Rita Süssmuth

Rita Süssmuth
Süssmuth in 2014
President of the Bundestag West Germany until 1990
In office 25 November 1988 – 26 October 1998
Preceded by	Philipp Jenninger
Succeeded by	Wolfgang Thierse
Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth
In office 26 September 1985 – 25 November 1988
Chancellor	Helmut Kohl
Preceded by	Heiner Geißler
Succeeded by	Ursula Lehr
Personal details
Born	(1937-02-17)17 February 1937 Wuppertal, Gau Düsseldorf, Germany
Died	1 February 2026(2026-02-01) (aged 88) Neuss, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Political party	CDU
Alma mater	University of Münster

Rita Süssmuth (German pronunciation: [ˈʁiːta ˈzʏsmuːt]; (née Kickuth; 17 February 1937 – 1 February 2026) was a German politician and a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU).

In June 2024, Süssmuth was diagnosed with breast cancer. She died on 1 February 2026 in Neuss, Germany at the age of 88.

Sources

• Feldkamp, Michael F., ed. (2007). Der Bundestagspräsident : Amt, Funktion, Personen. 16. Wahlperiode (in German). Munich: Olzog. ISBN 978-3-7892-8201-0.

Other websites

• Media related to Rita Süssmuth at Wikimedia Commons
• Official biography at Bundestag.de (German, from 2002)
• Interview "Education is a human right" by ERSTE Stiftung (2011)
• Süssmuth Appearances on C-SPAN

References

Political offices
Preceded by Heiner Geißler	Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth 1985–1988	Succeeded by Ursula Lehr