Colette Flesch (born 16 April 1937 in

Dudelange Dudelange (; lb, Diddeleng , german: Düdelingen) is a commune with town status in southern Luxembourg. It is the fourth-most populous commune, with 19,734 inhabitants. Dudelange is situated close to the border with France. , the town of Dudela ...

) is a

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

ish politician and former fencer.

Life

She gained a

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

degree in political science from

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

in 1960, then earned an M.A. in International Affairs from the

Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy is the graduate school of international affairs of Tufts University, in Medford, Massachusetts. The School is one of America's oldest graduate schools of international relations and is well-ranked in it ...

Tufts University Tufts University is a private research university on the border of Medford and Somerville, Massachusetts. It was founded in 1852 as Tufts College by Christian universalists who sought to provide a nonsectarian institution of higher learning. ...

, before studying at

The Hague Academy of International Law The Hague Academy of International Law (french: Académie de droit international de La Haye) is a center for high-level education in both public and private international law housed in the Peace Palace in The Hague, Netherlands. Courses are taugh ...

. As a fencer she participated in the Individual

foil Foil may refer to: Materials * Foil (metal), a quite thin sheet of metal, usually manufactured with a rolling mill machine * Metal leaf, a very thin sheet of decorative metal * Aluminium foil, a type of wrapping for food * Tin foil, metal foil ...

events at the

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Ja ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...

and

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad ( es, Juegos de la XIX Olimpiada) and commonly known as Mexico 1968 ( es, México 1968), were an international multi-sport eve ...

.Olympic results
/ref> She worked for the European Economic Community in Brussels, specialising in the agricultural side of the Common Market for 5 years. She has served in numerous political capacities, both in government and within the

Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...

and the

European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to: In general * ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe ** Ethnic groups in Europe ** Demographics of Europe ** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe a ...

. In December 1968 she was elected to the Chamber of Deputies in an early election. In 1970 she became the first female

Mayor of Luxembourg City The Mayor of Luxembourg City is the mayor of Luxembourg's capital and largest city, Luxembourg City. The officeholder, like other mayors in Luxembourg, is appointed by the Grand Duke amongst council members. Due to the city's importance within the ...

at the age of 32, which she remained until 1980.Wellesley Grad gets big job
/ref> Besides her work in the Chamber of Deputies (1969-1980, 1984-1989 and 2004-2009), she was also a member of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

from 1969 to 1980, 1984 to 1985, 1989 to 1990, and 1999 to 2004. In 1976, she became the General Secretary of the Democratic Party, and was its President from 1981 to 1989. From 1980 to 1984 she was a member of Pierre Werner's government, as Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, and minister for foreign trade, cooperation, the economy, small and medium enterprises and justice. From 1990 to 1999, she was the European Commission's Director-General for Culture, Communication and Sports, and later for translation. From 1 January 1988 to 31 December 1999, she was a city councillor for Luxembourg City, and was later an alderman. She was also the president of the European Institute of Cultural Routes (EICR).

References

, - , - , - , - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Flesch, Colette 1937 births Living people Deputy Prime Ministers of Luxembourg Ministers for the Economy of Luxembourg Ministers for Foreign Affairs of Luxembourg Ministers for Justice of Luxembourg Mayors of Luxembourg City Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg) Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Luxembourg) from Centre Councillors in Luxembourg City Democratic Party (Luxembourg) politicians Luxembourgian female foil fencers Fencers at the 1960 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1964 Summer Olympics Fencers at the 1968 Summer Olympics Olympic fencers of Luxembourg Luxembourgian sportsperson-politicians People from Dudelange Women mayors of places in Luxembourg Wellesley College alumni Democratic Party (Luxembourg) MEPs MEPs for Luxembourg 1979–1984 MEPs for Luxembourg 1984–1989 MEPs for Luxembourg 1989–1994 MEPs for Luxembourg 1999–2004 20th-century women MEPs for Luxembourg 21st-century women MEPs for Luxembourg The Fletcher School at Tufts University alumni Women government ministers of Luxembourg Female justice ministers Luxembourgian women diplomats Female foreign ministers