Werner Müller (politician)
Werner Müller | |
---|---|
Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy | |
In office 27 October 1998 – 22 October 2002 | |
Preceded by | Günter Rexrodt |
Succeeded by | Wolfgang Clement |
Personal details | |
Born | Wilhelm Werner Müller 1 June 1946 Essen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany |
Died | 15 July 2019 Essen | (aged 73)
Political party | Independent |
Profession | Manager |
Awards | |
Wilhelm Werner Müller (1 June 1946 – 15 July 2019) was a German businessman and politician. He served as
Career
Born in Essen, Müller attended the Windthorst-Gymnasium in Meppen, completing his Abitur in 1965.[1] He studied in Mannheim, both national economy[2] and piano at the Musikhochschule Mannheim.[3][4] He later studied philosophy and linguistics in Duisburg and Bremen.[1]
Müller worked from 1973 for RWE.[2] In 1979, he moved to VEBA,[3] which became part of E.ON in 2002.[2]
As a politician, Müller, who belonged to no party,
Müller was
Müller was a member of the supervisory board of Borussia Dortmund.[2] He was instrumental in the successful application of the Ruhr as European Capital of Culture in 2010, uniting the region.[8]
Müller was married; he and his wife Marion had two children.[11] In April 2018, he received the Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia for his life's achievements (für sein Lebenswerk) in the presence of Gerhard Schröder.[11] He resigned from all offices in May 2018, due to his cancer illness.[12] He died in Essen on 15 July 2019.[2][7]
Legacy
In his laudatio for Müller in 2009, awarding the Great Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, President Horst Köhler focused on Müller's ability to speak the language of both politics and economy, and enable dialogue between them. In the matter of nuclear power phase-out, he managed to represent the voters' wishes even though they were not his own view, and he always held constructive discussions with people representing different positions and interests. Köhler mentioned Müller's competence, calm manner, equanimity and dependability. In turning away from coal mining, he created a model of a socially responsible structural transition, with patience and tenacity.[8]
After his death, Schröder acknowledged Müller as a great economic leader who knew the rules of the game of both business and politics, which enabled him to turn opponents to partners. Jean-Claude Juncker, President of the European Commission, noted Müller's enormous expertise, dry humour and calm manner, achieving invaluable benefits for the German miners. Armin Laschet (CDU, Minister-president of North Rhine-Westphalia, called him a visionary, and the founding of the RAG-Stiftung "a genuine work of the century" (ein echtes Jahrhundertwerk).[3]
Awards
- 2008: Manager of the Year (Germany) in Germany, by Manager Magazin[10]
- 2010: Great Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany[8]
- 2013: Citizen of the Ruhr as CEO of RAG-Stiftung[13]
- 2015: University Duisburg-Essen[2]
- 2018: Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia[11]
References
- ^ a b c d Ströhl, Christa (16 July 2019). "Abitur am Windthorst-Gymnasium Meppen / Früherer Wirtschaftsminister Werner Müller ist tot". noz.de (in German). Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Im Kabinett Schröder Früherer Bundeswirtschaftsminister Werner Müller ist tot". Der Spiegel (in German). 16 July 2019. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ a b c d Gassmann, Michael (16 July 2019). "Wirtschaft / Werner Müller † / Der Mann mit dem Masterplan für das Ende der Steinkohle". Die Welt (in German). Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ Hoffritz, Jutta (28 October 2014). "was bewegt ... / Werner Müller?". Die Zeit (in German). Archived from the original on 24 January 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2018.
- ^ a b c "Werner Müller mit 73 Jahren gestorben". Deutschlandfunk (in German). 16 July 2019. Archived from the original on 16 July 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2019.
- ^ Schwehn, Klaus J. (19 October 1998). "Jost Stollmann wirft das Handtuch". Der Tagesspiegel (in German). Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ a b "Ex-Wirtschaftsminister Werner Müller Der letzte große Ruhrbaron ist tot". Manager Magazin (in German). 16 July 2019. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Köhler, Horst (15 October 2009). "Laudatio von Bundespräsident Horst Köhler auf Bundesminister a.D. Dr. Werner Müller aus Anlass der Verleihung des Großen Verdienstkreuzes des Verdienstordens der Bundesrepublik Deutschland". bundespraesident.de (in German). Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ Evonik. 16 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ a b Student, Dietmar (19 November 2008). "Manager des Jahres / Evonik-Chef Müller ausgezeichnet" (in German). Manager Magazin. Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ Aachener Nachrichten (in German). 17 April 2018. Archived from the originalon 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- Tagesschau (in German). 16 July 2019. Archived from the originalon 16 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
- ^ "Verleihung "Bürger/in des Ruhrgebiets"". proruhrgebiet.de (in German). Archived from the original on 17 July 2019. Retrieved 17 July 2019.