Emil Wutzky

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Emil Wutzky (born October 4, 1871 in Berlin , † December 30, 1963 in West Berlin ) was a German trade unionist, cooperative and social democratic politician. He made a name for himself in particular as a local politician in Neukölln and later in Berlin.

Early years

Emil Wutzky was a trained typesetter . In 1890 he joined the "Support Association of German Book Printers". He also took evening courses at the Free University and the Museum of Applied Arts. Between 1892 and 1900 he was the book printer's shop steward in Berlin. In protest against nationalist tendencies in the Jahn gymnastics club, he co-founded the Rixdorf Free Gymnastics Association and the Märkischer Gymnastics Association in 1894. In 1897 he joined the SPD. From 1899 to 1917 Wutzky was a city councilor for Rixdorf (Neukölln since 1912).

In order to have more time for his local political work, Wutzky gave up the typesetter activity in 1902 and worked for the Rixdorf consumer cooperative . There he was promoted to managing director for cash and accounting. The attempt to get employed by the Central Association of Trade, Transport and Transport Workers in Germany failed due to internal resistance against foreigners, although Wutzky had written a "memorandum on the establishment of a technical school for the transport and transport industry in Berlin". In 1905 he was forwarding agent of the forward and at the same time honorary chairman of the AOK von Neukölln.

Trade unionists

His main occupation was from 1906 to 1919 managing director of the branch of the free trade union "Association of Workers and Sub-Employees Employed in Community and State Enterprises", later the Community and State Workers' Association, in Berlin. Wutzky was also chairman of the press commission for the central union newspaper. In this way he tried to influence the organization as a whole, which triggered violent conflicts in the union. Wutzky also played an important role in the Berlin trade union cartel (here called trade union committee). In 1912, Wutzky competed in a vote against chairman Albin Mohs on his union's association day and lost, although he had the backing of the board. In 1914 he did not succeed in being elected as the second chairman of the main board, instead he became secretary on the board. Because the union chairman Richard Heckmann had to do military service, Wutzky was the de facto head of the association during the First World War . He was also chairman of the supervisory board of the Ideal building cooperative in Neukölln. In this role he was instrumental in averting the bankruptcy of the cooperative.

Local politics

Between 1917 and 1919 he was an unpaid city councilor as a member of the magistrate in Neukölln. After fierce controversy on his union day, Wutzky resigned from all union offices in 1919. After that he was a paid city councilor in Neukölln for a short time until the formation of Greater Berlin . He was responsible for the area of ​​green spaces, but also for the welfare and youth welfare office. Between 1919 and 1921 Wutzky was a member of the Prussian state constituent assembly . There he was extremely involved in the consultations on the formation of Greater Berlin. Between 1920 and 1932 Wutzky was a paid city councilor in Berlin. His main areas of responsibility were the food sector, housing management, the state welfare office and the youth welfare office. In the latter area he was chairman of the relevant deputation. Between 1924 and 1932 he was a deputy member of the Reichsrat . He was also chairman of the supervisory board of the municipal companies for urban goods and the gas, electricity and waterworks.

After the end of the electoral term, Wutzky left the magistrate in 1932. His rights as a civil servant were stripped of him during the National Socialist era and Wutzky was interrogated several times by the Gestapo .

Post-war years

After the liberation, Wutzky worked from 1945 to rebuild democratic communal structures. From 1946 he was a district councilor and from 1950 citizens' deputy of the deputation for the building and housing sector of Neukölln. Also after 1945 he tried to revive the cooperative movement in the city district, but failed because of the initial resistance of the American military administration. It was not until 1949 that the wholesale and consumer cooperative for (West) Berlin was founded. Wutzky was a member of the organization's board from 1950.

Emil Wutzky's grave of honor

Honors

In 1949 Wutzky was honored with the title of City Elder for his achievements in Berlin's local politics . In 1952 he received the Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Federal Republic of Germany. In the last years of his life, Wutzky was primarily involved in the board of the “ Association for the History of Berlin ”.

Wutzky received an honorary grave from the city of Berlin on the state's own cemetery in Rudow (section 13, no. 113). In 1966, Wutzkyallee was named after him and is located in the immediate vicinity of his last home.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Wutzkyallee. In: Street name lexicon of the Luisenstädtischer Bildungsverein (near  Kaupert )
personal data
SURNAME Wutzky, Emil
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German trade unionist, cooperative and social democratic politician
DATE OF BIRTH October 4, 1871
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH December 30, 1963
Place of death West Berlin