 |
Thomas de MaiziereMinister of the Interior of Germany
Date of Birth: 21.01.1954
Country:  Germany |
Content:
- Childhood and Family
- Education and Early Career
- Role in German Reunification
- Career in Saxony
- Federal Minister
- Career Highlights
- Personal Life
Childhood and Family
Karl Ernst Thomas de Maizière was born on January 21, 1954, in Bonn, Germany. He descends from a noble family of French Huguenots who fled religious persecution to Brandenburg in the 17th century. His father, Ulrich de Maizière, was a lieutenant colonel in the Wehrmacht during World War II and later worked in the Wehrmacht's General Staff. He was present in Adolf Hitler's bunker in the Reich Chancellery and learned firsthand of the dictator's suicide. His cousin, Lothar de Maizière, became the Prime Minister of East Germany in 1990.
Education and Early Career
Thomas de Maizière joined the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in 1971. After serving in the Bundeswehr in 1972, he studied history and law at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster and the Universität Freiburg. He passed his legal qualification exams in 1979 and 1981 and earned his doctorate in law from the University of Münster in 1986. In 1983, he began working for the Senate of West Berlin, where he headed the Senate Chancellery's General Affairs Department and served as press secretary for the CDU parliamentary faction.
Role in German Reunification
In 1990, de Maizière played a role in the reunification of East and West Germany. He was appointed State Secretary of the Ministry of Culture in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a former East German state. He also served as Chairman of the Conference of Culture Ministers of the German Federal States in 1993.
Career in Saxony
After the Social Democratic Party (SPD) gained power in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in 1998, de Maizière moved to the Free State of Saxony. He became a consultant to the head of the State Chancellery and in 1999 assumed the position of Head of the State Chancellery himself. From 2001 to 2002, he served as State Minister of Finance and from 2002 to 2004 as State Minister of Justice for Saxony. In November 2004, he was appointed State Minister of the Interior for Saxony and a member of the state's constitutional court.
Federal Minister
In 2005, following the CDU's electoral victory, de Maizière was appointed Head of the Federal Chancellery under Chancellor Angela Merkel and Minister for Special Affairs. In 2009, he was elected to the Bundestag and appointed Federal Minister of the Interior in October of that year.
Career Highlights
As Minister of the Interior, de Maizière has focused on addressing espionage by Russian and Chinese agents and promoting immigrant integration. He has also been a vocal critic of the "big coalition" government of the CDU/CSU and SPD.
