Angelica Schwall-Düren

Angelica Klara Schwall-Düren née Düren (born July 16, 1948, in Offenburg) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD).

From 2002 to 2010, she was deputy chairwoman of the SPD parliamentary group in the Bundestag. On July 15, 2010, she was appointed Minister for Federal Affairs, Europe and Media of North Rhine-Westphalia in the first cabinet of Minister-President Hannelore Kraft. On June 21, 2012, she was also appointed to this position in the second cabinet of Minister-President Hannelore Kraft and held this office until October 1, 2015.

Early life
After graduating from high school in Offenburg in 1967, Angelica Schwall-Düren studied history, political science and French as a teacher in Freiburg im Breisgau, Montpellier and Münster, which she completed in 1973 with the first state examination for teaching at grammar schools. She then worked as a research assistant at the University of Freiburg. In 1977, she completed her doctorate at the University of Freiburg with the thesis "Kinder- und Jugendfürsorge im Großherzogtum Baden in der Epoche der Industrialisierung - Entwicklung und Zielsetzung der staatlichen, kommunalen und verbandlichen Fürsorge 1850-1914" (Child and Youth Welfare in the Grand Duchy of Baden in the Era of Industrialization - Development and Objectives of State, Municipal and Association Welfare 1850–1914). From 1977 to 1994, she worked as a teacher in Ahaus and Gronau. She also trained as a family therapist from 1985 to 1992.

Career
From 1979 to 1994, Angelica Schwall-Düren was a member of the local council in her home town of Metelen.

She was a member of the German Bundestag from 1994 to 2010. From 1998 to 2002, she was Parliamentary Secretary of the SPD parliamentary group. From October 2002 until she joined the North Rhine-Westphalian state government on July 15, 2010, she was deputy leader of the parliamentary group responsible for European Union affairs. As a representative for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, she has been a member of the Deutschlandradio Board of Directors since 2014.