Preisverleihung Konrad-Adenauer-Preis 2012 an Petra Roth-9491

Petra Roth (born 9 May 1944 in

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (german: Stadtgemeinde Bremen, ), is the capital of the German state Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (''Freie Hansestadt Bremen''), a two-city-state consis ...

) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). She was the

Mayor of Frankfurt The Mayor of Frankfurt (German: (male) or (female), sometimes translated as "Lord Mayor") is the highest-ranking member of city government in Frankfurt, Germany. The mayor was traditionally elected by the city council. This system was replaced ...

from 1995 to 2012. In addition she twice served as president of the

Deutscher Städtetag The Deutscher Städtetag (Association of German Cities) is an organization that represents interests of cities in Germany. It began in 1905, dissolved in 1933, then re-formed in 1945. As of 2019 some 200 cities comprise its membership. The associat ...

, resuming her previous post there in 2009. The group is the head organization and lobby group for all German cities vis-à-vis the

Cabinet of Germany The Federal Cabinet or Federal Government (german: link=no, Bundeskabinett or ') is the chief Executive (government), executive body of the Germany, Federal Republic of Germany. It consists of the Chancellor of Germany, Federal Chancellor and m ...

, 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 ...

, the

Bundesrat of Germany The German Bundesrat ( lit. Federal Council; ) is a legislative body that represents the sixteen ''Länder'' (federated states) of Germany at the federal level (German: ''Bundesebene''). The Bundesrat meets at the former Prussian House of Lords ...

, the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

(EU) and many organizations.

Life

Petra Roth is descended from a Bremen-based family of merchants. After she left the Kippenberg-Gymnasium, which has a special concentration in music, with a General Certificate of Secondary Education, she completed an apprenticeship as a medical secretary. Later she passed her exam at an upper business school. Love led her from Bremen to Frankfurt am Main. She is described as interested in the arts. She has two sons and has been widowed since 1994.

Political career

Early beginnings

Petra Roth joined the Christian Democratic Union in 1972 after she had moved to Frankfurt. Later she was elected to the local city council and between 1987 and 1995, to the

Landtag of Hesse The Landtag of Hesse (german: link=no, Hessischer Landtag) is the unicameral parliament of the State of Hesse in the Federal Republic of Germany. It convenes in the Stadtschloss in Wiesbaden. As a legislature it is responsible for passing l ...

. Between 1992 and 1995 she was chair of the CDU in Frankfurt.

Mayor of Frankfurt, 1995−2012

On 25 June 1995, Roth was elected mayor of Frankfurt, defeating the incumbent Andreas von Schoeler and becoming the city's first directly elected woman mayor. In 2001, she won the second round in a tight race against Achim Vandreike (

SPD The Social Democratic Party of Germany (german: Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands, ; SPD, ) is a centre-left social democratic political party in Germany. It is one of the major parties of contemporary Germany. Saskia Esken has been t ...

). Meanwhile, Roth is longest-serving Frankfurt mayor since World War II. On 28 January 2007, Roth was re-elected in the first round with 60.5% of the votes but with voter participation of only 33.6%. Her rival candidate Franz Frey (

) got 27.5% of the votes. Roth was briefly considered as a potential successor to Federal President

Johannes Rau Johannes Rau (; 16 January 193127 January 2006) was a German politician (SPD). He was the president of Germany from 1 July 1999 until 30 June 2004 and the minister president of North Rhine-Westphalia from 20 September 1978 to 9 June 1998. In the ...

. In March 2008 she was considered a potential candidate for Minister-President of the State of Hesse. From 1997 to 1999 and from 2003 to 2005, Roth served as president of ''Deutscher Städtetag'', a position she took up again in 2009. She was also member of the

Committee of the Regions The European Committee of the Regions (CoR) is the European Union's (EU) assembly of local and regional representatives that provides sub-national authorities (i.e. regions, counties, provinces, municipalities and cities) with a direct voice w ...

of European Union. During her time in office, Roth was a member of the board of Frankfurt International Airport

Fraport Fraport AG Frankfurt Airport Services Worldwide,Messe Frankfurt Messe Frankfurt () is the world's largest trade fair, congress and event organizer with its own exhibition grounds. The organisation has 2,500 employees at some 30 locations, generating annual sales of around €661 million. Its services inclu ...

, of the municipal utility company Stadtwerke Frankfurt am Main, of the regional transport services company Rhein-Main-Verkehrsverbund, and the regional housing society ABG Frankfurt Holding.

Political positions

Within the CDU, Roth is considered a proponent of religious tolerance and a moderate stance regarding topics such as building of mosques in Germany, migration and integration, as well as drug treatment policy. Ahead of the Christian Democrats’

leadership election A leadership election is a political contest held in various countries by which the members of a political party determine who will be the leader of their party. Generally, any political party can determine its own rules governing how and when a l ...

in 2018, Roth publicly endorsed

Friedrich Merz Joachim-Friedrich Martin Josef Merz (born 11 November 1955) is a German lawyer and politician, serving as Leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) since 31 January 2022 and as leader of the Union parliamentary group as well as the Leader o ...

to succeed Angela Merkel as the party’s chair.

Other activities

Corporate boards

* AXA Konzern AG, Member of the Supervisory Board (since 2012) *

Deutsche Vermögensberatung Deutsche Vermögensberatung (DVAG), which loosely translates into English as "German wealth advisors", is a company based in Frankfurt, Germany. The DVAG is active in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Founded in 1975 by Reinfried Pohl, the company ...

(DVAG), Member of the Advisory Board * Thüga, Member of the Supervisory Board *

Helaba Helaba, short for Landesbank Hessen-Thüringen, is a commercial bank with core regions in Hesse and Thuringia, Germany offering financial services to companies, banks, institutional investors and the public sector, both within Germany and interna ...

, Ex-Officio Member of the Supervisory Board (-2012)

Non-profits

* Commerzbank Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees * Hertie-Stiftung, Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2012) *

Jewish Museum Frankfurt The Jewish Museum Frankfurt am Main is the oldest independent Jewish Museum in Germany. It was opened by Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl on 9 November 1988, the 50th anniversary of ''Kristallnacht''. The Jewish Museum collects, preserves and com ...

, Member of the Board of Trustees *

Max Planck Institute for European Legal History The Max Planck Institute for Legal History and Legal Theory (german: Max-Planck-Institut für Rechtsgeschichte und Rechtstheorie; formerly ''Max Planck Institute for European Legal History''), situated in Frankfurt/Main, is one of 83 institutes a ...

, Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2011) *

Senckenberg Nature Research Society The Senckenberg Nature Research Society (german: link=no, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, until 2008 ''Senckenbergische Naturforschende Gesellschaft'') is a German scholarly society with headquarters in Frankfurt am Main. Overview ...

, Member of the Board of Trustees *

Schirn Kunsthalle Frankfurt The Schirn Kunsthalle is a Kunsthalle in Frankfurt, Germany, located in the old city between the Römer and the Frankfurt Cathedral. The Schirn exhibits both modern and contemporary art. It is the main venue for temporary art exhibitions in Fr ...

, Member of the Board of Trustees * BHF Bank Foundation, Member of the Board of Trustees

Recognition

Honorary degrees

* 2005 –

Honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...

from

Tel Aviv University Tel Aviv University (TAU) ( he, אוּנִיבֶרְסִיטַת תֵּל אָבִיב, ''Universitat Tel Aviv'') is a public research university in Tel Aviv, Israel. With over 30,000 students, it is the largest university in the country. Locate ...

* 2010 –

from the

Sookmyung Women's University Sookmyung Women’s University () is a private university in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Founded in 1906, Sookmyung is Korea’s first royal private educational institution for women. The university's name is derived from the Hanja charact ...

Awards

* 2001 –

Légion d'honneur The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

* 2012 – Julius Campe Prize * 2012 – Konrad Adenauer Prize * 2015 –

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 ...

* 2016 –

Honorary citizenship Honorary citizenship is a status bestowed by a city or other government on a foreign or native individual whom it considers to be especially admirable or otherwise worthy of the distinction. The honour usually is symbolic and does not confer an ...

Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...

* 2016 – Alfred Dregger Medal * 2017 –

of FrankfurtClaus-Jürgen Göpfert (June 9, 2017)
Petra Roth wird Ehrenbürgerin
''

Frankfurter Rundschau The ''Frankfurter Rundschau'' (FR) is a German daily newspaper, based in Frankfurt am Main. It is published every day but Sunday as a city, two regional and one nationwide issues and offers an online edition (see link below) as well as an e-pa ...

''.

References

External links

Personal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roth, Petra 1944 births Christian Democratic Union of Germany politicians Living people Mayors of Frankfurt Women mayors of places in Germany Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Officers Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany 20th-century German women politicians 21st-century German women politicians 20th-century German politicians 21st-century German politicians