Reinhard Klimmt is a German politician

Politician

A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

 (SPD

Social Democratic Party of Germany

The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...

). From 1998 to 1999, he was Premier

Minister-President

A minister-president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments, in which a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government prevails, who presides over the council of ministers...

 of Saarland

Saarland

Saarland is one of the sixteen states of Germany. The capital is Saarbrücken. It has an area of 2570 km² and 1,045,000 inhabitants. In both area and population, it is the smallest state in Germany other than the city-states...

, and 1999–2000, Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs

Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs (Germany)

The Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development is a Ministry of Germany.It was created in 1998 by merger of the former Federal Ministry of Transport and the Federal Ministry of Regional Planning, Building and Urban Development, both established in 1949...

.

Personal life

After passing the Abitur

Abitur

Abitur is a designation used in Germany, Finland and Estonia for final exams that pupils take at the end of their secondary education, usually after 12 or 13 years of schooling, see also for Germany Abitur after twelve years.The Zeugnis der Allgemeinen Hochschulreife, often referred to as...

 in Osnabrück

Osnabrück

Osnabrück is a city in Lower Saxony, Germany, some 80 km NNE of Dortmund, 45 km NE of Münster, and some 100 km due west of Hanover. It lies in a valley penned between the Wiehen Hills and the northern tip of the Teutoburg Forest...

, Klimmt studied History at the Saarland University

Saarland University

Saarland University is a university located in Saarbrücken, the capital of the German state of Saarland, and Homburg. It was founded in 1948 in Homburg in co-operation with France and is organized in 8 faculties that cover all major fields of science...

.

He is a passionate bibliophile and writes columns for the German website of AbeBooks

Abebooks

AbeBooks is an online marketplace for books. Most books listed are used, many are rare or out-of-print, and a growing number are new books. The company is based in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, with offices in Düsseldorf, Germany, and in the US. It was incorporated in 1995 and launched its...

.

Klimmt is married and has three children.

Political career

Since 1964, Klimmt is a member of the SPD

Social Democratic Party of Germany

The Social Democratic Party of Germany is a social-democratic political party in Germany...

. In 1998, he became Premier (Ministerpräsident) of the Saarland, since his predecessor, Oskar Lafontaine

Oskar Lafontaine

Oskar Lafontaine is a German politician, former German finance minister, former chairman of the Social Democratic Party and former Minister-President of the state of Saarland. Since 2007 he was co-chairman of The Left...

 became the new Federal Minister of Finance after the SPD's victory in the Federal election

German federal election, 1998

A German federal election was conducted on September 27, 1998, to elect members to the 14th Bundestag, the parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany.- Issues and campaign :...

.

In 1999, Klimmt lost to Peter Müller in the Legislative Assembly (Landtag) elections in the Saarland. Later that year, he became Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs

Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Affairs (Germany)

The Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Urban Development is a Ministry of Germany.It was created in 1998 by merger of the former Federal Ministry of Transport and the Federal Ministry of Regional Planning, Building and Urban Development, both established in 1949...

. After only one year in office, he was forced to resign because of his role in a financial scandal involving the football club 1. FC Saarbrücken

1. FC Saarbrücken

1. FC Saarbrücken is a German association football club based in the city of Saarbrücken, Saarland. The club began its existence as the football department of Turnverein Malstatt formed in 1903...

.

External links

• Klimmt's column at Abebooks.de (German)