Rita Süssmuth

Ahead of the Christian Democrats’ leadership election in 2021, Süssmuth publicly endorsed Armin Laschet to succeed Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer as the party’s chair.

In 2018 Süssmuth was awarded the Mercator Visiting Professorship for Political Management at the Universität Essen-Duisburg's NRW School of Governance.

Süssmuth is also Member of the European Council on Tolerance and Reconciliation established in 2008 to monitor tolerance in Europe and prepare recommendations to European governments and IGOs on fighting xenophobia and anti-semitism.

On 6 September 2005 Süssmuth was appointed as the new President of the state-approved Berlin OTA Private University (OTA Hochschule), today SRH Hochschule Berlin. She was succeeded by Peter Eichhorn in January 2010.

In 2002, Süssmuth became a member of the Limbach Kommission, which acts as a mediator in questions of Nazi looted art.

In September 2000, Federal Minister of the Interior Otto Schily appointed Süssmuth as head of a high-profile bipartisan commission to overhaul Germany's immigration policies. The commission's task was to develop an overall concept for new immigration legislature. The results of the committee were presented in July 2001, in the form of a 323-paged report titled "Crafting Immigration - Promoting Integration" ("Zuwanderung gestalten - Integration fördern").

In addition to her political work, Süssmuth was involved in many civil society projects, for example as President of the European Movement Germany (1994-1998) and member of the Advisory Board and Board of Trustees of the non-profit Bertelsmann Foundation (1997-2007). Süssmuth has received various honours for her services.

In December 1989, Süssmuth advocated a joint declaration by both German states on the recognition of the Polish western border.

After the resignation of Philipp Jenninger in 1988 Süssmuth became the 10th President of the Bundestag. She held the post until 1998, when the SPD became the strongest group in parliament.

Süssmuth was a member of the German Bundestag from 1987 to 2002. In the federal elections in 1987, 1990 and 1994 she won the direct mandate in the constituency of Göttingen and in 1998, she moved into parliament via the state list of the CDU Lower Saxony.

From 1986 to 2001, Süssmuth served as president of the Frauen Union (the organization of the female members of the CDU) and therefore had a strong influence in her party.

From 1985 to 1988, she served as Federal Minister for Youth, Family and Health (from 1986 youth, family, women and health) and from 1988 to 1998 as President of the German Bundestag . With close to 10 years, her tenure was the third longest in the history of the Bundestag. Only Eugen Gerstenmaier and Norbert Lammert held the position longer.

From 1982 to 1985, Süssmuth was the director of the Institut Frau und Gesellschaft in Hanover. During her time as an active politician, she gave block seminars at the University of Göttingen.

In 1971, Süssmuth was appointed professor of Educational Science at the Pädagogische Hochschule Ruhr. In 1973, she accepted the call of the University of Dortmund. In 1971, she also began working on the scientific advisory board of the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs.

In 1964, she then received her Ph.D. phil. at the University of Münster. Her dissertation was titled "Studies on the Anthropology of the Child in contemporary French literature" ("Studien zur Anthropologie des Kindes in der französischen Literatur der Gegenwart").

From 1963 to 1966, Süssmuth worked as a scientific assistant at the universities of Stuttgart and Osnabrück and from 1966 as a lecturer at the Pädagogische Hochschule Ruhr. From 1969 to 1982, she had a teaching assignment at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum for International Comparative Education.

Süssmuth was born and spent her childhood in Wadersloh. After graduating from high school (Emsland-Gymnasium) in Rheine in 1956, she completed a degree in Romance studies and history in Münster, Tübingen and Paris, which she finished on 20 July 1961 with the first state examination (Staatsexamen) for teaching. This was followed by postgraduate studies in educational science, sociology and psychology.

Rita Süssmuth (née Kickuth; German pronunciation: [ˈʁiːta ˈzʏsmuːt] ; born 17 February 1937) is a German politician and a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).