Theodor Wessels

Theodor Wessels (born May 6, 1902 in Waalwyk , Netherlands; † August 14, 1972 in Sorrento , Italy) was a political and economic scientist who was particularly active in the field of economics and energy economics . He was best known for his work as a professor at the University of Cologne , as the founder and long-time director of the Energy Economics Institute and as an expert and consultant in questions of energy management and energy policy.

Live and act

Theodor Wessels was born in Waalwyk in the Netherlands in 1902.

After finishing school he studied economics in Munich, Kiel and Cologne. Since 1921 he was a member of the Catholic student association KDSt.V. Rheno-Franconia Munich . He completed his studies in 1925 with a doctorate in political science and economics (Dr. rer. Pol.) With Leopold von Wiese in Cologne and in 1933 a habilitation at the University of Bonn .

From 1936 Wessels taught initially as a private lecturer at the University of Bonn. In 1940 he was offered a professorship for political economics at the University of Cologne. The reputation was preceded by difficult negotiations, as the election of Wessel as a practicing Catholic was not supported by the Nazi regime . Shortly after taking up his professorship in Cologne, Wessels became director of the seminar for political science at the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences ; it held this office until his retirement. In 1943 Wessels was appointed first director of the newly founded Institute for Energy Economics .

Wessels kept his distance from the Nazi government; Although he fulfills important military tasks in the field of spatial research on behalf of the Reich government and was therefore released from military service as "indispensable" , on the other hand, Wessels, who represented Christian and liberal views, worked secretly in the opposition " Freiburg Circle " and here in particular in the Erwin von Beckerath working group . After the end of the Third Reich, Wessels was quickly exonerated, rehabilitated and reinstated in his offices as part of the " denazification " process.

Through his work for the Institute for Energy Economics , which he rebuilt from 1947 and which he headed until 1970, Wessels contributed significantly to the institute's growing reputation in science, business and politics. Wessels refused a call to Freiburg, also because 5,000 students organized a torchlight procession to persuade him to stay.

In addition to his teaching and research activities, Wessels held various offices at the University of Cologne, the most outstanding being that of the Dean of the Faculty of Economics and Social Sciences (1947-49) and the Rector of the University (1951-54). In the latter function, Wessels had Peter Herkenrath paint himself .

Grave in the Melaten cemetery

Wessels was also valued as a teacher and expert outside the university and held various offices: from 1948 until his death he was a member of the scientific advisory board of the Federal Ministry of Economics under Ludwig Erhard. From 1959 he also worked in the Enquête Commission "Energy" . On behalf of the Foreign Office , Wessels trained attachés in economic matters. From 1953 until his death Wessels was President of the Rheinisch-Westfälisches Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung (RWI). Also from 1953 until his death, Wessels took over the scientific management of the teaching institute for the communal savings banks and credit system in Bonn for the German Savings Banks and Giro Association and led numerous courses and conferences there.

Theodor Wessels died unexpectedly at the age of 70 while on vacation in Sorrento / Italy. He was buried in the Melaten cemetery in Cologne (lit. D).

Honors

• Great Federal Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for his services to the scientific foundation of economic policy.
• University medal from the University of Cologne.
• Honorary doctorate (Dr. rer. Pol. Hc) from the University of Bochum .

legacy

The Association of Graduates and Friends of the Energy Economics Institute at the University of Cologne eV set up the Theodor Wessels Foundation in honor of the founder and long-time director of the institute and awarded the Theodor Wessels Prize . Every one to two years the foundation awards the prize, endowed with 10,000 euros, for scientific work in the field of energy management that makes a significant contribution to clarifying business and economic issues in the energy industry or to solving important tasks in energy policy.

Web links

• Literature by and about Theodor Wessels in the catalog of the German National Library

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c d} Theodor Wessels. Rector 1951 - 1954. University of Cologne, accessed on October 20, 2010 . 
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Lennart Henny: The establishment of the Energy Economics Institute at the University of Cologne. (PDF) Diploma thesis in the subject of special economics. (No longer available online.) University of Cologne , 2008, formerly in the original ; Retrieved October 18, 2010 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    
3. ↑ Horst Siebert : Speech on the occasion of the award of the Friedrich August von Hayek Prize for Economic Policy. (PDF; 25 kB) (No longer available online.) Hayek Foundation, May 13, 2007, archived from the original on July 31, 2007 ; Retrieved October 22, 2010 . 
4. ↑ Rector portraits. Theodor Wessels. (No longer available online.) University of Cologne, formerly in the original ; Retrieved October 18, 2010 .  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.    
5. ^ Members of the Scientific Advisory Board. (No longer available online.) Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology, archived from the original on November 13, 2010 ; Retrieved October 22, 2010 . 
6. ^ Günter Ashauer: The teaching institute of the Deutsche Sparkassenakademie - From the 1st course (1928/29) to the 68th course (2005/06). Deutsche Sparkassenakademie, accessed on October 22, 2010 . 
7. ↑ Honorary Citizen and Honorary Senators of the University of Cologne. (PDF; 481 kB) University of Cologne , accessed on October 22, 2010 . 
8. ^ Theodor Wessels Foundation. Association of graduates and friends of the Institute of Energy Economics at the University of Cologne e. V., accessed on October 11, 2017 .