Wilhelm Niklas | |
---|---|
Minister of Food, Agriculture and Forestry | |
In office 20 September 1949 – 20 October 1953 | |
Prime Minister | Konrad Adenauer |
Preceded by | Office established |
Succeeded by | Heinrich Lübke |
Personal details | |
Born | 24 September 1887 Traunstein, German Empire |
Died | 12 April 1957 Munich, West Germany | (aged 69)
Nationality | German |
Political party |
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Wilhelm Niklas (24 September 1887 – 12 April 1957) was a German academic and politician, who was the first minister of food, agriculture and forestry in Konrad Adenauer's first cabinet. [1]
Niklas was born in Traunstein, southern Bavaria, on 24 September 1887. [2] [3] He studied law and political science for two semesters and then he studied agriculture and veterinary medicine. [2] [3] He graduated from Technical University of Munich with a degree in veterinary medicine. [3] In 1914, he received a PhD in veterinary science with the thesis "The development of the Bavarian cattle insurance office in the first 15 years of its existence". [3]
Niklas began his career at his alma mater as a research assistant and worked there until 1912. [3] Then he moved to state veterinary service. [3] He was the department chief for livestock breeding and animal products in the Bavarian ministry of agriculture from 1925 until 1935 when he was fired by the Nazis. [2] Then he dealt with the management of large estates, and bought and ran a farm in southern Bavaria. [2] He was a member of the Bavarian People's Party before 1933. [2] From 1945 to 1947 he was the state secretary at the Bavarian ministry of food, agriculture and forestry. [4] He was a member of the Christian Social Union in Bavaria (CSU) which he joined in 1946. [2] [5] From 1947 to 1949 he served as the deputy director of the department for food, agriculture and forestry at the united economic area. [4] He was also an academic [6] and became professor at the Veterinary Faculty of Munich University in 1947. [2]
From 1948 to 1949 he was the deputy director of the Bizonal food and agriculture administration. [2] He served as the minister of food, agriculture and forestry in the cabinet led by Konrad Adenauer. [5] [7] Niklas was in office from 20 September 1949 to 20 October 1953. [8] He was replaced by Heinrich Lübke in the post. [8] In a May 1951 by-election in Bavaria he was elected to the Bundestag. [2]
Niklas was a Catholic. [3] He died in Munich on 12 April 1957 due to complications following a car accident. [3]
The federal ministry of agriculture has been awarding "Professor-Niklas-Medal” for his memory. [1] [4] It is the highest award given by the ministry. [4]