Dietrich Stobbe (25 March 1937 – 19 February 2011) was a German politician who served as the
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 ...
of
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
from 1977 to 1981,
as a member of the
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
Fo ...
(SPD). Stobbe also served as
President of the Bundesrat
In Germany, the President of the Bundesrat or President of the Federal Council (German: ''Bundesratspräsident'') is the chairperson (speaker) of the Bundesrat (Federal Council). The president is elected by the Bundesrat for a term of one year ...
from 1 November 1978 to 31 October 1979.
Early life, education, and career
Dietrich Stobbe was born on 25 March 1938 in Wieprz in what was then
East Prussia. After graduating from high school in
Stade, Lower Saxony, he came to
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and List of cities in Germany by population, largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European Union by population within ci ...
and studied political science at the
Free University. In 1960, while still a student, he joined the
Social Democratic Party
The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology.
Active parties
Fo ...
(SPD) and a short time later was elected district manager in the
Charlottenburg
Charlottenburg () is a locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Prussia, it is best known for Charlottenburg Palace, the ...
district. From 1963 to 1966 he was press officer in the Senate Department for Youth and Sport, after which he worked for around a year as an assistant to the board of a Berlin brewery company.
Political career
Early political career
In 1967 Dietrich Stobbe won a member of the
Abgeordnetenhaus and only three months later took over the position of the parliamentary manager of the SPD. In 1970, he became vice chairman of the parliamentary group and in 1973, under
Klaus Schütz
Klaus Schütz (17 September 1926
– 29 November 2012) was a German politician, who ...
, he became a senator for federal affairs. After Schütz's resignation in 1977, Stobbe was elected as mayor, as he had not worn himself out in internal party power struggles and was familiar with the federal political scene. On 2 May 1977
he was elected to the office of governing mayor by the Abgeordnetenhaus, and from 1979 he became the state chairman of the SPD.
Mayor of Berlin
As mayor, Stobbe was faced with the challenge of restoring the ailing trust in the Senate's ability to act. Stobbe also reformed the administration of the city as well as the transportation of the city. In December 1978, after eleven years of construction, the new building of the
State Library
A national library is established by the government of a nation to serve as the pre-eminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, they rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuab ...
, designed by
Hans Scharoun
Bernhard Hans Henry Scharoun (20 September 1893 – 25 November 1972) was a German architect best known for designing the Berliner Philharmonie (home to the Berlin Philharmonic) and the Schminke House in Löbau, Saxony. He was an important ...
, was opened, followed in April 1979 by the inauguration of the
International Congress Center (ICC).
In the
1979 state elections to the Abgeordnetenhaus, the SPD-FDP (
Free Democratic Party) coalition narrowly maintained its majority, however the
Christian Democratic Union (CDU) had remained as the largest party. This resulted in Stobbe being re-elected as governing mayor, but his power was weakened. In December 1980, the Berliner Bank of the construction company Dietrich Garski, which had secured a loan of 115 million marks, terminated the loan due to suspected fraud (which was later confirmed) and the company then had to file for bankruptcy. The state government came under increasing pressure, and as a result, two senators resigned, two other members of the government offered their resignation. A reshuffle of the Senate then failed, ending the SPD-FDP Senate. On 15 January 1981, Dietrich Stobbe resigned with the entire Senate.
Post-mayoralty
After leaving the mayoralty, Stobbe went to
New York and took over the management of the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung's office there. After his return in 1983 he moved to the Bundestag as a member of the SPD, where he was a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee until 1990. He then decided to work outside of politics, joining the service of an American investment advisory firm as a manager.
Death
Dietrich Stobbe died on 19 February 2011 in Berlin after a long and serious illness.
References
External links
Personal webpage of the late Dietrich StobbeBiography at Berlin.de(in German)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stobbe, Dietrich
1938 births
2011 deaths
People from Zalewo
People from East Prussia
Presidents of the German Bundesrat
Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians
Mayors of West Berlin
Senators of Berlin
Members of the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin
20th-century German politicians
Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany