View source for Kurt Gscheidle

{{Short description|German politician (1924–2003)}}
{{refimprove|date=September 2023}}
{{expand German|topic=bio|date=September 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name = Kurt Gscheidle
| image = Kurt Gscheidle.jpeg
| birth_date = {{birth date|1924|12|16|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Stuttgart]], Germany
| death_date = {{death date and age|2003|2|22|1924|12|16|df=y}} 
| death_place = [[Saarbrücken]], Germany
| office = Minister of Transport 
| term_start = 16 May 1974 
| term_end = 1980 
| predecessor = [[Lauritz Lauritzen]] 
| successor = [[Volker Hauff]] 
| office2 = [[Federal Ministry of Post and Telecommunications|Federal Minister of Post and Telecommunications]]
| term_start2 = 16 May 1974 
| term_end2 = 28 April 1982 
| predecessor2 = [[Horst Ehmke]] 
| successor2 = [[Hans Matthöfer]] 
| party = [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]]
| occupation = Engineer
}}

'''Kurt Gscheidle''' (16 December 1924 – 22 February 2003) was a German politician affiliated to the [[Social Democratic Party of Germany|Social Democratic Party]] (SPD).

Gscheidle trained as a mechanic with the [[Reichspost|Deutsche Reichspost]] until 1942, when he was called up by the [[Wehrmacht]]. In 1948 he returned from war captivity, began studies at the {{ill|Dortmund Social Academy|de|Sozialakademie Dortmund}} and graduated as an engineer. In 1953 Gscheidle became an official of the [[Deutsche Bundespost]] labor union and was elected vice-chairman in 1957. He had joined the SPD in 1956, from 1961 until 1969 and again from 1976 to 1980 he was a member of the [[Bundestag]].

In 1969 Gscheidle was a nominee for Chairman of the [[German Confederation of Trade Unions]] (DGB) but had to step down in favour of [[Heinz Oskar Vetter]]. He then served as a secretary of state at the [[Federal Ministry of Post and Telecommunications]] and from 1974 as [[Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport|Federal Minister of Transport]] (until 1980) and [[Federal Ministry of Post and Telecommunications|Federal Minister of Post and Telecommunications]] (until 1982) under [[Helmut Schmidt]] in the latter's three terms as [[Chancellor of Germany (Federal Republic of Germany)|Federal Chancellor]].

==Gscheidle stamp==
Gscheidle is known among [[philately|philatelists]] for a stamp designed on the occasion of the [[1980 Summer Olympics]] in [[Moscow]]. As [[West Germany]] participated in the [[1980 Summer Olympics boycott|Olympics boycott]] the stamp was never issued, however Gscheidle, then Minister of Post had received some proofs which he kept after his incumbency. From 1982 to 1983 his wife erroneously used about 24 of these stamps for her private correspondence, which today realize peak prices at auctions. In October 2010, one of the Gscheidle stamps was sold for 26,000 euros in Düsseldorf, Germany.<ref>[http://www.felzmann.de/en/buy/125th-auction/gscheidle-stamp_auctioneers-felzmann-.html Auctioneers Felzmann] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101030043841/http://www.felzmann.de/en/buy/125th-auction/gscheidle-stamp_auctioneers-felzmann-.html |date=30 October 2010 }} Top [[hammer price]] for the Gscheidle stamp</ref>

==References== 
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20070310184020/http://www.havelshouseofhistory.com/Autographs%20of%20German%20Political%20Leaders%20GR-GZ.htm Photo and signature]}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20101031155748/http://bundesdruckerei.de/pics/presse/fotoarchiv/postwert_downloads/gscheid.jpg Gscheidle stamp photo]

{{Navboxes
|title=Kurt Gscheidle navigation boxes
|list =
{{Cabinet Schmidt I}}
{{Cabinet Schmidt II}}
{{Cabinet Schmidt III}}
{{GermanTransportMinisters}}
{{Members of the 4th Bundestag}}
{{Members of the 5th Bundestag}}
{{Members of the 6th Bundestag}}
{{Members of the 8th Bundestag}}
}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gscheidle, Kurt}}
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:Politicians from Stuttgart]]
[[Category:Transport ministers of Germany]]
[[Category:Members of the Bundestag for Hesse]]
[[Category:Members of the Bundestag for North Rhine-Westphalia]]
[[Category:Members of the Bundestag 1976–1980]]
[[Category:Members of the Bundestag 1969–1972]]
[[Category:Members of the Bundestag 1965–1969]]
[[Category:Members of the Bundestag 1961–1965]]
[[Category:Technical University of Dortmund alumni]]
[[Category:Grand Crosses with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany]]
[[Category:Members of the Bundestag for the Social Democratic Party of Germany]]