Robert Pferdmenges
Robert Pferdmenges ( born March 27, 1880 in Moenchengladbach, † September 28, 1962 in Cologne ) was a German banker and politician of the CDU.
Life and career
Pferdmenges, who was Protestant faith, completed post-school as a bank clerk. From 1901 he worked in the London branch of the Disconto Society, after a few years he became branch manager. In 1913 he moved with the same banking institution in the branch Antwerp. From 1919 to 1929 he was CEO of A. Schaaffhausen'scher Bank Corporation Actiengesellschaft in Cologne and then moved to Oppenheim jr. in Cologne, whose partner he was from 1929 to 1953. Between 1938 and 1947 changed its name Oppenheim due to " friendly " linearization, acted as a placeholder for the owners of Jewish origin in the Pferdmenges when Robert Pferdmenges & Co. He was a member during his time at Sal Oppenheim for this bank a variety of supervisory boards of other companies to, in part, as Chairman of the Board. After the assassination attempt of 20 July 1944 he was arrested as part of Operation Storm, was for political reasons prohibition and was placed on his estate Lindenberg under house arrest. Pferdmenges belonged in the Weimar Republic to the German gentlemen's club, an influential association of high-ranking conservative personalities.
1946 Pferdmenges was elected president of the Commerce and Industry Chamber in Cologne, but soon afterwards deposed by the British occupying power, which temporarily prohibited him any activity in public office. From 1948 to 1951 he headed in trust the Flick concern, together with Hermann Josef Abs for Friedrich Flick. From 1951 to 1960 he was President of the Federal Association of German Banks. He was also a member of the Kronberger circle, a circle of evangelical leaders.
1953 appointed the IHK Cologne Pferdmenges an honorary president, 1954, he received the Great Cross of Merit with Star of the Federal Order of Merit and in 1959 the honorary ring in his hometown. In 1955 he was made an honorary citizen of the University of Cologne.
Party
1945 belonged Pferdmenges the founders of the CDU in Rhineland. In October 1946 he took over together with Johannes Albers leadership of the Programme Committee of the National Association of Rhineland CDU. In 1954 he participated in the founding of the Association Civic Association of Cologne, whose aim was to collect donations for the party CDU.
Member of Parliament
Pferdmenges 1947 Member of the State Parliament of North Rhine -Westphalia from 1947 to 1949 and represented the CDU in the Economic Bizonia. There he was from May 13, 1948 Chairman of the Committee for the Americas business.
On January 12, 1950, he moved according to the German Bundestag for the late Günther Sewald. He was then as each country on the list Nordrhein-Westfalen elected Member of Parliament until his death in 1962. After Pferdmenges had been the third-oldest members of the German Bundestag after the general election in 1957 after Konrad Adenauer ( CDU) and Marie Elisabeth Lüders (FDP ), it was after the election in 1961 interim president of the 4th Bundestag since Konrad Adenauer on because of his position as Chancellor this dignity and the consequent opening of the inaugural session of parliament refrained. From 1961 until his death he was chairman of the electoral committee in accordance with § 6 of the Law on the Federal Constitutional Court.
Along with Karl Atzenroth (FDP) and Willi Richter ( SPD), he was instrumental in the development of co-determination laws (1951: co-determination Act, 1952: Labor Management Relations Act, 1953: Personnel Representation Law ) involved.
He was regarded as the most influential financial advisors of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer, with whom he was a close friend.
Works
- The tasks of the banks in the current industrial situation. Cologne publishing house, Cologne 1926.
- The German economy. How it is and how it should be. DuMont, Cologne 1931.
Documentation
Jean -Michel Meurice: Slush fund, documentary, ARTE France, Maha and Anthracite (2008 - 70 '), France 2008