Dagmar Schipanski

Dagmar Elisabeth Schipanski (; 3 September 1943 – 7 September 2022) was a German physicist, academic, and politician from Thuringia. Although best known for her 1999 nomination as President of Germany by the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its sister party, the Christian Social Union of Bavaria (CSU), Schipanski held a variety of political and academic roles during her four-decade-long career and was awarded numerous honors, most notably the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1996. Her mother was a teacher, and her father was a pastor, who died in World War II. After graduating from high school in 1962, she became a student of applied physics at the Technical University of Magdeburg.

Political career Despite not being a member of either party, Schipanski was nominated by the CDU and the CSU to be their candidate in the 1999 Presidential election. Schipanski lost the election to the former minister-president of North Rhine-Westphalia, Johannes Rau, a member of the Social Democratic Party, receiving 572 votes to Rau's 690 on the second ballot.

After her defeat, Schipanski remained active in politics and was appointed Minister of Science, Research, and the Arts in the cabinet of the minister-president of Thuringa, Bernhard Vogel, later that year. until 2021.

Schipanski died on 7 September 2022 at the age of 79, after a short, serious illness.

Memberships Since 1998, Schipanski has been a member of the board of directors of the MDR. From 2001 to 2007, she served as a member of the UNESCO World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology. She temporarily served as a member of the board of trustees of the Körber Foundation before leaving her post due to pressure from anti-tobacco activists. Since 2008, Schipanski has served as a member of the board of trustees of the International Martin Luther Foundation.