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Biography
Heiner Geißler (born March 3, 1930) is a German politician with the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party.
Geißler studied law and philosophy in Munich and Tübingen, where he graduated in 1960.
Geißler was German minister for youth, family, and health from 1982 to 1985 (so far the only male head of the ministry) and also general secretary of the CDU from 1977 to 1989. From being a conservative right-winger until the early 1990s, Geißler became increasingly leftist in his views as far as social policy and globalization are concerned. In 2007, he announced he had become a member of the attac network. This happened weeks before the 2007 G8 summit, which Germany, holding the 2007 G8 presidency, was hosting. Geißler himself said that his joining of attac had to be seen in the context of the upcoming G8 summit.
Geißler is married and has three children. Since 1980, he lives in Gleisweiler.