Émile Koehl (8 March 1921 – 6 January 2013) was a

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and

deputy Deputy or depute may refer to: * Steward (office) * Khalifa, an Arabic title that can signify "deputy" * Deputy (legislator), a legislator in many countries and regions, including: ** A member of a Chamber of Deputies, for example in Italy, Spai ...

of the

French National Assembly The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known a ...

1978–1993, representing

centre-right Centre-right politics lean to the Right-wing politics, right of the Left–right politics, political spectrum, but are closer to the Centrism, centre. From the 1780s to the 1880s, there was a shift in the Western world of social class structure a ...

Union for French Democracy The Union for French Democracy (french: Union pour la démocratie française, UDF) was a centre to centre-right political party in France. It was founded in 1978 as an electoral alliance to support President Valéry Giscard d'Estaing in order to c ...

for the Bas-Rhin's 1st,

Alsace Alsace (, ; ; Low Alemannic German/ gsw-FR, Elsàss ; german: Elsass ; la, Alsatia) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in eastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine next to Germany and Switzerland. In 2020, it had ...

, who also served as 1st deputy

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

, "playing a key role in Strasbourg during a quarter-century".

Biography

A member of the

political party

, the predecessor of the

Democratic Movement A democracy is a political system, or a system of decision-making within an institution or organization or a country, in which all members have an equal share of power. Modern democracies are characterized by two capabilities that differentiate ...

, Koehl initially served as 1st deputy

, to

Pierre Pflimlin Pierre Eugène Jean Pflimlin (; 5 February 1907 – 27 June 2000) was a French Christian Democrat politician who served as the Prime Minister of the Fourth Republic for a few weeks in 1958, before being replaced by Charles de Gaulle during the ...

and :fr:Marcel Rudloff, as well as in the general department council of Bas-Rhin. He represented the citizens of Koenigshoffen,

Elsau Elsau is a municipality in the district of Winterthur in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland. History Elsau is first mentioned in 1043 as ''Elnesouva''. On 23 April 1398 Count '' Donat von Toggenburg, Herr zu Brettengow und Tavas'' donated the ...

and

Montagne Verte Montagne or Montagné may refer to: People * Camille Montagne (1784–1866), French military physician and botanist. The standard author abbreviation Mont. (of Montagne) is used to indicate this individual as the author when citing a botanical n ...

. Koehl was subsequently elected deputy of the

National Assembly of France The National Assembly (french: link=no, italics=set, Assemblée nationale; ) is the lower house of the bicameral French Parliament under the Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known a ...

1978–1993, where he represented Bas-Rhin's 1st, a legislative constituency corresponding to the central

cantons A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, t ...

of Strasbourg. Besides politics, Koehl held various civil offices, ranging from

real estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

cultural heritage Cultural heritage is the heritage of tangible and intangible heritage assets of a group or society that is inherited from past generations. Not all heritages of past generations are "heritage"; rather, heritage is a product of selection by soci ...

, including relating to

Château d'Andlau The Château d'Andlau is a medieval ruined castle in the ''commune'' of Andlau, in the Bas-Rhin ''département'' of France. It is a recognized historical monument since 1926. Château fort de Haut Andlau History Constructed on a narrow granite ...

in Bas-Rhin. Together with Louis Jung, Adrien Zeller,

Marcel Rudloff Marcel may refer to: People * Marcel (given name), people with the given name Marcel * Marcel (footballer, born August 1981), Marcel Silva Andrade, Brazilian midfielder * Marcel (footballer, born November 1981), Marcel Augusto Ortolan, Brazilian ...

, and Yvonne Knorr, Émile Koehl formed "a section of history of

Christian democracy Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...

in Strasbourg and Alsace". "A committed man faithful to his humanist values", "convivial and respectful of all", according to :fr:André Schneider, deputy of the

Union for a Popular Movement The Union for a Popular Movement (french: link=no, Union pour un mouvement populaire, ; UMP, ) was a centre-right political party in France that was one of the two major contemporary political parties in France along with the centre-left Social ...

, he was "appreciated both by his friends as well as his political adversaries", according to Roland Ries,

socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...

mayor of Strasbourg. Koehl, who "embodied the spirit of the neighbourhoods of Strasbourg, including the ''

faubourg "Faubourg" () is an ancient French term historically equivalent to " fore-town" (now often termed suburb or ). The earliest form is , derived from Latin , 'out of', and Vulgar Latin (originally Germanic) , 'town' or 'fortress'. Traditionally, th ...

'' of Koenigshoffen", throughout his life remained attached to the Parish of Saint Joseph in Strasbourg and its activities (french: Paroisse Saint-Joseph). He died on 6 January 2013 in Strasbourg, Alsace.

Distinctions

* : '' Chevalier'' of the

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon, ...

(2003)

References

Bibliography

* « Émile Koehl », by François Joseph Fuchs, in ''

Nouveau dictionnaire de biographie alsacienne A ''nouveau'' ( ), or ''vin (de) primeur'', is a wine which may be sold in the same year in which it was harvested. The most widely exported ''nouveau'' wine is French wine Beaujolais ''nouveau'' which is released on the third Thursday of N ...

'', vol. 21, p. 2059

External links

French National Assembly
1921 births 2013 deaths Politicians from Strasbourg Union for French Democracy politicians Deputies of the 6th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 7th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 8th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Deputies of the 9th National Assembly of the French Fifth Republic Knights of the Legion of Honour {{BasRhin-politician-stub