Hans Leussink
Hans Leussink ( born February 2, 1912 in Schüttorf, † February 16, 2008 in Karlsruhe ) was a German engineer of Geotechnical Engineering, university teacher and politician. He was from 1969 to 1972 and also the first non-partisan Federal Minister of Education and Science.
Education and work
After graduation in 1930 Leussink completed a study of civil engineering in Dresden, which he finished as a graduate engineer. He then worked as a research assistant at the Institute of Applied Mechanics at the Mining Academy Freiberg (Saxony ) with Franz Koegler. In 1939 he was superintendent at Earthworks Institute at the Technical University of Munich. On May 1, 1937, he was member of the NSDAP. In 1941, he was with the work experiments with off-road earthmoving equipment with special consideration of the influence of soil type on the Dr. -Ing. doctorate. In 1942, he was drafted as a soldier.
After the war he headed from 1946 to 1952 own architectural and engineering firm in Schüttorf and Essen / Ruhr. After his habilitation he was from October 1954 Professor of Foundation Engineering, Tunnel Engineering and Management at the Technical University of Karlsruhe, where he greatly developing the company's geotechnical institute and led to an international reputation.
From 1956 to 1958 he served as Dean of the Faculty of Architecture and Civil Engineering from 1958 to 1961 as Rector of the Technical University of Karlsruhe. He was 1960-1962 president of the West German Rectors' Conference and 1962/63 Chairman of the Committee for Research and Higher Education of the Council of Europe. From 1962 to 1969 he also was a member of the Science Council, from 1965 as its chairman.
Public offices
On October 22, 1969, he was appointed as Federal Minister of Education and Science in the first cabinet of Chancellor Willy Brandt. In this task, he headed 1970/71 the Bund -Länder Commission for Educational Planning. He is one of the few non-party federal ministers in the history of the Federal Republic of Germany. On March 15, 1972, he resigned from this office back.
Furthermore Leussink worked in supervisory boards of numerous institutions, foundations and associations with, for example, since 1972, Senator of the Max Planck Society, also since 1972 a member of the Board of Trustees of the Volkswagen Foundation, since 1973 Member, from 1978 Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the German -British Foundation for the study of Industrial Society, also since 1973, Chairman of the Selection Committee for the U.S. Senior Scientists program of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation, since 1974 Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics, since 1975 member of the selection committee of the John McCloy Funds, since 1976 Member of the Advisory Board of the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics.
Hans Leussink belonged to the Board of Trustees of the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen and Halbach Foundation to since their construction in 1967 and has held from 1979 to 2007 the office of Deputy Chairman. Since then, he was an honorary member of the Board of Trustees. He was also from 1967 to 1969 and from 1972 to 1998 member of the Board of Fried. Krupp GmbH and the Supervisory Board of Fried. Krupp AG Hoesch- Krupp.
Special
No Federal Minister reached so far advanced age as Hans Leussink.
Leussink remained until the year 1991, the last non-party federal minister. This changed when Klaus Kinkel was appointed as Federal Minister of Justice in the fourth cabinet of the government of Helmut Kohl, but he came a few days after being appointed, the FDP.
Honors and Awards (selection)
- Great Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (30 December 1981)
- Honorary Member of the Board of Trustees of the Alfried Krupp von Bohlen and Halbach Foundation, Essen ( 2007)
- Senator of the Max Planck Society ( 1972)
- Honorary Senator of the Max Planck Society (1984 )
- Foreign Honorary Member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Harvard / USA ( 1994)