Wim Duisenberg
Willem Frederik " Wim " Duisenberg [ ʋɪləm fɾe ː dəɾɪk dœʏ̯zənbɛɾχ ] ( born July 9, 1935 in Heerenveen, † July 31, 2005 Faucon, France) was a Dutch politician and economist from 1998 to 2003, the first President of the European Central Bank ( ECB) in Frankfurt am Main.
Life
Wim Duisenberg studied at the University of Groningen economics and a doctorate on the topic " Economic consequences of disarmament ". He was from 1973 to 1977 Minister of Finance of the Netherlands and was in 1978 as a representative of Partij van de There have for some months of the Second Chamber of Parliament to. This mandate he resigned to become vice president of Rabobank Nederland BV; 1982 to 1994, he served then as President of the Dutch Central Bank.
On 2 May 1998 he was elected to the French competitor Jean -Claude Trichet as President of the European Central Bank. By violent intervention of the French government, which necessarily would prevail Trichet as first president after it had already drawn against Germany in the choice of the location of the ECB the short straw, there was almost an uproar. This was only prevented by Duisenberg renounced the full term of 8 years and declared himself willing to hand over the post after four years Trichet. The accomplished under his chairmanship in 2002, introduction of euro cash earned him the nickname " Mr. € " a. His signature is mapped to all euro bank notes that were printed until 2003.
In 2003, Wim Duisenberg gave his resignation from the presidency to his 68th birthday, July 9, 2003 known, but this was rejected by the EU finance ministers - he should until proper order of his successor at 1 November 2003 in the Official remain. Was succeeded by his former competitor Jean -Claude Trichet. During his tenure Duisenberg had to put up with harsh and polemical criticism from the English media ( including by headlines such as " Dim Wim ").
Because of his service to the introduction of the euro Duisenberg was awarded the Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany on 24 July 2002. He also took the 2002 International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen against representative for the euro.
Wim Duisenberg was married in second marriage with the politically controversial activist Gretta Duisenberg, who was advised again and again because of their violent agitation against the Israeli policy in the headlines. Not least because the couple Duisenberg frequently been accused of anti-Semitism.
On 31 July 2005 he was, according to prosecutors dead in the swimming pool of his villa in the south of France Faucon ( Vaucluse ) found. This thesis contradicted his wife initially energetic, was later but after. According to the Dutch newspaper " de Volkskrant " she had said on July 31 that they had found him in front of his office. The senior parent prosecutor noted that Duisenberg had died of a heart attack.
Duisenberg left behind two sons and a daughter from his first marriage.