State political posts

Member of the Landtag of Saxony for Bautzen 1
In office 19 October 2004 – 21 November 2005
Preceded by	Andreas Hahn
Succeeded by	Karl Mannsfeld
State Minister for the Interior of Saxony
In office 11 November 2004 – 22 November 2005
Minister-President	Georg Milbradt
Preceded by	Horst Rasch
Succeeded by	Albrecht Buttolo
State Minister of Justice of Saxony
In office 2 May 2002 – 11 November 2004
Minister-President	Georg Milbradt
Preceded by	Manfred Kolbe
Succeeded by	Geert Mackenroth
State Minister of Finances of Saxony
In office 31 January 2001 – 2 May 2002
Minister-President	Kurt Biedenkopf
Preceded by	Georg Milbradt
Succeeded by	Horst Metz
State Minister and Chief of the State Chancellery of Saxony
In office 27 October 1999 – 31 January 2001
Minister-President	Kurt Biedenkopf
Preceded by	Günter Meyer
Succeeded by	Georg Brüggen
State Secretary and Chief of the State Chancellery of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern
In office 8 December 1994 – 2 November 1998
Minister-President	Berndt Seite
Preceded by	Gabriele Wurzel
Succeeded by	Otto Ebnet

Personal details

Born

Karl Ernst Thomas de Maizière

21 January 1954 (age 71)
Bonn, West Germany

Political party

Christian Democratic Union

Spouse

Martina de Maizière

Children

Parent

Ulrich de Maizière (father)

Relatives

Lothar de Maizière (cousin)

Signature

Military service

Allegiance

West Germany

Branch/service

Bundeswehr

Years of service

1972–1974

Rank

Oberleutnant

Unit

Army (Heer) / Panzerbrigade 34

Thomas de Maizière (born January 21, 1954) is a German politician. He is a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party. He held important jobs in the German government for many years.

He was the Federal Minister of the Interior twice, from 2009 to 2011 and again from 2013 to 2018. He also served as the Federal Minister of Defence from 2011 to 2013. Before that, he was the Head of the Chancellery from 2005 to 2009. Since 2009, he has been a member of the Bundestag, which is Germany's parliament.

Thomas de Maizière was one of only three ministers who worked in Chancellor Angela Merkel's cabinets from 2005 until 2018 without a break. Many people thought he might become Chancellor himself one day. Before working for the national government, he was a minister in the state government of Saxony.

Early Life and Education
Political Career Highlights
Life After Politics
Other Activities
Awards and Recognition
Personal Life
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Thomas de Maizière when he was younger

Thomas de Maizière was born in Bonn, a city in Germany. His father, Ulrich de Maizière, was a high-ranking officer in the German army.

Thomas went to school at the Aloisiuskolleg in Bonn. He then studied law and history at universities in Münster and Freiburg. He finished his law studies in 1982 and earned a special law degree (Dr. jur.) in 1986.

His family, the de Maizières, are from France. They were Huguenots, a group of Protestants who had to leave France in the late 1600s. They found safety in Germany. His cousin, Lothar de Maizière, was also a politician. He was the last leader of East Germany before it reunited with West Germany.

Political Career Highlights

Starting in State Politics

Thomas de Maizière began his career working for the mayor of West Berlin. He later helped with the talks about German reunification. After Germany became one country again in 1990, he helped set up new democratic systems in the former East German states.

He became a state secretary in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in 1990. From 1994 to 1998, he was the chief of staff for the government in that state.

From 1999 to 2005, he held several important jobs in the state of Saxony. He was the chief of the state's main office, the minister of finance, the minister of justice, and the minister of the interior for Saxony.

Chief of Staff for Chancellor Merkel (2005–2009)

In 2005, Thomas de Maizière became a member of the national government. He was chosen to be the chief of staff for Chancellor Angela Merkel. This meant he was in charge of her office and helped her with many important decisions. He also served as a minister for special affairs.

Federal Minister of the Interior (2009–2011)

After the 2009 national elections, Thomas de Maizière became the Federal Minister of the Interior. This job involves keeping the country safe.

As Interior Minister, he warned about possible terror attacks in Europe and the United States in 2010. He also banned a charity in Frankfurt because it was linked to a group called Hamas. In the same year, Germany agreed to take in two prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.

He also worked with the Transport Minister to ban air cargo from Yemen after explosives were found in a package.

Minister of Defence (2011–2013)

De Maizière as Minister of Defence in 2012

In 2011, Chancellor Merkel asked Thomas de Maizière to become the Federal Minister of Defence. This role meant he was in charge of Germany's armed forces.

He made big changes to the German military. He planned to reduce the number of soldiers and make the army a fully professional force.

In 2011, he visited India for a special meeting between the German and Indian governments. He also attended a dinner at the White House in the United States with Chancellor Merkel.

In 2012, he spoke about the use of drones by the U.S. military. He said he thought it was a "strategic mistake" for U.S. commanders to direct drone attacks from far away.

Second Time as Federal Minister of the Interior (2013–2018)

Thomas de Maizière with his Italian counterpart Marco Minniti, 2017

In 2013, Thomas de Maizière was appointed Federal Minister of the Interior for a second time.

In 2014, he suggested a law to stop people who might want to join terrorist groups abroad from leaving Germany. This law would allow the government to take away their identity cards. In 2015, he banned a Turkish extremist newspaper and ordered raids related to it.

During the European migrant crisis in 2015, he said that Europe should limit the number of refugees it takes in. He also helped introduce a special identity card for refugees to help identify them.

In 2016, he banned a neo-Nazi group called "White Wolves Terror Crew" (WWT). This happened as concerns grew about right-wing extremism in Germany.

Later Career and Retirement

After leaving the government in 2018, Thomas de Maizière continued to serve in the Bundestag. He also taught constitutional law at the University of Leipzig.

In 2018, he supported Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to become the new leader of the CDU party.

Since 2019, he has been the chairman of the Deutsche Telekom Foundation. He also helped plan the 30th anniversary of German reunification. In 2020, he was asked by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg to help strengthen NATO's political side.

In May 2020, Thomas de Maizière announced that he would not run for parliament again in the 2021 elections. He decided to retire from active politics.

Life After Politics

In 2023, Thomas de Maizière worked as an unpaid helper to solve disagreements between the German railway company and a transport union.

Other Activities

Thomas de Maizière is involved in many other organizations:

German Evangelical Church Assembly, a member of the leadership team.
Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a member of the board.
Moritzburg Festival, a member of the board.
National Paralympic Committee Germany, a member of the board.
Safety in Ski Sport Foundation (SIS), a member of the board.
ZEIT-Stiftung, a member of the board (since 2018).

Awards and Recognition

Thomas de Maizière has received several awards for his work:

2006 – Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
2007 – Royal Norwegian Order of Merit
2009 – Grand Cross of the Ordem do Mérito
2009 – Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Personal Life

Thomas de Maizière is married to Martina de Maizière. They have three children. He is a Protestant.

In 2023, he was one of the special guests when Angela Merkel received a high award from the German President.

Images for kids

Thomas de Maizière's signature

Thomas de Maizière facts for kids

Contents