Josef Ertl (7 March 1925 – 16 November 2000) was a German politician who served as the minister of agriculture in different cabinets of Germany and was a member of the Free Democratic Party (FDP).

Early life and education

Ertl's family were from

Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...

. He was born on 7 March 1925 and raised in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. Ertl held a bachelor's degree in agriculture from the

Technical University Munich The Technical University of Munich (TUM or TU Munich; ) is a Public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. It specializes in engineering, technology, medicine, and applied science, applied and natural sciences. Est ...

in 1952.

Career

Ertl was a member of the FDP which he joined in the 1950s. He was part of the liberal right wing in the party. He served in the FDP's regional council of Munich from 1952 to 1956. He was a member of the

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the lower house of the Germany, German Federalism in Germany, federal parliament. It is the only constitutional body of the federation directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag wa ...

from 1961 to 1987. He also headed the Bavarian branch of the party from 1971 to 1983. He was among the German politicians who shaped the Europe policy of the country in the 1970s. He was appointed minister of agriculture to the coalition government led by Prime Minister

Willy Brandt Willy Brandt (; born Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm; 18 December 1913 – 8 October 1992) was a German politician and statesman who was leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) from 1964 to 1987 and concurrently served as the Chancellor ...

on 22 October 1969. Ertl replaced

Hermann Höcherl Hermann Höcherl (31 March 1912 – 18 May 1989) was a German politician of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU). He served as Federal Ministry of the Interior from 1961 to 1965 and as Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fore ...

in the post. He retained his post until 1983 in various cabinets, but for a short period from 17 September to 1 October 1982

Björn Engholm Björn Engholm (born 9 November 1939) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He was Federal Minister for Education and Science from 1981 to 1982, and in 1982 also Federal Minister for Food, Agriculture and Forests. From 1 ...

assumed the post. After leaving office he served as the president of the German agricultural society from early 1984 to late 1990. He was also the president of the German ski association from 1978 to 1991.

Death

Ertl was seriously injured in an accident on the farm of his son in the Upper Bavarian district of

Landsberg am Lech Landsberg am Lech (Landsberg at the Lech (river), Lech) is a Town#Germany, town in southwest Bavaria, Germany, about 65 kilometers west of Munich and 35 kilometers south of Augsburg. It is the capital of the district of Landsberg (district), Lands ...

in mid-November 2000. He died of complications resulting from severe burn injuries on 20 November 2000 in Murnau at the age of 75.

References

External links