Hermann Lindrath (29 June 1896 inEisleben – 27 February 1960 inMannheim) 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]
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 inHalle, Saxony-Anhalt, before he joined the management ofHeidelbergCement.[2]
In 1953 Lindrath defeated industrialist Richard Freudenberg (ofFreudenberg Group) who had held the constituency ofMannheim-Land in his first bid for aBundestag 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 chancellorAdenauer'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 overKurt-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, theFederal Republic of Germany, to the general public in a program of "popular capitalism" (calledVolksaktien in German), which was initiated byLudwig Erhard. Lindrath successfully sold the majority stake inPreussag, a diversified company with holdings in mining and transportation, and he concluded a deal with the state ofLower Saxony that paved the way for theprivatization ofVolkswagen, theVW car manufacturer, which was implemented after his successor, Hans Wilhelmi, had taken over responsibility.[5]
^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.
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
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)
