Thomas Kutschaty

Thomas Kutschaty (born 12 June 1968) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who served as the leader of the SPD in North Rhine-Westphalia from 2021 to 2023.[1]

Thomas Kutschaty
Kutschaty in 2022
Leader of the Social Democratic Party in North Rhine-Westphalia
Assumed office
6 March 2021
DeputyMarc Herter
Elvan Korkmaz
Veith Lemmen
Sören Link
Dörte Schall
Preceded bySebastian Hartmann
Leader of the Social Democratic Party in the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia
Assumed office
27 April 2018
Chief WhipSarah Philipp
Preceded byNorbert Römer
Minister of Justice of North Rhine-Westphalia
In office
15 July 2010 – 27 June 2017
Minister PresidentHannelore Kraft
Preceded byRoswitha Müller-Piepenkötter
Succeeded byPeter Biesenbach
Member of the
Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia
for Essen I – Mülheim II
Assumed office
8 June 2005
Preceded byConstituency created
Personal details
Born
Thomas Kutschaty

(1968-06-12) 12 June 1968
Essen, West Germany
(now Germany)
Political partySocial Democratic Party
Alma materRuhr University Bochum

Kutschaty has been a member of the State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia since 2005 and the parliamentary leader of the SPD since 2018. Prior to this, Kutschaty served as the State Minister for Justice of North Rhine-Westphalia from 2010 till 2017.

Early life, education and family

Kutschaty was born in Essen, West Germany in June 1968. His family was railway workers' family, with Kutschaty being the first to complete his Abitur.[2] Kutschaty studied law at the Ruhr University Bochum, passing his first state exam in 1995 and his second in 1997. Kutschaty was active as a lawyer between 1997 and 2010.

Kutschaty is married and has three children.[3]

Political career

Career in local politics

Kutschaty has been a member of the SPD since 1986. Between 1987 and 1989, he served as the Spokesperson of the Young Socialists in Essen-Borbeck, and between 1998 and 1990, he was member of the executive of the Young Socialists in Essen. Additionally Kutschaty has been a member of the executive of the SPD Essen-Borbeck, and served as its leader since 1994. In 1999, he was elected to the Essen city council, where he served in the committee on urban development and city planning until 2004.

Career in state politics

Kutschaty was elected to the State Parliament of North Rhine-Westfalia in the 2005 elections. In parliament, he was a member of the internal affairs committee as well as the justice committee and the parliamentary oversight committee. He also served as the deputy chair of the committee investigating the prison JVA Siegburg.

After Hannelore Kraft (SPD) formed a minority government following the 2010 state election, she appointed Kutschaty as justice minister, an office which was reappointed to after the 2012 state election. He left government after the Hannelore Kraft and the SPD lost the 2017 state election against Armin Laschet and the Christian Democrats. Kutschaty was succeeded as justice minister by Peter Biesenbach (CDU).

Kutschaty was nominated by his party as delegate to the Federal Convention for the purpose of electing the President of Germany in 2022.[4]

Kutschaty was the lead candidate for the Social Democrats in the 2022 North Rhine-Westfalia state election but lost out against incumbent Minister-President Hendrik Wüst.[5]

Since January 2023, Kutschaty has been serving on an internal SPD commission on tax reform, co-chaired by Saskia Esken and Lars Klingbeil.[6]

Other activities

Corporate boards
  • NRW.BANK, Member of the Supervisory Board[7]
  • Sparkasse Essen, Member of the Supervisory Board (2017–2021)[8]

Non-profit organizations

References
  1. Korfmann, Matthias (6 March 2021). "NRW-SPD wählt Thomas Kutschaty zum neuen Vorsitzenden". www.waz.de (in German). Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  2. Ausführliche biographische Angaben bei Wolfgang Sykorra: Von der Penne in die Welt. Borbecker Porträts. Herausgegeben von Lothar Böning. Edition Rainruhr, Essen 2013, S. 112–114.
  3. "Website von Thomas Kutschaty - Fraktionsvorsitzender im Landtag NRW › Thomas Kutschaty MdL" (in German). Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  4. Drucksache 17/16063: Ergebnis der Wahl der Mitglieder zur 17. Bundesversammlung State Parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia.
  5. "NRW-SPD: Kutschaty wird Spitzenkandidat bei Landtagswahl 2022". www1.wdr.de (in German). 19 January 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
  6. Christian Teevs (8 January 2023), Vorstandsklausur: SPD will Steuersystem umbauen Der Spiegel.
  7. Executive Bodies NRW.BANK.
  8. Thomas Kutschaty State Parliament of North Rhine-Westpahlia.
  9. Thomas Kutschaty State Parliament of North Rhine-Westpahlia.
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