Ursula Kraus

Ursula Kraus (2 August 1930 – 2 August 2021) was a German politician. She was a member of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Between 1984 until 1996, Kraus was Mayor of Wuppertal.

Career Born in Neunkirchen, Saarland, she left a gymnasium with the Mittlere Reife in 1949, and completed a commercial apprenticeship in 1951. She worked as industrial clerk (Industriekauffrau) until 1980, last as head of the internal sales group of a print shop.

Kraus was a member of the Printing and Paper Union from 1949, and also of the Arbeiterwohlfahrt. She joined the Social Democratic Party in 1956, working on the boards first of the local group, then from 1972 of an association concerned with labour (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Arbeitnehmerfragen) in the district from 1972. She was on the board of the district (Bezirksvorstand) from 1975 to 1984, and on the state-wide board (Landesvorstand) from 1979.

Awards On 4 June 1993, Kraus received the Order of Merit of North Rhine-Westphalia for her services to Wuppertal and her social activities. In 2002, she was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. She was an honorary citizen of Wuppertal.