Horst Milde (6 April 1933 – 29 March 2023) was a German politician. 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 ...

, he served as president of the

Landtag of Lower Saxony The Lower Saxon Landtag () or the Parliament of Lower Saxony is the state diet of the German state of Lower Saxony. It convenes in Hanover and currently consists of 146 members, consisting of four parties. Since 2022 the majority is a coalitio ...

from 1990 to 1998.

Life and career

Milde attended the in Breslau from 1934 to 1945. After World War II, his family was expelled, and settled in

Leer, Lower Saxony Leer is a town in the district of Leer, in the northwestern part of Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the river Leda, a tributary of the river Ems, near the border with the Netherlands. With 34,958 inhabitants (2021), it is the third-lar ...

. He completed school there in 1951 at the

Ubbo-Emmius-Gymnasium The Ubbo-Emmius-Gymnasium is a gymnasium in the town of Leer in Lower Saxony, Germany. History The Ubbo-Emmius-Gymnasium was founded in 1584 as a High School for boys only and girls were not accepted before 1972. It was named after Ubbo Emmius, ...

, and then worked for the City of Leer. He joined the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) in 1956. He was a member of the district parliament (''Kreistag'') from 1964 to 1973, deputy ''Landrat'' of the district from 1965 to 1968, and mayor of Leer from 1968 to 1973. He was a member of the

first from 1967 to 1974, and again from . He served as its president from 1990 to 1998. He worked towards a merge of the northern States in Germany, and supported an exchange to his hometown Breslau and reconciliation with Poland. Milde was from 1986 to 1991 mayor of

Oldenburg Oldenburg may also refer to: Places *Mount Oldenburg, Ellsworth Land, Antarctica *Oldenburg (city), an independent city in Lower Saxony, Germany **Oldenburg (district), a district historically in Oldenburg Free State and now in Lower Saxony *Olde ...

. He was influential in the founding of its university. He was patron of the

Ronald McDonald House Charities Ronald McDonald House Charities (RMHC) is an independent American nonprofit organization whose stated mission is to create, find, and support programs that directly improve the health and well-being of children. RMHC has a global network of c ...

, running the Ronald McDonald House for children with severe illness and their families, from 2003. Milde died on 29 March 2023, at age 89.

Awards

* 1973:

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Verdienstorden der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, or , BVO) is the only federal decoration of Germany. It is awarded for special achievements in political, economic, cultural, intellect ...

* 1996: Ehrenbürger of the

Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg The Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg (german: Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg) is a university located in Oldenburg, Germany. It is one of the most important and highly regarded educational facilities in northwestern German ...

* 1999:

Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland The Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland ( pl, Order Zasługi Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej) is a Polish order of merit created in 1974, awarded to persons who have rendered great service to Poland. It is granted to foreigners or Poles resident a ...

* 2000: Medal "1000 years Breslau" (1000 lat Wrocławia) * 2005: Honorary Senator of the * 2013: ''Verdienter Bürger Breslaus'' (merited citizen of Breslau, Merito de Wratislawia) * 2018: Silver Medal of Breslau

References

External links

Horst Milde
(in German) City of Oldenburg {{DEFAULTSORT:Milde, Horst 1933 births 2023 deaths Members of the Landtag of Lower Saxony Social Democratic Party of Germany politicians Recipients of the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany People from the Province of Lower Silesia Politicians from Wrocław 20th-century German politicians