Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1984-013-25, Theodor und Elly Heuss beim Spenden

Elisabeth Eleonore Anna Justine Heuss-Knapp (''née'' Knapp; 25 January 1881 – 19 July 1952) was a German politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP), social reformer, author and wife of German president

Theodor Heuss Theodor Heuss (; 31 January 1884 – 12 December 1963) was a German liberal politician who served as the first president of West Germany from 1949 to 1959. His cordial nature – something of a contrast to the stern character of chancellor Ko ...

. She was the founder of the ''

Müttergenesungswerk The Müttergenesungswerk (MGW), full name ''Elly Heuss-Knapp-Stiftung, Deutsches Müttergenesungswerk'', is a charitable organisation founded in 1950 by Elly Heuss-Knapp (1881–1952), then First Lady of Germany as wife of Theodor Heuss. It aims ...

'' charitable organisation officially called Elly Heuss-Knapp Foundation in her honour.

Life

Elly Knapp was born in

Straßburg 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 ...

, then capital of the Imperial Territory of Alsace-Lorraine, the daughter of the renowned economist

Georg Friedrich Knapp Georg Friedrich Knapp (; March 7, 1842 – February 20, 1926) was a German economist who in 1905 published ''The State Theory of Money'', which founded the chartalist school of monetary theory, which argues that money's value derives from i ...

(1842–1926), founder of the chartalist school of

monetary theory Monetary economics is the branch of economics that studies the different competing theories of money: it provides a framework for analyzing money and considers its functions (such as medium of exchange, store of value and unit of account), and it ...

, who taught at the Straßburg University. Her mother Lydia v. Karganow (1849–1925), who was from

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

, became mentally ill shortly after her birth and left the family when Knapp was three years old. Elly, a bright, inquisitive child, and her sister Marianne spent much time with their grandparents and were raised by their father alone, uncommon at the time. She studied to become a teacher, taking the exam in 1899, and worked as a teacher at a girls' school in Straßburg from 1900, of which she was one of the co-founders. Concerned with

civic Civic is something related to a city or municipality. It also can refer to multiple other things: General *Civics, the science of comparative government *Civic engagement, the connection one feels with their larger community *Civic center, a comm ...

education, she early became influenced by the

liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

politician

Friedrich Naumann Friedrich Naumann (25 March 1860 – 24 August 1919) was a German Liberalism in Germany, liberal politician and Protestant parish pastor. In 1896, he founded the National-Social Association that sought to combine liberalism, nationalism and ...

and in 1905, she went on to study economics in

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

and

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

, while becoming a frequent public speaker on political issues. In 1908, she married then-journalist Theodor Heuss, an assistant to Friedrich Naumann. The wedding in Straßburg was presided over by

Albert Schweitzer Ludwig Philipp Albert Schweitzer (; 14 January 1875 – 4 September 1965) was an Alsatian-German/French polymath. He was a theologian, organist, musicologist, writer, humanitarian, philosopher, and physician. A Lutheran minister, Schwei ...

. Their only son, Ernst Ludwig Heuss, was born in 1910. Due to complications during that birth (which was nearly fatal for Elly), she could not have more children. Back in

after

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 ...

, Elly Heuss-Knapp like her husband had been a candidate for the liberal

German Democratic Party The German Democratic Party (, or DDP) was a center-left liberal party in the Weimar Republic. Along with the German People's Party (, or DVP), it represented political liberalism in Germany between 1918 and 1933. It was formed in 1918 from the ...

(DDP) in the German federal election of 1919, strongly emphasiszing

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

. Over the years Elly became more interested in theological questions and from 1922 became active in the Protestant congregation of

Otto Dibelius Friedrich Karl Otto Dibelius (15 May 1880 – 31 January 1967) was a German bishop of the Evangelical Church in Berlin-Brandenburg, a self-described anti-Semite who up to 1934 a conservative who became a staunch opponent of Nazism and commu ...

in Berlin. After the Nazi ''

Machtergreifung Adolf Hitler's rise to power began in the newly established Weimar Republic in September 1919 when Hitler joined the '' Deutsche Arbeiterpartei'' (DAP; German Workers' Party). He rose to a place of prominence in the early years of the party. Be ...

'' in 1933, she was forbidden to speak publicly, and her husband was dismissed from his lecturing job at the university. Their home became a meeting place of people opposed to the regime, including the Dahlem pastor

Martin Niemöller Friedrich Gustav Emil Martin Niemöller (; 14 January 18926 March 1984) was a German theologian and Lutheran pastor. He is best known for his opposition to the Nazi regime during the late 1930s and for his widely quoted 1946 poem " First they ca ...

. Elly Heuss-Knapp became an author and also worked in

advertising Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

to support her family, developing an early kind of

jingle A jingle is a short song or tune used in advertising and for other commercial uses. Jingles are a form of sound branding. A jingle contains one or more hooks and meaning that explicitly promote the product or service being advertised, usually t ...

radio commercial. Her autobiography, ''Ausblick vom Münsterturm'', was published in 1934, and a second edition in 1952. In the final stage of the

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 ...

Heuss-Knapp and her husband lived in

Heidelberg Heidelberg (; Palatine German language, Palatine German: ''Heidlberg'') is a city in the States of Germany, German state of Baden-Württemberg, situated on the river Neckar in south-west Germany. As of the 2016 census, its population was 159,914 ...

. After the war she was elected a member of the

Landtag A Landtag (State Diet) is generally the legislative assembly or parliament of a federated state or other subnational self-governing entity in German-speaking nations. It is usually a unicameral assembly exercising legislative competence in non- ...

state legislature in

Württemberg-Baden Württemberg-Baden was a state of the Federal Republic of Germany. It was created in 1945 by the United States occupation forces, after the previous states of Baden and Württemberg had been split up between the US and French occupation zones. I ...

in 1946, as a representative of the liberal Democratic People's Party (DVP) and its Free Democratic Party (FDP) successor. Her work as a politician concentrated on child care and social policy in general, earning her the reputation of an unofficial "mother of the state". She finished her parliamentary career when her husband was elected

President of Germany The president of Germany, officially the Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: link=no, Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Deutschland),The official title within Germany is ', with ' being added in international corres ...

in 1949. Together with her husband, Elly Heuss-Knapp was one of the co-founders of the

European Movement The European Movement International is a lobbying association that coordinates the efforts of associations and national councils with the goal of promoting European integration, and disseminating information about it. History The origins of the ...

in Germany in June 1949, and was Vice President of the organisation. On 31 January 1950 she publicly announced the foundation of the ''Müttergenesungswerk'' organisation for maternal health, which remained under the patronage of the wives of the German presidents up to today. It was later named ''Elly-Heuss-Knapp-Stiftung – Deutsches Müttergenesungswerk'' in her honour. Elly Heuss-Knapp died in 1952 at the university clinic in

Bonn The federal city of Bonn ( lat, Bonna) is a city on the banks of the Rhine in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, with a population of over 300,000. About south-southeast of Cologne, Bonn is in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr r ...

, and was buried at the

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

''Waldfriedhof'' cemetery.

Books

* Elly Heuss-Knapp: ''Bürgerkunde und Volkswirtschaftslehre für Frauen'' (1910). * Elly Heuss-Knapp: ''Schmale Wege'', Verlag Wunderlich, 1946 * Georg Friedrich Knapp, Elly Heuss-Knapp: ''Eine Jugend''. Deutsche Verl.-Anst.; Auflage: 2., erw. Aufl. (1947) * Elly Heuss-Knapp: ''Ausblick vom Münsterturm. Erinnerungen''. Verlag R. Wunderlich, Tübingen 1984, * Elly Heuss-Knapp, Margarethe Vater: ''Bürgerin zweier Welten ''. Verlag Wunderlich, 1961

Notes

References

External links

*
Rundfunkwerbung der dreißiger Jahre von Elly Heuss-Knapp
Deutsches Rundfunkarchiv
Gedenkblatt zu Elly Heuss-Knapp
Stiftung Geißstraße 7 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Heuss-Knapp, Elly 1881 births 1952 deaths Politicians from Strasbourg People from Alsace-Lorraine German Protestants German people of Georgian descent German Democratic Party politicians Free Democratic Party (Germany) politicians Spouses of presidents of Germany German social reformers 20th-century German writers 20th-century German women writers 20th-century German women politicians Theodor Heuss Beiersdorf people Alice Salomon University of Applied Sciences Berlin faculty