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Heide Simonis was born on July 4, 1943, and she was a German author and politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). She was the oldest of three sisters. While growing up, she suffered from asthma and had to spend time in children’s homes from age three.
Concerning education, she completed school with the Abitur in 1962 in Nürnberg. Heide Simonis also studied economics and sociology at the universities of Erlangen-Nürnberg and Kiel. She successfully graduated in 1967 with a degree in Economics.
Heide Simonis served as a lecturer at the University of Lusaka in Zambia and she was on the advisory panel of the World Health Organization in Japan. She also worked as a vocational counselor at the employment office of Kiel.
Between 1988 and 1993, Heide Simonis was minister of finance in Schleswig-Holstein but later, she became minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein. It must be noted that Heide Simonis became the first woman to serve as head of a state government in German history.
She was also the only woman to have done that in the 20th century. As of September 2023, Heide Simonis was also the longest-serving former female minister-president of a German state.
Heide Simons Parkinson
Heide Simons was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2014. Heide Simonis was reported dead in her home on July 2023. She was 80 years old at the time of her death. She was married to Udo E. Simonis who was a Professor of Economics and focused on the environment. Heide Simonis initially had cancer but got well.
Is Heide Simonis Childless?
Heide Simonis is not childless. She had two children before she died.
Career
Heide Simonis joined the SPD in 1969 and got elected to the German Bundestag seven years later. She represented the Rendsburg-Eckernförde district, as then the youngest member of the parliament. She became minister of finance in Schleswig-Holstein in 1998.
Heide Simonis also served as chairwoman of the German Committee for UNICEF between 2005 and 2008. It was a scandal related to donations that caused her to resign.
Publications/Awards
Some of the books published by Heide Simonis include Simonis, Heide (1997). Kein Blatt vorm Mund (in German). Hoffmann Und Campe Verlag,(2003). Unter Männern (in German). C.H.Beck,Maletzke, Erich (2007). Ausgeteilt, eingesteckt (in German). Zu Klampen!, Steinhardt, Dodo; Steinhardt-Böttcher, Barbara (2008). Drei Rheintöchter (in German). Bouvier,(2010). Verzockt! (in German). Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht,(3 July 2013). Alles Märchen! (in German)and (2016). Heringstage (in German).
She also received the following awards; 2014 – Honorary Citizen of Schleswig-Holste and in 2018 – Willy Brandt Medal.
Reference :
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heide_Simonis
https://www.tellerreport.com/news/2023-07-12-heide-simonis-is-dead-.BJZbX4B3Kn.html
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