Otto Kretschmer (politician)

Otto Kretschmer (* 23. February 1940 in Kassel , † 22. December 2004 at Husum ) was a German politician of the SPD and Minister of Justice of the State of Thuringia .

After graduating from high school, the native of Hesse studied law and political science at the University of Marburg . He became a lawyer and judge in Northern Hesse and later a public prosecutor in Kassel and Darmstadt . In 1975 he moved to the Hessian Ministry of Justice, where he held managerial positions. After the reunification of Germany, Kretschmer came to Thuringia in 1990 to help set up the judiciary and finally became chief public prosecutor in Erfurt . After the state election in 1994, he was appointed Minister for Justice and European Affairs in the grand coalition . From 1999 to October 2002 he was a member of the Thuringian state parliament and during this time he was the judicial policy spokesman for the SPD parliamentary group. He gave up his mandate for health reasons. As an advisor to the Jewish state community of Thuringia, he contributed to the conclusion of a state treaty with the Jewish community.

Otto Kretschmer died in his retirement home near Husum in Schleswig-Holstein . He was married and had two children.

Web links

• Otto Kretschmer in the Munzinger archive ( beginning of article freely available)