Henriette Reker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Henriette Reker
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Reker in 2019
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| Mayor of Cologne | |
| Assumed office 20 November 2015 |
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| Deputy | Elfi Scho-Antwerpes |
| Preceded by | Jürgen Roters |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 9 December 1956 Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, West Germany |
| Political party | Independent |
Henriette Reker (born 9 December 1956) is a German lawyer and an independent politician. This means she does not belong to a specific political party. She is famous for being the first woman ever to be elected mayor of Cologne, Germany.
Reker is also known for her support of immigrants and for surviving a serious attack in 2015. Just one day after the attack, she won the election for mayor with over half of the votes. She was elected for a second time in 2020.
Early Life and Education
Henriette Reker was born and grew up in Cologne, Germany. Her mother was a member of the SPD political party, and her father was a pastry chef.
Reker went to a school called Liebfrauenschule in Cologne. In 1976, she passed her Abitur, which is like a final high school exam in Germany. After high school, she studied law at several universities, including the University of Cologne. She officially became a lawyer in 1986.
Before entering politics, Reker worked as a lawyer for different organizations, including insurance companies and health groups.
Political Career
Reker began her political career in 2000. She served as a deputy mayor in the city of Gelsenkirchen, where she was in charge of social issues, health, and protecting consumers. In 2010, she took a similar job in her hometown of Cologne. There, she was responsible for social programs, helping immigrants settle in, and protecting the environment.
In 2015, Reker decided to run for mayor of Cologne. She was supported by several political parties, including the CDU, the FDP, and The Greens. She won the election and was re-elected in 2020.
Attack During 2015 Election
On 17 October 2015, the day before the mayoral election, Reker was at a public event. A man attacked her with a knife, seriously injuring her in the neck. Several other people were also hurt while trying to stop the attacker.
The police found that the attack was politically motivated. The attacker was angry about Reker's work helping refugees find homes and fit into the community. At the time, Reker was in charge of this work for the city of Cologne.
After the attack, Reker's main opponent in the election, Jochen Ott, stopped his campaign events. Reker won the election the next day while she was still recovering in the hospital. The attacker was later sentenced to fourteen years in prison. Reker recovered from her injuries and was able to testify at his trial.
See also
In Spanish: Henriette Reker para niños
