Ludwig Mecklinger
East German politician (1919–1994)
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Ludwig Mecklinger (14 November 1919 – 22 June 1994) was a German politician who was one of the health ministers of East Germany and a member of the ruling party Socialist Unity Party (SED). He had degrees both in medicine and law.
Ludwig Mecklinger | |||||||||||||
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Mecklinger in 1986 | |||||||||||||
| Minister of Health | |||||||||||||
| In office 29 November 1971 – 27 January 1989 | |||||||||||||
| Chairman of the Council of Ministers |
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| Preceded by | Max Sefrin | ||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Klaus Thielmann | ||||||||||||
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| Personal details | |||||||||||||
| Born | 14 November 1919 | ||||||||||||
| Died | 22 June 1994 (aged 74) | ||||||||||||
| Party | Socialist Unity Party (1946–1989) | ||||||||||||
| Other political affiliations | Communist Party of Germany (1945–1946) | ||||||||||||
| Alma mater |
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| Awards |
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Central institution membership
Other offices held
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Early life and education
Mecklinger was born in Buchdorf, near Donauwörth, on 14 November 1919.[1] He studied medicine in Leipzig, Hamburg and Berlin in the period between 1939 and 1944.[1] In 1944 he was drafted into the German army and was arrested by the American forces.[1] He was detained in a war camp in Traunstein.[2] In 1945 he was released and joined the SED.[2] In 1954 he also obtained a degree in law from the German Academy for State and Law in Potsdam.[2]
Career
Between 1945 and 1947 Mecklinger was in the provincial government of Saxony-Anhalt responsible for disease control.[2] Between 1948 and 1952 he served the minister of labor and health of the Land Saxony-Anhalt.[2] In the period 1952–1954 he acted as the deputy chairman of the central committee of the German Red Cross.[2] From 1954 to 1957 he was the deputy chief of the medical service of the Kasernierte Volkspolizei and then of the National People's Army.[2] In 1957 he was named as the head of the military medical section at the University of Greifswald which he held until 1964.[2] Mecklinger began to work for the Ministry for State Security or Stasi in 1962.[2] In 1964 he was promoted to the professorship and was appointed deputy dean of the military medicine.[2] The same year he was also named as the vice health minister.[2]
In 1969 Mecklinger was appointed secretary of state and first vice health minister.[2] In 1971 he was named as the health minister and replaced Max Sefrin in the post.[3][4] Mecklinger was the first physician who held the office in East Germany.[4] He served in the cabinet led by Willi Stoph[5] and was in office until his resignation in 1989.[1] Klaus Thiemann replaced Mecklinger as health minister.[6] In the period 1981–1988 Mecklinger served as a deputy at the East German Parliament.[1] Between 1986 and 1988 he was a member of the central committee of the SED.[2]
Awards
Mecklinger was the recipient of the bronze, silver and gold medals of the National People's Army and the gold medal for services to people and fatherland in 1974.[2] In 1984 he was awarded with the Scharnhorst Order.[2]
Death and awards
He died in Berlin on 22 June 1994.[1]
