Werner Müller (politician) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Werner Müller
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| Federal Minister of Economic Affairs and Energy | |
| In office 27 October 1998 – 22 October 2002 |
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| 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 (aged 73) Essen |
| Political party | Independent |
| Profession | Manager |
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Wilhelm Werner Müller (born June 1, 1946 – died July 15, 2019) was a German businessman and politician. He was known for his ability to work well in both business and government. He served as the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy for Germany from 1998 to 2002. Later, he became the CEO of a large company called RAG AG. He was praised for helping Germany reduce its reliance on coal in a way that was fair to everyone involved.
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Werner Müller's Journey
Early Life and Education
Werner Müller was born in Essen, Germany. He went to school at the Windthorst-Gymnasium in Meppen and finished in 1965. He then studied a few different subjects. He learned about national economy and played the piano at the Musikhochschule Mannheim. Later, he also studied philosophy and linguistics in Duisburg and Bremen.
A Career in Business
Müller started his career in 1973, working for a company called RWE. In 1979, he moved to another company, VEBA. This company later became part of E.ON in 2002, which is a big energy company.
Serving Germany as a Minister
Even though he didn't belong to any political party, Werner Müller became a very important person in the German government. He served as the Federal Minister for Economic Affairs and Energy from 1998 to 2002. This was during the time when Gerhard Schröder was the Chancellor of Germany.
One of his big achievements as a minister was working towards stopping the use of nuclear power in Germany. He talked with many different industries to make this happen.
Leading Big Companies
After his time in government, Müller became the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of RAG AG in 2003. This company used to be called Ruhrkohle AG. In 2007, RAG AG changed its name to Evonik. This new company focused on chemistry, energy, and real estate.
Werner Müller was very good at helping Germany use less coal for energy. Coal mining can harm the environment and needs a lot of money from the government. Müller worked to reduce Germany's dependence on coal in a way that was fair to the workers and communities. He also helped clean up the environmental damage caused by mining. Because of this important work, Manager Magazin named him "Manager of the Year" in Germany in 2008.
After being CEO of Evonik, he became the chairman of its supervisory board. He also held a similar important position for Deutsche Bahn, which is Germany's national railway company, from 2005 to 2010.
Making a Difference for the Ruhr Region
Werner Müller was also a member of the supervisory board for the famous football club Borussia Dortmund. He played a key role in helping the Ruhr region become the European Capital of Culture in 2010. He helped bring the different parts of the region together for this big event.
His Later Years
Werner Müller was married to Marion and they had two children. In April 2018, he received the Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia for all his achievements. Sadly, he resigned from all his roles in May 2018 because he was ill with cancer. He passed away in Essen on July 15, 2019.
What People Said About Werner Müller
Many important people spoke highly of Werner Müller.
In 2009, when Müller received the Great Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, President Horst Köhler praised him. Köhler said that Müller could speak the language of both politics and business. This helped him bring people together for important discussions. He was known for being calm, fair, and dependable. Köhler also highlighted how Müller created a plan for moving away from coal mining that was fair to everyone.
After Müller's death, former Chancellor Gerhard Schröder said that Müller was a great economic leader. He knew how to work with both business and politics, which helped him turn opponents into partners. Jean-Claude Juncker, who was the President of the European Commission, remembered Müller for his great knowledge, dry humor, and calm way of working. He said Müller brought huge benefits to German miners. Armin Laschet, a German politician, called Müller a "visionary" and said that founding the RAG-Stiftung was "a genuine work of the century."
Awards and Honors
- 2008: Manager of the Year in Germany, by Manager Magazin
- 2010: Great Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- 2013: Citizen of the Ruhr as CEO of RAG-Stiftung
- 2015: Honorary doctorate from the University Duisburg-Essen
- 2018: Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia
