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The Parliamentary Commissioners since 1959

	Helmut von Grolman
	Hellmuth Guido Heye
	Matthias Hoogen
	Fritz Rudolf Schultz
	Karl Wilhelm Berkhan
	Willi Weiskirch
	Alfred Biehle
	Claire Marienfeld
	Dr. Willfried Penner

1. Helmut von Grolman. Born 6 November 1898. 1916 fought as a soldier in first world war. 1920-1924 completed apprenticeship as bank clerk and course of study in economics. 1924 joined the Reichswehr. 1944 promoted to Lieutenant General. 1955 appointed as State Secretary in the Ministry for Expellees in Lower Saxony. Elected as the first Parliamentary Commissioner by 363 votes to 16, with 32 abstentions, on 19 February 1959. Sworn in on 20 March 1959. Took office on 3 April 1959. Asked to be relieved of his duties on 14 July 1961, request granted on same day. Died 18 January 1977.

2. Hellmuth Guido Heye. Born 9 August 1895. 1914 joined the Imperial Navy. 1944 Vice Admiral. 1953-1961 Member of the Bundestag for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Elected as Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces unanimously by acclamation on 8 November 1961. Sworn in and took office on same day. Asked to be relieved of his duties on 10 November 1964, request granted on following day. Died 10 November 1970.

3. Matthias Hoogen. Born 25 June 1904. Lawyer. 1940 called up for service in the Wehrmacht. 1947-1949 member of the Economic Council. 1949-1964 Member of the Bundestag for the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). 1953-1964 Chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs. Elected as Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces by 270 votes to 174, with 11 abstentions, on 11 December 1964. Sworn in and took office on same day. Died 13 July 1985.

4. Fritz Rudolf Schultz. Born 19 February 1917. 1939-1945 fought in the second world war, reaching the rank of major of the reserve. 1953 Member of the Landtag in Rhineland-Palatinate for the Free Democratic Party (FDP). 1955 appointed as Second Vice-President of the Landtag. 1957-1970 Member of the Bundestag for the Free Democratic Party (FDP). Elected as Parliamentary Commissioner by 268 votes to 127, with 50 abstentions, on 11 March 1970. Sworn in and took office on same day.

5. Karl Wilhelm Berkhan. Born 8 April 1915. Mechanical engineer. 1939 National Labour Service. Fought in second world war until 1945. Studied education. From 1947 worked as a technical school teacher. 1953-1957 member of the Hamburg City Parliament. 1957-1975 Member of the Bundestag for the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). 1969-1975 Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry of Defence. Elected as Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces by 418 votes to 21, with 21 abstentions, on 19 March 1975. Sworn in and took office on same day. Reelected as Parliamentary Commissioner by 416 votes to 30, with 6 abstentions and 2 invalid votes, on 17 January 1980. Died 9 March 1994.

6. Willi Weiskirch. Born 1 January 1923. 1942-1945 fought in the second world war, seriously wounded several times. Studied journalism, history and philosophy. 1952 appointed as editor-in-chief of the magazine Wacht, published by the Federation of German Catholic Youth. 1959 appointed as editor-in-chief of Mann in der Zeit (now Weltbild). Worked at the same time as a freelance journalist. 1970-1976 spokesman of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). 1976-1985 Member of the Bundestag for the CDU, chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group’s working group on defence. Elected as the sixth Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces by 366 votes to 42, with 24 abstentions and 1 invalid vote, on 14 March 1985. Took office on 20 March 1985. Sworn in on 28 March 1985. Died 11 September 1996.

7. Alfred Biehle. Born 15 November 1926 in Augsburg. 1944/45 fought in the second world war, wounded. Industrial clerk, 1950-1969 editor. 1948 member of the Young Union (the youth association of the CDU/CSU) and, from 1950, of the CSU. From 1955 to 1970 chairman of CSU county association. 1956-1978 and 1984-1990 town councillor. 1960-1966 Second Mayor; 1956-1972 county councillor; 1966-1972 deputy country district commissioner. From 1969 member of the Land executive committee of the CSU working group on defence policy. Since 1972 chairman of the Main-Spessart county association of the Bavarian Red Cross. 1969-1990 Member of the Bundestag for the Main-Spessart constituency. 1969-1990 member of the Bundestag’s Defence Committee and 1982-1990 its Chairman. Defence policy spokesman of the CSU Land group, member of the Subcommittee on Disarmament and Arms Control, until 1990 member of the North Atlantic Assembly and its Military Committee. Member of the federal executive committee of the Catholic Association for Soldiers’ Welfare, member of the board of trustees of the Karl Theodor Molinari Foundation of the German Bundeswehr Association. Elected as Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces (one opposing candidate) by 275 votes to 200, with 16 abstentions, on 27 April 1990. Sworn in and took office on same day.

8. Claire Marienfeld-Czesla. Born 21 April 1940 in Bingen am Rhein; Catholic; married, two sons. Primary school, grammar school. Trained as pharmaceutical-technical assistant; worked in this field for three years; gave up job on birth of first child in 1963. Joined the CSU in 1972 while resident in Bavaria; 1973 chairwoman of the Gröbenzell branch of the Women’s Union of the CSU. Joined the CDU in 1976; 1990–1995 member of the executive committee of the North Rhine-Westphalian association of the CDU; 1976-1986 chairwoman of the Detmold branch of the Women’s Union of the CDU. 1979-1991 member of Detmold Town Council; 1984-1989 chairwoman of the Schools Committee; 1989-1991 Deputy Mayor. 1990-1995 Member of the Bundestag for the CDU, 1992-1995 member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the CSCE/OSCE. Elected as Parliamentary Commissioner by 459 votes to 139, with 46 abstentions and two invalid votes, on 30 March 1995. Took office on 28 April 1995, sworn in on 11 May 1995.

9. Dr. Willfried Penner. Born 25 May 1936 in Wuppertal; married, three sons. 1956 obtained Abitur (school-leaving certificate giving right of entry to university) at Wilhelm Dörpfeld Grammar School in Wuppertal. After studying law and obtaining a doctorate, employed in the Public Prosecution Office since 1965, latterly as First Public Prosecutor in Wuppertal. Since 1983 chairman of Wuppertal Municipal Sports Association. 1966 joined the SPD, has held various party posts in Wuppertal, including that of chairman. Member of Wuppertal City Council for seven years until the end of 1979. Member of the German Bundestag from 1972 to 11 May 2000; from November 1980 to October 1982 Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Defence, from March 1985 to December 1991 deputy chairman of the SPD parliamentary group and chairman of the working group on internal affairs, education and sport, 1992-1994 legal adviser to the SPD parliamentary group; from January 1995 to 11 May 2000 chairman of the Committee on Internal Affairs. Elected as Parliamentary Commissioner by 424 votes to 77, with 42 abstentions and two invalid votes, on 14 April 2000. Sworn in and took office on 11 May 2000.and efficiently.