Thomas Oppermann (born 27 April 1954 in Freckenhorst) is a German politician with the Social Democratic Party (SPD). From 1998-2003, he was the Minister for Science and Culture in the German state of Lower Saxony. He has been the speaker of the SPD faction in the Bundestag since November 2007.
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Oppermann received his abitur diploma from the Goetheschule in Einbeck. Afterwards, he studied Germanics and English studies at Eberhard Karls University in Tübingen. From 1976 to 1978, he worked at Action Reconciliation Service for Peace (ARSP) in the United States. After his return to Germany, he went to law school at Georg August University in Göttingen, finishing in 1986. From then until 1990, he was an administrative court judge in Hannover and later in Braunschweig. From 1988 to 1989, he was the judge at the administrative court in the city of Hann. Münden. Oppermann has three daughters and one son.[1]
Oppermann has been a member of the (SPD) since 1980 and president of the regional SPD in Göttingen since 1989.[1]
Oppermann was a member of the Lower Saxon Landtag from 1990-2005.[2] He was speaker for political law there from 1990-1998. From 2003 to 2005, he was the economic speaker of the state SPD faction. From 2001-2005, he was also a member of the county council in Göttingen. Since 2005, he has been a member of the Bundestag (German parliament). From March 2006 to November 2007, he was speaker of the working group and leader of the SPD delegation on the committee to investigate the secret service (Geheimdienst-Untersuchungsausschuss). He currently serves on the board of trustees of the Hertie School of Governance.[1]