Biography
After finishing high school, Rüttgers pursued studies in history and law. He successfully completed the state law exams in 1975 and 1978 and earned his doctorate in law in 1979. His political engagement began at 19 when he joined the CDU in 1970, later serving on the Pulheim city council from 1975 to 1980. Professionally, he started in 1978 as a spokesperson for the Association of Cities and Municipalities of North Rhine-Westphalia, remaining until 1980. That same year, he became state chairman of the Junge Union Rheinland, a role he held until 1986. In 1981, he joined the state executive committee of the CDU Rhineland, later CDU North Rhine-Westphalia. By 1985, he chaired the CDU district association in Erftkreis. From 1980 to 1987, he also served as first deputy for urban development, finance, and environmental protection in Pulheim.
In 1987, Rüttgers was elected to the Bundestag representing the CDU, serving until 2000. He gained recognition as chair of the Enquête Commission on Technology Assessment and Evaluation and as Parliamentary Managing Director. In 1993, he became deputy state chairman of the CDU in North Rhine-Westphalia alongside Norbert Blüm. During Chancellor Helmut Kohl’s final term in 1994, he was appointed Federal Minister for Education, Science, Research, and Technology. As minister, he oversaw student loan reforms, although his attempt to reform the university framework law was blocked by state opposition. He also introduced the Information and Telecommunications Services Act (IuKDG), which sparked controversy. Following the CDU’s loss in the 1998 federal election, Rüttgers resigned from his ministerial post. With Norbert Blüm stepping down as CDU state chairman, Rüttgers was elected to that position in 1999.
From 1998 to 2000, he served as deputy chairman of the CDU/CSU parliamentary group in the Bundestag and became federal CDU chairman in 2000. That year, as the CDU’s lead candidate, he was defeated by Social Democrat incumbent Peer Steinbrück in the North Rhine-Westphalia state election. His campaign slogan, "Children instead of Indians," which criticized the red-green federal government’s support for immigrant IT specialists while neglecting domestic education, sparked nationwide debate. After winning a seat in the Düsseldorf state parliament in 2000, he resigned from the Bundestag and led the CDU parliamentary group in North Rhine-Westphalia until 2005. In the May 22, 2005 state elections, Rüttgers secured a decisive victory, ending 39 years of SPD rule in Germany’s most populous state. As the incoming Prime Minister, he announced a coalition with the FDP. The SPD-led federal government, headed by Gerhard Schröder, responded to the electoral setback by calling early elections for autumn 2005.
In 2009, Rüttgers successfully advocated for the Opel workforce, preventing the closure of the Bochum plant. He again ran as the CDU’s lead candidate in the 2010 North Rhine-Westphalia state elections. On July 14, 2010, he was succeeded as Prime Minister by Hannelore Kraft (SPD). On June 24, 2010, Rüttgers announced his retirement from all political roles.
Since 2010, he has worked as a lawyer and author of political science texts and books. In 2014, the University of Bonn awarded him an honorary professorship, where he teaches at the Institute for Political Science and Sociology.
Rüttgers is married to Angelika, a kindergarten teacher, and they have three children.
