Barbara Hendricks
Barbara Hendricks, born on April 29, 1952 in Kleve, is a German politician who has been a Member of Parliament for the SPD (Social Democratic Party of Germany; Sozialdemokratische Partei Deutschlands) since 1994. Since December 17, 2013, Hendricks has been the Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety Construction in the Cabinet Merkel III.
Political career[edit]
Barbara Hendricks became a member of the SPD in 1972. From 1976 until 1978, she was involved in honorary activity at the Deutsches Studentenwerk. She was an Officer in the press office of the SPD parliamentary group from 1978 to 1981 and speaker of the North Rhine-Westphalian Minister of Finance from 1981 to 1990. Since 1989, Hendricks has been Chair of the SPD in the sub-district of Kleve. From 1991 until 1994, she was the Ministerial Councillor in the Ministry of Environment, Planning and Agriculture of North Rhine-Westphalia and Head of Unit for cross-border planning. Since 1994, Barbara Hendricks has been a Member of the Bundestag for the German SPD. From 1998 until 2007, she was the Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Finance and from 2007 to 2013, Treasurer of the SPD. Since December 17, 2013, Barbara Hendricks has been Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety Construction in the Cabinet Merkel III.
Education[edit]
Barbara Hendricks graduated in 1970 from the Abitur at Johanna Sebus High School in Kleve. She then started studying History and Social Sciences in Bonn (1970-1976). In 1980, Hendricks obtained her PhD on "The development of the margarine industry in the Lower Rhine".
