Hans-Karl Riedel

Hans-Karl Riedel (born April 18, 1893 in Ochsenhausen , † December 22, 1967 in Esslingen am Neckar ) was a German manufacturer and local politician.

Career

education and profession

Riedel was born as the son of the royal finance councilor Wilhelm Riedel. He attended the Karls-Gymnasium in Stuttgart up to the one-year certificate . This was followed by a commercial apprenticeship at the Paul Lechler company and military service with the Queen Olga Grenadiers . He then went to the African Gold Coast , where he worked in the branch of a Hamburg company. When the First World War broke out , he was interned and spent the entire war years in penal camps. As he himself often said later, the time of his imprisonment was formative for him. It strengthened him in his commitment to Christianity , whose basic values ​​became the guideline for his later actions. In 1918 he returned to Stuttgart via the Netherlands. He found a job in a pyrotechnic factory in Cleebronn . During this time he married Mathilde Wagner, daughter of the Esslingen factory owner Eugen Wagner. His professional activity as a partner in a trading company then led the couple to Rotterdam for around two years .

In 1922 his father-in-law brought him to support the long-established company Christian Wagner metal goods factory in Esslingen. As a co-owner, he had a decisive influence on the company's development from 1922 to 1965. He was considered a “social employer” who also took care of the personal concerns of his employees.

Rescue of the city of Esslingen

Shortly before the US Army marched into Esslingen on April 22, 1945, he took up personal responsibility for negotiations with the troop leaders. By entering, he prevented the city from being bombarded and bombed.

Local political engagement

After the end of the war he made himself available to help rebuild the city's political and social life. From 1945 to 1961 he was a member of the municipal council and was elected with the highest number of votes. When Lord Mayor Dieter Roser was unable to take up his post after his election, Riedel held this post on a provisional basis from May 1948 to August 1948. He was then the first deputy mayor from 1948 to 1956. On September 11, 1961, he resigned from the local council for health reasons.

From autumn 1945 he was 2nd chairman of the Christian Association of Young Men (YMCA) in Esslingen and was later appointed to its honorary board. He was a member of the regional committee and vice-president of the Württemberg Evangelical Church Congress.

Honors

• 1952: Cross of Merit on Ribbon of the Federal Republic of Germany

literature

• OBM Dr. Roser to City Councilor Riedel , In: Esslinger Zeitung, January 7, 1952
• A social employer , In: Stuttgarter Nachrichten, January 7, 1952
• City councilor Riedel awarded the Cross of Merit , In: Esslinger Allgemeine, January 7, 1952
• Hans-Karl Riedel celebrated his 70th birthday (without specifying the origin)
• Deep mourning for Hans-Karl Riedel , In: Esslinger Zeitung, December 27, 1967, p. 3