Biography

1961 Abitur. 1961 to 1968: studied German, philosophy, politics, education and history; 1968 to 1970: trained as a teacher for grammar schools; second state examination.

1970 to 1975 member of the Kassel Board of Studies; 1975 to 1991 Lord Mayor of the City of Kassel.

1981 to 1991 member of the Executive Committee of the German Association of Cities, 1985 to 1987 and 1989 to 1991 President of the Hessian Association of Cities.

Joined the SPD in 1964, member of the SPD party executive committee since 1984, state chairman of the SPD in Hesse from 1989 to 2001, member of the SPD executive committee since 1999. 1968 to 1975 City Councilor in Kassel; 1991 to 1999 Member of the Hesse State Parliament and Minister President of the State of Hesse.

Member of the Bundestag since 2002; April 1999 to November 2005 Federal Minister of Finance.
- IMDb mini biography by: Christian_Wolfgang_Barth