Marianne Laqueur facts for kids

Marianne Laqueur was a remarkable woman born in Germany in 1918. She had to leave her home as a Jewish refugee and moved to Turkey. Later, she became one of the first female computer scientists and even a local politician. She lived from June 11, 1918, to April 5, 2006.

Early Life and Moving to Turkey

Marianne Laqueur was born in Berlin, Germany, on June 11, 1918. Her parents were August and Ilse Laqueur. Her father was a doctor and physiotherapist.

In 1936, her father lost his job because of his Jewish background. This happened during the time of the Nazis in Germany. Because of this, Marianne and her parents moved to Turkey. They settled in Ankara.

Marianne's older brother, Kurt Laqueur, also faced problems in Germany. He was not allowed to study or learn a trade. He later joined his family in Turkey to escape the persecution. Kurt later became a German diplomat.

Her Career as a Pioneer

After moving to Turkey, Marianne Laqueur looked for work. She started as a "Sprachtippse," which means a language typist. She translated documents from Turkish into English and German for a Turkish bank.

During the Second World War, she worked for the Turkish part of the Jewish Agency for Israel in Ankara. She stayed in Turkey until 1960.

Over the next forty years, Marianne traveled the world for different companies. She worked for big names like IBM and NCR. During this time, she became one of the very first female computer scientists.

She worked in many different places, including Beirut, Tel Aviv, North Africa, and the USA. It wasn't until the 1980s that she returned to live in Germany.

Political Work

Marianne Laqueur also had a career in politics. From 1993 to 1997, she was a member of the city council in Wiesbaden, Germany. She represented the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen (Green Party).

From 1994 to 1997, she was the deputy chair of her political group. This meant she helped lead the Green Party members in the city parliament.

In the last ten years of her life, Marianne was often asked to share her story. She could tell people about her experiences fleeing Nazi Germany and living in exile in Turkey. Her story helped others understand that difficult time in history.

Marianne Laqueur passed away on April 5, 2006, in Wiesbaden.