Ole von Beust facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ole von Beust
|
|
|---|---|
Ole von Beust in 2009
|
|
| First Mayor of Hamburg | |
| In office 31 October 2001 – 25 August 2010 |
|
| Second Mayor | Ronald Schill Mario Mettbach Birgit Schnieber-Jastram Christa Goetsch |
| Preceded by | Ortwin Runde |
| Succeeded by | Christoph Ahlhaus |
| President of the Bundesrat | |
| In office 1 November 2007 – 31 October 2008 |
|
| First Vice President | Harald Ringstorff |
| Preceded by | Harald Ringstorff |
| Succeeded by | Peter Müller |
| Leader of the Christian Democratic Union in the Hamburg Parliament | |
| In office 15 December 1993 – 31 October 2001 |
|
| Preceded by | Rolf Kruse |
| Succeeded by | Michael Freytag |
| Member of the Hamburg Parliament | |
| In office 28 June 1978 – 17 March 2004 |
|
| Preceded by | multi-member district |
| Succeeded by | multi-member district |
| Constituency | CDU list |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 13 April 1955 Hamburg, West Germany |
| Political party | Christian Democratic Union |
| Residence | Hamburg |
| Alma mater | University of Hamburg |
| Occupation |
|
| Signature |  |
Ole von Beust (born 13 April 1955) is a German politician. He was the First Mayor of Hamburg from 2001 to 2010. During this time, he also served as President of the Bundesrat (a council representing Germany's states) for one year, starting in November 2007. After his time as mayor, Christoph Ahlhaus took over the role.
Contents
Early Life and Career
Ole von Beust was born in Hamburg, which was then in West Germany. His full birth name was Carl-Friedrich Arp Freiherr von Beust. His family, the von Beusts, is a very old noble family from a region called the Altmark. They were first mentioned in history in 1228. Ole's father was Achim Helge Freiherr von Beust. His mother, Hanna, had a family background that was considered partly Jewish during the time of Nazi Germany. Ole later had his nickname, Ole, officially registered as his first name.
In 1971, Ole von Beust joined the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), a major political party in Germany. After finishing high school in 1973, he started working for the CDU group in the Hamburg Parliament. He held this job until 1975, when he began studying law at the University of Hamburg.
From 1977 to 1983, he was the head of his party's youth organization in Hamburg. In 1978, he became a member of the Hamburg city-state's parliament. He finished his law studies in 1983 and became a lawyer. Since 1992, he has been a member of the ruling council for the CDU in Hamburg. He also joined the national ruling council of the CDU party in 1998.
First Mayor of Hamburg
Ole von Beust became the First Mayor of Hamburg on 31 October 2001. This is like being the governor of a state and the mayor of a big city at the same time, because Hamburg is both a city and a state in Germany.
During his first term, Hamburg faced a challenge when some big companies were bought by businesses outside the city. To help keep important jobs and companies in Hamburg, von Beust worked with the city's investment group and a retailer called Tchibo. Together, they helped buy a cosmetics company called Beiersdorf in 2003. This helped keep Beiersdorf as a major company based in Hamburg.
As mayor, he hosted the annual St. Matthew's Day banquet. This event brings together important leaders from the city and businesses. He invited many special guests, including Queen Silvia of Sweden (in 2003) and King Abdullah II of Jordan (in 2005).
In August 2003, von Beust made a change in his government. He removed his vice-mayor, Ronald Schill, from his position.
Second Term as Mayor
The Hamburg elections on 29 February 2004 were a big success for Ole von Beust and the CDU. His party won a large majority of the votes, getting 47.2 percent. This was a huge increase from the previous election. It was the first time since 1993 that Hamburg had a single ruling party with an overall majority in its parliament.
Under von Beust's leadership, the Hamburg government decided to start building the Elbphilharmonie. This is a famous concert hall located in the HafenCity area of Hamburg.
From 2007 to 2009, von Beust was part of a special group called the Second Commission on the modernization of the federal state. This group worked on ideas to change how power is shared between the national government and the states in Germany.
Third Term as Mayor
In the Hamburg elections on 24 February 2008, the CDU received 42.6 percent of the votes. While still the strongest party, the CDU lost its absolute majority. Because of this, they formed a new government with the Green Party. This partnership was seen as an important test for whether these two parties could work together at the national level in Germany.
In 2009, von Beust and the Minister President of Schleswig-Holstein agreed on a plan to help a state-owned bank called HSH Nordbank. They had to step in because the bank needed financial support.
Before the national elections in 2009, some thought von Beust might become a minister in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel. However, another politician, Dirk Niebel, got the position instead.
In 2010, Ole von Beust became the first leader of a German state to say that his state was willing to help people who had been held at Guantanamo Bay detention camp and were approved for release. Hamburg later accepted one released person.
On 18 July 2010, Ole von Beust announced that he would be stepping down as mayor on 25 August. Two other important officials also left their positions at the same time.
Soon after, voters in Hamburg rejected von Beust's proposed changes to the education system. This was done through a special vote called a binding referendum. The vote meant that Hamburg's primary schools would continue to be four years long, instead of being extended to six years as the government had suggested.
Life After Politics
After leaving politics, Ole von Beust opened his own law firm. He also became an advisor for a company called Roland Berger. In 2012, he took over as the Executive Director of the Hamburg Foundation for Politically Persecuted People.
In 2012, during a strike at Frankfurt Airport, von Beust was asked to help solve the disagreement between the airport operator and the workers' union. He proposed a solution, which the union accepted, but the airport operator did not.
Ole von Beust has also held various other roles. He is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Friends of the Fraekelufer Synagogue. He has been an advisor for Donner & Reuschel since 2014 and a member of the Advisory Board for Varengold Bank since 2013. He is also a member of Rotary International.
In late 2015, von Beust was chosen to co-lead a special group. This group was asked to suggest how Germany could pay for its plan to stop using nuclear energy. By April 2016, the group agreed that power companies should pay €23.3 billion into a state fund to cover the costs of storing nuclear waste.
Political Views
For the national elections in 2021, Ole von Beust supported Markus Söder. He believed Söder should be the joint candidate for the Christian Democrats to become the next Chancellor after Angela Merkel.
Awards and Recognition
Ole von Beust was a finalist for the World Mayor prize in 2010. This award recognizes mayors from around the world for their achievements.
See also
In Spanish: Ole von Beust para niños
- List of LGBT heads of government
