Ulrich Biel (17 May 1907, in

Berlin-Charlottenburg Charlottenburg () is a Boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a German town law, town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Kingdom ...

– 6 January 1996, in

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 ...

) was a

German 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 ...

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

and representative of the Christian Democratic Union. After studying law and political science in 1934, he emigrated to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

because of his

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

origins. After the end of

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 ...

, he returned to Berlin as an American officer but became a German citizen again.

Political career

In 1946, Biel was "a captain in the U.S. Army and head of the political division of the staff of the then Colonel,

Frank L. Howley Frank Leo "Howlin'" Howley (February 3, 1903 - July 30, 1993) was a United States Army brigadier general and subsequently an administrator at New York University. Howley served as commandant of the American sector of Berlin after World War II, ...

, the U.S. commandant in Berlin." In 1967 he was running for Berlin assembly against

Willy Brandt Willy Brandt (; born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm; 18 December 1913 – 8 October 1992) was a German politician and statesman who was leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1964 to 1987 and served as the chancellor of West Ge ...

, who at the time was Foreign Minister and candidate for the

Social Democratic Party of Germany 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 the ...

. Both men had been refugees during the Nazi regime. They were after the vote of a working-class city district surrounded on two sides by the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (german: Berliner Mauer, ) was a guarded concrete barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and East Germany (GDR). Construction of the Berlin Wall was commenced by the government ...

. The election four years earlier saw the

Christian Democratic Union of Germany The Christian Democratic Union of Germany (german: link=no, Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands ; CDU ) is a Christian democratic and liberal conservative political party in Germany. It is the major catch-all party of the centre-right ...

poll just over 20%. In this election, Biel saw little to no point in facilitating discussions with the communist leaders of the East, instead, he saw progress coming through a four-power conference on the issue of Berlin. For eight years, 14 March 1971 to 23 April 1979, he was a member of the Berlin House of Representatives (including service as interim president in the 6th term). Biel was honored for his achievements with the Ernst-Reuter-badge.

Personal life

Ulrich was born to Richard Bielschowsky and Mathilde ( Simon) in Berlin. His mother, Mathilde ("Lilly"), was murdered during the

Holocaust The Holocaust, also known as the Shoah, was the genocide of European Jews during World War II. Between 1941 and 1945, Nazi Germany and its collaborators systematically murdered some six million Jews across German-occupied Europe; a ...

in the Riga Ghetto. She was in the same deportation on 5 September 1942 as

International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame The International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame ( he, יד לאיש הספורט היהודי, translit=Yad Le'ish HaSport HaYehudi) was opened July 7, 1981 in Netanya, Israel. It honors Jewish athletes and their accomplishments from anywhere around ...

athlete

Lilli Henoch Lilli Henoch (26 October 1899 – 8 September 1943) was a German track and field athlete who set four world records and won 10 German national championships, in four different disciplines. Henoch set world records in the discus (twice), the sho ...

. On 8 September 1943, both women were murdered at gunpoint by the

Einsatzgruppen (, ; also ' task forces') were (SS) paramilitary death squads of Nazi Germany that were responsible for mass murder, primarily by shooting, during World War II (1939–1945) in German-occupied Europe. The had an integral role in the im ...

. In her book, ''The Power of Solitude: My Life in the German Resistance'',

Marion Yorck von Wartenburg Marion Gräfin Yorck von Wartenburg (née Winter; 14 June 1904 – 13 April 2007) was a German activist, lawyer, jurist, judge and author. She was a resistance fighter against the Nazis and member of the Kreisau Circle. Marion Winter was bor ...

recounted that she met Biel at the end of 1946 when he joined his friend, Paulus van Husen, in visiting her house. They became friends and later romantic partners living together for some 50 years. Biel encouraged Marion to return to her dream of becoming a lawyer. She succeeded and later became a judge. She reflected on how Biel has impacted her stating, ''"Through him I have gained a lively relationship to politics and to public life in general."''

References

External links

Christlich Demokratische Union Deutschlands web site
Christian Democratic Union of Germany politicians 1907 births 1996 deaths Politicians from Berlin Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany {{Germany-CDU-politician-stub

Political career

Personal life

See also

References

External links