Background
Schäfer-Gümbel was born to a West German soldier stationed in the far south of Bavaria in Oberstdorf. However, he grew up in Hesse in the city of Gießen.
politician Member of the Hessian Parliament
Schäfer-Gümbel was born to a West German soldier stationed in the far south of Bavaria in Oberstdorf. However, he grew up in Hesse in the city of Gießen.
He briefly studied Agrarian Science at Justus-Liebig-University Gießen, after which he changed to Political Science. Supported by a scholarship of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation, he graduated with a Master"s degree in 1997, he took various minor political positions.
He is currently the leader of the opposition Social Democratic Party of Germany party bloc in the Hessian state parliament. He lost his bid for the office of minister-president of Hesse in the January 2009 Hessian state election, where he had challenged incumbent Roland Koch (Christian Democratic Union). Schäfer-Gümbel has been deputy leader of the Social Democratic Party of Germany since December 2013.
Schäfer-Gümbel was involved with the Social and Youth department of Gießen from the late 1990s.
He became a local adviser to the Social Democratic Party of Germany, a party which he had joined at the age of 17, and was also a local delegate of the Social Democratic Party of Germany in the local government (Kreistag) in Gießen. He quickly moved up the ranks in the Hessian Social Democratic Party of Germany party machine, and was a candidate on the Social Democratic Party of Germany party list during the 2003 Landtag election.
He was re-elected in the 2008 Landtag election and in the 2009 special election. However he was elected as part of the party list and not on a direct mandate, as he lost his local race to the Christian Democratic Union candidate.
Due to the poor faring by the Social Democratic Party of Germany in the 2009 special election, he lost position to the Christian Democratic Union"s Roland Koch.
He has been party leader of the opposition Social Democratic Party of Germany since January 29, 2009. Schäfer-Gümbel was a delegate to the Federal Convention for the purpose of electing the President of Germany in 2009, 2010 and 2012. Schäfer-Gümbel has openly supported the trotskyist Hands Office Venezuela campaign, and has spoken highly of former Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez.
Ver.di, Member.
In late 2008, following the Hessian political crisis and Andrea Ypsilanti"s resignation, Schäfer-Gümbel became the Social Democratic Party of Germany"s party leader in Hesse and the Social Democratic Party of Germany candidate for minister-president of Hesse.
He gained a seat in 2003, and has been a member of the Hessian Landtag ever since. Skyliners Frankfurt, Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2015)
SV SparkassenVersicherung, Member of the Advisory Board (since 2015)
Rheingau Musik Festival, Member of the Board of Trustees (since 2012)
Neue Gesellschaft/Frankfurter Hefte, Member of the Advisory Board (since 2011)
Helaba, Member of the Supervisory Board (since 2009)
Hessischer Rundfunk, Member of the Broadcasting Council
Avicenna Award, Member of the Advisory Board (2006-2009).
