Christian Fette (1 February 1895 – 26 October 1971) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

trade unionist. Born in

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

, Fette completed an apprenticeship as a book printer. He joined his trade union, and also the

Social Democratic Party of Germany The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been the ...

. He fought in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, then returned to his trade. In 1920, he was elected as the chair of the Bremen District of the

Union of German Book Printers The Union of German Book Printers (german: Verband der Deutschen Buchdrucker, VDDB) was a trade union representing printers in Germany. The Threepenny Strike took place in Leipzig in 1865, with printers striking for higher pay. The action was pa ...

, then in 1924 as chair of its

Duisburg Duisburg () is a city in the Ruhr metropolitan area of the western German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. Lying on the confluence of the Rhine and the Ruhr rivers in the center of the Rhine-Ruhr Region, Duisburg is the 5th largest city in Nor ...

district. In 1931, he became vice president of the union's Rheinland-Westphalia region. In 1933, the Nazis dissolved the German trade unions. Fette was dismissed and repeatedly arrested, then put under police observation. He spent a lengthy period unemployed, before finding work as a machine maker. After

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Fette was a leading founder of the Printing and Paper Union, serving as its first president, and also on the first board of the

International Graphical Federation The International Graphical Federation (IGF) was a global union federation bringing together unions of printing workers around the world. History Moved to establish the federation began in 1939, when the Lithographers' International, Internatio ...

. In 1951, he was elected as president of the

German Trade Union Confederation The German Trade Union Confederation (german: Deutscher Gewerkschaftsbund; DGB) is an umbrella organisation (sometimes known as a national trade union center) for eight German trade unions, in total representing more than 6 million people ...

. A supporter of

Konrad Adenauer Konrad Hermann Joseph Adenauer (; 5 January 1876 – 19 April 1967) was a Germany, German statesman who served as the first Chancellor of Germany, chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from 1949 to 1963. From 1946 to 1966, he was the fir ...

and of

German rearmament German rearmament (''Aufrüstung'', ) was a policy and practice of rearmament carried out in Germany during the interwar period (1918–1939), in violation of the Treaty of Versailles which required German disarmament after WWI to prevent Germa ...

, his leadership was unpopular, and he lost a bid for re-election in 1952. From 1953, Fette worked in the press office of the DGB's Neue Heimat company. He retired in 1958.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fette, Christian 1895 births 1971 deaths German people of World War I People from Bremen (city) Presidents of the German Trade Union Confederation