Gerd Bucerius
Encyclopedia
Gerd Bucerius was a German
politician and journalist, one of the founding members of Die Zeit
. He is the namesake of the Bucerius Law School
in Hamburg
and of the Bucerius Kunst Forum, an art gallery.
Bucerius was born in Westphalia
, and studied law in Freiburg
, Berlin
, and Hamburg. Upon completion of his university studies, he was named a judge
in Kiel
. With the rise to power of the Nazis in 1933, his wife, a Jew
, took refuge in the United Kingdom
. Bucerius for his part became a lawyer, defending numerous Jewish clients.
With the Allied victory in World War II, Bucerius became a politician and journalist. The British tasked him with the reorganization of the senate in Hamburg; in 1949 he was elected as a deputy to the first post-war Bundestag
. A member of the CDU
, he retained his seat until 1962. In 1946, with Lovis H. Lorenz, Richard Tüngel
, and Ewald Schmidt di Simoni he created Die Zeit, with which they hoped to found a great newspaper for the north of Germany. Even though the emblem of Bremen
was placed on its cover by way of a logo, the newspaper
's city of origin was Hamburg. Hamburg refused the use of its city arms for the publication, and so those of another nearby municipality were used instead.
called him among the most influential citizens of the city. His large fortune was handed over to the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius
which Bucerius had created in 1971. The funds held by this foundation are used for the promotion of scientific, educational, cultural and artistic projects; the Bucerius Law School
and the Bucerius Kunst Forum
are its most important projects.
In 1986 Bucerius was given the Honorary Citizenship of Hamburg.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
politician and journalist, one of the founding members of Die Zeit
Die Zeit
Die Zeit is a German nationwide weekly newspaper that is highly respected for its quality journalism.With a circulation of 488,036 and an estimated readership of slightly above 2 million, it is the most widely read German weekly newspaper...
. He is the namesake of the Bucerius Law School
Bucerius Law School
Bucerius Law School is a small, non-state university affiliated private law school located in Hamburg, Germany. The school is the first private law school in Germany and is often ranked as the best law school in the country. It admits 100 bachelor students per year, who achieve very high results in...
in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
and of the Bucerius Kunst Forum, an art gallery.
Bucerius was born in Westphalia
Westphalia
Westphalia is a region in Germany, centred on the cities of Arnsberg, Bielefeld, Dortmund, Minden and Münster.Westphalia is roughly the region between the rivers Rhine and Weser, located north and south of the Ruhr River. No exact definition of borders can be given, because the name "Westphalia"...
, and studied law in Freiburg
Freiburg
Freiburg im Breisgau is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. In the extreme south-west of the country, it straddles the Dreisam river, at the foot of the Schlossberg. Historically, the city has acted as the hub of the Breisgau region on the western edge of the Black Forest in the Upper Rhine Plain...
, Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, and Hamburg. Upon completion of his university studies, he was named a judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
in Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
. With the rise to power of the Nazis in 1933, his wife, a Jew
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
, took refuge in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Bucerius for his part became a lawyer, defending numerous Jewish clients.
With the Allied victory in World War II, Bucerius became a politician and journalist. The British tasked him with the reorganization of the senate in Hamburg; in 1949 he was elected as a deputy to the first post-war Bundestag
Bundestag
The Bundestag is a federal legislative body in Germany. In practice Germany is governed by a bicameral legislature, of which the Bundestag serves as the lower house and the Bundesrat the upper house. The Bundestag is established by the German Basic Law of 1949, as the successor to the earlier...
. A member of the CDU
Christian Democratic Union (Germany)
The Christian Democratic Union of Germany is a Christian democratic and conservative political party in Germany. It is regarded as on the centre-right of the German political spectrum...
, he retained his seat until 1962. In 1946, with Lovis H. Lorenz, Richard Tüngel
Richard Tüngel
Richard Tüngel was originally an architect and a longtime Director of Construction in Hamburg. Removed from this position by the Nazis in 1933, he went to Berlin, where he lived until 1945 as a translator and writer. For example, one still finds his name on current German-language editions of...
, and Ewald Schmidt di Simoni he created Die Zeit, with which they hoped to found a great newspaper for the north of Germany. Even though the emblem of Bremen
Bremen
The City Municipality of Bremen is a Hanseatic city in northwestern Germany. A commercial and industrial city with a major port on the river Weser, Bremen is part of the Bremen-Oldenburg metropolitan area . Bremen is the second most populous city in North Germany and tenth in Germany.Bremen is...
was placed on its cover by way of a logo, the newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
's city of origin was Hamburg. Hamburg refused the use of its city arms for the publication, and so those of another nearby municipality were used instead.
Honors and awards
Bucerius is considered an important benefactor to Hamburg; upon the centenary of his birth, chancellor Helmut SchmidtHelmut Schmidt
Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt is a German Social Democratic politician who served as Chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982. Prior to becoming chancellor, he had served as Minister of Defence and Minister of Finance. He had also served briefly as Minister of Economics and as acting...
called him among the most influential citizens of the city. His large fortune was handed over to the ZEIT-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius
ZEIT-Stiftung
The Zeit-Stiftung Ebelin und Gerd Bucerius was founded in 1971 by Gerd Bucerius . The name refers to the founder, his second wife Gertrud Ebel whose nickname was Ebelin, and to the weekly newspaper Die Zeit, which was founded by Gerd Bucerius. The foundation is registered in Hamburg...
which Bucerius had created in 1971. The funds held by this foundation are used for the promotion of scientific, educational, cultural and artistic projects; the Bucerius Law School
Bucerius Law School
Bucerius Law School is a small, non-state university affiliated private law school located in Hamburg, Germany. The school is the first private law school in Germany and is often ranked as the best law school in the country. It admits 100 bachelor students per year, who achieve very high results in...
and the Bucerius Kunst Forum
Bucerius Kunst Forum
-External links:* . Retrieved on 2009-10-08....
are its most important projects.
In 1986 Bucerius was given the Honorary Citizenship of Hamburg.