20th century, serving until 2005. As of 2025, she is the longest serving former minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein and also the longest serving former femaleminister-president of all German states (11 years, 343 days).
Born Heide Steinhardt inBonn on 4 July 1943,[1] she was the oldest of three sisters.[2] She had asthma as a young child and therefore spent time in children's homes from age three.[3] She completed school with theAbitur in 1962 inNürnberg.[1] She then studied economics and sociology at the universities ofErlangen-Nürnberg andKiel, graduating with a degree in economics in 1967.[1][4] She worked in different positions after 1967, beginning as a lecturer at theUniversity of Lusaka in Zambia.[1] She worked with her husband for an advisory panel of theWHO in Japan on health development.[5] She later worked as vocational counsellor at the employment office of Kiel.[2]
Simonis joined theSPD in 1969.[1][4] She was elected to the GermanBundestag in 1976,[1] representing theRendsburg-Eckernförde district, as then the youngest member of the parliament.[4]
In 1988, Simonis was appointed minister of finance inSchleswig-Holstein byminister-presidentBjörn Engholm.[1][4] In the1992 state elections, she became a member of thelegislature of Schleswig-Holstein.[1]
On 19 May 1993, Simonis was elected minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein after her predecessor Engholm resigned due to a scandal.[4] She was the first woman in Germany to rise to this level in government. For her first cabinet, she kept almost all of Engholm's ministers.[6]
The1996 state elections saw the SPD representation drop to 39.8% from 46.2% in 1992, but Simonis was able to form acoalition with theGreens.[4] In the2000 state elections, at the height of aChristian Democratic Union'sdonations scandal, the SPD was able to increase its share to 43.1%. At the time, the result was also seen as marking a victory forChancellorGerhard Schröder, who had campaigned ardently in support of Simonis.[7]
Despite basing its campaign for the2005 elections on Simonis' popularity, the SPD suffered a heavy defeat due to the bad economic situation and its support dropped to 38.7% (for the first time in almost twenty years behind the CDU). On 17 March 2005, Simonis failed to be re-elected as minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein in four consecutive ballots by the Schleswig-Holstein Landtag.[8] In the firstballot she received 34 votes andPeter Harry Carstensen (CDU) received 33, while two deputies cast empty votes. Neither Simonis nor Carstensen got theabsolute majority (35 votes). In the second and third ballots the candidates received 34 votes each, while one deputy of the alliance of SPD, Greens, andSSW abstained. An unprecedented fourth ballot brought the same result and Simonis stepped down as minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein.[8]
Simonis served as chairwoman of theGerman Committee for UNICEF from 2005 until February 2008. She resigned from this position due to a scandal related to donations to the organisation that arose during her term.[9]
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In 1967, Simonis marriedUdo E. Simonis [de] who had studied with her.[2][4] He became a professor of economics, with a focus on the environment.[4] Among her hobbies wasquiltmaking.[5]
Simonis survived breast cancer.[5] She announced in 2014 that she was diagnosed withParkinson's disease.[4] She died at home inKiel on 12 July 2023, at age 80.[2][10]
PresidentFrank-Walter Steinmeier described her as an exceptional political personality who shaped democracy beyond Schleswig-Holstein. He noted her competence, but also humanity and empathy.[11]
Books by Simonis include:[3]
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