| Intro | German political scientist |
| Was |
Scientist Political scientist |
| From | Germany |
| Type |
Science Politics |
| Gender | male |
| Birth | 17 May 1942, Jerusalem |
| Death |
16 September 2006, Ludwigshafen (aged 64 years) |
| Politics | Free Democratic Party |
Samuel David Nathaniel Aaron Mendelssohn (May 17, 1942 Jerusalem–September 16, 2006), known as Samuel David Mendelssohn, was a German political scientist, author and independent politician for the Free Democrats.
Biography
Mendelssohn was born as the only son of Amschel and his wife Elvira in Jerusalem. In 1943 the Mendelssohns’ emigrated to Liechtenstein and in 1945 to Munich, Germany. There Mendelssohn joined the University and earned a doctorate in 1965 in Political Science as Dr. disc. pol..
From 1966 to 1971, Mendelssohn was married to Barbara Modersohn-Becker; he became a widower when Barbara died in childbirth with the birth of their last child, Ariane. They have five children: Maximilian (born 1967), Sebastian (born 1968), Rahel (born 1970), Daniel (born 1971) and Ariane (born 1971). In 1982 he married Marianne Weber and they had two daughters: Marina (born 1984) and Christiane (born 1985). Marianne also died in childbirth in 1997.
Mendelssohn lived in Ludwigshafen (1966–1975) and in Landau (since 1975).
Political science
Mendelssohn wrote many essays about the political situation in Germany between 1964 and 1985 and also to the German reunification in 1990.
Today Mendelssohn is known as one of the most notable political scientists in Europe in the post-war time.
Politics
Mendelssohn was also politically active: He was a member of the city council of Ludwigshafen and from 1975 till 1977 he was Government Commissioner for Education and Youth for the district of Rheinhessen-Pfalz (Regierungskommissar für Bildung und Jugend für den Regierungsbezirk Rheinhessen-Pfalz) of Rhineland-Palatinate. He held this office for a second and a third time in 1983 and 1985.
Official Mendelssohn joined no party, but he sympathised with the FDP.
Didactics
Since 1968 Mendelssohn had been a teacher on a Realschule in Landau. He gave lessons in politics, English and German. Since 1973 he was also the principal of this school. He reformed the didactics in politics in school.
In 1999 Mendelssohn held his last lesson as teacher.
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by — |
Government Commissioner for Education and Youth for the district of Rheinhessen-Pfalz 1975–1977 |
Succeeded by Werner Böhm |
| Preceded by Werner Böhm |
Government Commissioner for Education and Youth for the district of Rheinhessen-Pfalz (acting) 1983 |
Succeeded by Waltraud Rheinhardt |
| Preceded by Waltraud Rheinhardt |
Government Commissioner for Education and Youth for the district of Rheinhessen-Pfalz (acting) 1985 |
Succeeded by Victor von Stutenbreck |