Josef Ertl (7 March 1925 – 16 November 2000) 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 who served as the minister of agriculture in different cabinets of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and was a member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP).

Early life and education

Ertl's family were from

Bavaria Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...

. He was born on 7 March 1925 and raised in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

. Ertl held a bachelor's degree in agriculture from the Technical University Munich in 1952.

Career

Ertl was a member of the FDP to which he joined in the 1950s. He was part of the liberal right wing in the party. He served in the FDP's regional council of Munich from 1952 to 1956. He was the member of the

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 ...

from 1961 to 1987. He also headed the Bavarian branch of the party from 1971 to 1983. He was among German politicians who shaped the Europe policy of the country in the 1970s. He was appointed minister of agriculture to the coalition government led by Prime Minister

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 ...

on 22 October 1969. Ertl replaced Hermann Höcherl in the post. He retained his post until 1983 in various cabinets, but for a short period from 17 September to 1 October 1982

Björn Engholm Björn Engholm (born 9 November 1939) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He was Federal Minister for Education and Science from 1981 to 1982, and in 1982 also Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Forests. From 1 ...

assumed the post. After leaving office he served as the president of the German agricultural society from early 1984 to late 1990. He was also the president of the German ski association from 1978 to 1991.

Death

Ertl was seriously injured in an accident on the farm of his son in the Upper Bavarian district of

Landsberg am Lech Landsberg am Lech (Landsberg at the Lech) is a town in southwest Bavaria, Germany, about 65 kilometers west of Munich and 35 kilometers south of Augsburg. It is the capital of the district of Landsberg am Lech. Overview Landsberg is situated o ...

in the mid-November 2000. He died of complications resulting from severe burn injuries on 20 November 2000 in Murnau at the age of 75.

References

External links