Heinrich von Brentano

Heinrich von Brentano di Tremezzo ( born June 20, 1904 in Offenbach am Main, † November 14, 1964 in Darmstadt ) was a German politician ( CDU).

From 1955 to 1961 he was Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Federal Republic of Germany and from 1949 to 1955 and from 1961 until his death chairman of the CDU / CSU parliamentary group.

Life and career

Heinrich von Brentano was the youngest child of Otto von Brentano di Tremezzo, who was a member of the Centre Party of the Weimar National Assembly, and Lilla born Schwerdt ( 1863-1948 ). Clemens von Brentano and Bernard were his elder brothers. After graduation 1922, Brentano studied law in Munich and became an active member of the Catholic Student Association Rheno - Bavaria in CT. In 1925 he took his first and in 1929 his second state exam. In 1930 at the University of Giessen his doctorate in law. with the work of the legal position of the Speaker of Parliament according to the German Constitution and Rules of Procedure law. In Giessen, Heinrich von Brentano was a member of the Catholic Student Association Nassovia in CT. He was a lawyer from 1932 to the Higher Regional Court of Darmstadt, until he was conscripted in 1943 as a prosecutor to Hanau. After 1945 he worked as a lawyer and notary in Darmstadt.

Brentano remained unmarried all his life. When asked that his minister was a homosexual, Konrad Adenauer said to have replied: " Dat is me ejal as long as he tackles me nit. " ( Another version of the saying is: " With me he 's certainly not tried it yet. " ) Up to her death in 1948 Brentano lived with his mother, which he used at the end.

Brentano succumbed to the consequences of a cancer suffering. He was honored three days after his death with a state ceremony in the plenary hall of the German Bundestag. Brentano is buried in the Woodland Cemetery Darmstadt.

Party and European Policy

Brentano In 1945, the founders of the CDU and was from 1946 to 1949 Regional Chairman of the district of Darmstadt and a member of the State Executive Committee of the CDU Hesse. He was also vice president of the parliamentary section of the European Movement.

Member of Parliament

From 1946 to 1949 he was a member of the Hesse Landtag. Here he was from 1947 Chairman of the CDU parliamentary group. 1948 to 1949 he was a member of the Parliamentary Council, where he was Vice Chairman of the Main Committee and the Committee on the occupation statute. From 1949 until his death he was then a member of the German Bundestag. Here he was on 15 September 1949 to 15 June 1955, and again on 24 November 1961 until his death chairman of the CDU / CSU parliamentary group.

1952 Brentano belonged to a group of 34 deputies of the CDU / CSU parliamentary group, who introduced a bill to introduce the relative majority voting in the Bundestag. From 1950 to 1955 he was a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council and was its vice-president. The European Parliament he was a member of 16 July 1952 until his appointment as Foreign Minister.

Heinrich von Brentano is always drawn as a directly elected representative of the constituency mountain road in the Bundestag.

Public offices

After the restoration of the sovereignty and the accession of the Federal Republic of Germany to NATO, he was appointed as Minister of Foreign Affairs in, headed by Chancellor Konrad Adenauer government on 8 June 1955. After the FDP a State Secretary in the Foreign Office called on the coalition negotiations after the 1961 Bundestag elections, then there should act as a supervisor, Brentano said on October 30, 1961 retroactive to October 28, 1961 his resignation.

Awards (excerpt)

  • Grand Cross of the Federal Republic of Germany (30 June 1955)
  • Grand Gold Medal with Ribbon for Services to the Republic of Austria (1955 )
  • Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (1956 )
  • Grand Cross of the Icelandic Falcon North ( 1956)
  • Grand Cross of the Portuguese Order of Christ (10 April 1958)
  • Bavarian Order of Merit
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