Walter Behrendt

{{infobox officeholder

| name = Walter Behrendt

| honorific-prefix = MdB

| honorific-suffix = MEP

| image = 250x280px

| caption = Behrendt in 1972

| office = Member of the Bundestag

| term_start = 1957

| term_end = 1976

| constituency = Dortmund III

| office1 = Vice-President of the European Parliament

| term_start1 = 1969

| term_end1 = 1971

| term_start2 = 1973

| term_end2 = 1977

| office3 = President of the European Parliament

| order3 = 9th

| term_start3 = 16 March 1971

| term_end3 = 1973

| predecessor3 = Mario Scelba

| successor3 = Cornelis Berkhouwer

| birth_date = {{birth date|1914|9|18}}

| birth_place = Dortmund, German Empire

| death_date = {{death date and age|1997|07|23|1914|9|18}}

| death_place = Dortmund, West Germany

| party = SPD (1932-1997)

}}

Walter Behrendt ({{IPA|de|ˈvaltɐ ˈbeːʁɛnt}}; 18 September 1914{{cite book |title=Amtliches Handbuch des Deutschen Bundestages |date=1970 |publisher=Neue Darmstädter Verlagsanstalt |page=38 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Amtliches_Handbuch_des_Deutschen_Bundest/0pMMAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Walter+Behrendt+%2218+september+1914%22&dq=Walter+Behrendt+%2218+september+1914%22&printsec=frontcover |access-date=20 December 2024 |language=de}} – 23 July 1997{{cite book |last1=Brusis |first1=Ilse |title="Wir haben etwas bewegt": der Seniorenrat der Sozialdemokratischen Partei Deutschlands : 110 Lebensläufe von Sozialdemokratinnen und Sozialdemokraten |date=2008 |publisher=Vorwärts Buch |isbn=978-3-86602-083-2 |page=28 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Wir_haben_etwas_bewegt/dyMWAQAAIAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Walter+Behrendt+%2223+juli+1997%22&dq=Walter+Behrendt+%2223+juli+1997%22&printsec=frontcover |access-date=20 December 2024 |language=de}}) was a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and president of the European Parliament (1971–1973).{{cite web |title=Former European Parliament Presidents |url=https://www.europarl.europa.eu/former_ep_presidents/president-schulz-2014-2016/en/president/former_european_parliament_presidents.html |website=European Parliament |access-date=20 December 2024 |language=en}}

Career

Behrendt was trained as a merchant and accountant.{{cite web |title=Walter Behrendt - Munzinger Biographie |url=https://www.munzinger.de/register/portrait/biographien/Walter%20Behrendt/00/12945 |website=www.munzinger.de |access-date=20 December 2024}} He took part in World War II and afterwards worked as clerk in an industrial firm. In 1954 he became a contributor to the company journal of Hoesch-Westfalenhütte AG in Dortmund.{{cite book |last1=Vierhaus |first1=Rudolf |title=Biographisches Handbuch der Mitglieder des Deutschen Bundestages 1949-2002 |date=15 June 2011 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=978-3-11-096905-4 |page=52 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Biographisches_Handbuch_der_Mitglieder_d/rt6SIMzeOFYC?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Walter+Behrendt+%221954%22+Westfalenh%C3%BCtte&pg=PA52&printsec=frontcover |access-date=20 December 2024 |language=de}} Behrendt joined SPD in 1932 being a member of the Socialist Working Youth (Sozialistische Arbeiterjugend). From 1945 to 1947 he was chairman of the regional Socialist Youth for Dortmund, Lünen and Castrop-Rauxel. He was chairman of the SPD branch in Dortmund-Altenderne in 1951/52 and in Dortmund from 1952 to 1955.

From 1952 until his death, Behrendt was a municipal councillor in Dortmund. In 1957 he was elected member of the Bundestag (electoral constituency: Dortmund III) and remained in office until 1976.{{cite book |title=Die CDU/CSU-Fraktion im Deutschen Bundestag: Sitzungsprotokolle |date=2004 |publisher=Droste |isbn=978-3-7700-5253-0 |page=2339 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Die_CDU_CSU_Fraktion_im_Deutschen_Bundes/TtyIAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Walter+Behrendt+%221976%22+bundestag&dq=Walter+Behrendt+%221976%22+bundestag&printsec=frontcover |access-date=20 December 2024 |language=de}} Between 1961 and 1967 he was assistant chairman of the Labour Committee. Additionally, Behrendt was a member of the European Parliament from 1967 to 1977 where he served as vice-president (1969–71, 1973–77) and president (1971–73). He was one of the signers of the Humanist Manifesto in 1973.{{cite web | url=http://www.americanhumanist.org/Humanism/Humanist_Manifesto_II | title=Humanist Manifesto II | publisher=American Humanist Association | access-date=November 24, 2012 | archive-date=October 20, 2012 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020110719/http://www.americanhumanist.org/humanism/Humanist_Manifesto_II | url-status=dead }}

Behrendt was also a member of the supervisory board of Dortmunder Stadtwerke AG and Dortmunder Hafen und Eisenbahn AG.

References

Category:1914 births

Category:1997 deaths

Category:Politicians from Dortmund

Category:Presidents of the European Parliament

Category:Social Democratic Party of Germany MEPs

Category:MEPs for Germany 1958–1979

Category:Knights Commander of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

Category:Members of the Bundestag for North Rhine-Westphalia

Category:Members of the Bundestag for the Social Democratic Party of Germany