Gerald Ullrich (born 23 December 23 1962 in

Schmalkalden Schmalkalden () is a town in the Schmalkalden-Meiningen district, in the southwest of the state of Thuringia, Germany. It is on the southern slope of the Thuringian Forest at the Schmalkalde river, a tributary to the Werra. , the town had a popula ...

) is a German electronics engineer and politician of the

Free Democratic Party Free Democratic Party is the name of several political parties around the world. It usually designates a party ideologically based on liberalism. Current parties with that name include: *Free Democratic Party (Germany), a liberal political party in ...

(FDP) who has been a member of the

German Bundestag 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 ...

since 2017.

Early life and career

Ullrich obtained an intermediate school-leaving certificate at a polytechnic school in 1979. Then he trained as an electrician for three years, before he studied at Hermsdorf Technical College for Electrical Engineering and Ceramics from 1983 to 1986. After he completed the 18 months of

compulsory military service Conscription (also called the draft in the United States) is the state-mandated enlistment of people in a national service, mainly a military service. Conscription dates back to antiquity and it continues in some countries to the present day un ...

in the

National People's Army The National People's Army (german: Nationale Volksarmee, ; NVA ) were the armed forces of the German Democratic Republic (GDR) from 1956 to 1990. The NVA was organized into four branches: the (Ground Forces), the (Navy), the (Air Force) an ...

of the

German Democratic Republic 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 ...

he worked for one year as an engineer and from 1989 to 1990 as a project manager of a large-scale project. Shortly after the

Peaceful Revolution The Peaceful Revolution (german: Friedliche Revolution), as a part of the Revolutions of 1989, was the process of sociopolitical change that led to the opening of East Germany's borders with the West, the end of the ruling of the Socialist Unity ...

he founded a family-run plastics processing company, which he managed until 2017.

Political career

In 2014 Ullrich joined the FDP. He is member of the executive committee of the FDP in Thuringia since 2014 and its deputy chairman since 2016. He is also chairman of the FDP Schmalkalden-Meiningen county branch since 2015 and Chairman of the Thuringia branch of the Liberal Association of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses since 2016.

Member of the Bundestag, 2017–present

Ullrich became a member of the German

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Commons ...

in the 2017 federal elections, representing Suhl,

Schmalkalden-Meiningen Schmalkalden-Meiningen is a ''Landkreis'' in the southwest of Thuringia, Germany. Its neighboring districts are (from the northwest clockwise) the districts Wartburgkreis, Gotha, Ilm-Kreis, the district-free city Suhl, the district Hildburghausen, ...

, Hildburghausen and Sonneberg constituency alongside

Mark Hauptmann Mark Lars Carsten Hauptmann (born 29 April 1984) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) who served as a member of the German Bundestag from 2013 until 2021. Early life and education After receiving his Senior ...

. He has since been serving on the Committee on European Affairs, the Committee on Petitions and as substitute member on the Committee on Economic Affairs and Energy. On the Committee on European Affairs, he is his parliamentary group's rapporteur on climate protection and serves since November 2019 also as coordinator of his parliamentary group. In addition to his committee assignments, Ullrich has been serving as deputy chairman of the German-Portuguese-Spanish Parliamentary Friendship Group.

other activities

Ullrich is founder chairman of the Floh-Seligenthal business association.

Personal life

Ullrich is Protestant, married, has two sons and lives in

Floh-Seligenthal Floh-Seligenthal is a municipality in the district Schmalkalden-Meiningen, in Thuringia, Germany. Notable people Born in Floh-Seligenthal * Johann Michael Bach III, (1745 - 1820) German composer, lawyer and music theorist * Carola Anding, (* 196 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ullrich, Gerald Members of the Bundestag for Thuringia Living people 1962 births 20th-century German engineers German electrical engineers 21st-century German engineers Members of the Bundestag 2017–2021 Members of the Bundestag 2021–2025 Members of the Bundestag for the Free Democratic Party (Germany) People from Schmalkalden Engineers from Thuringia