Rudolf Dreßler
- January 8, 2025
- 84 years
Remembering Rudolf Dreßler: related finds and keepsakes
About Rudolf Dreßler
Rudolf Dreßler, 84, German politician and diplomat, MP (1980–2000).
Explore other notable deaths in 2025 or deaths in January 2025.
The Deaths Archive presents
How well do you know Rudolf Dreßler?
Explore their life. Test your knowledge. Beat the challenge.
10 questions · One legacy · How much do you really know?
Challenge your friends
Play together in real-time.
Full Biography
|Rudolf Dreßler (17 November 1940 – 8 January 2025) was a German politician and diplomat.
Early life and career
Born in 1940, the son of a German who resisted Adolf Hitler, Dreßler grew up in Sprockhövel and went to school in Wuppertal. He was an apprentice at a printer company and worked then for different newspapers. From 1969 to 1981 he was a member of the work council of the newspaper Westdeutsche Zeitung (WAZ). From 1974 to 1983, he was a member of the Printing and Paper Union.
Political career
Since 1969 Dreßler was a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).
From 1980 to 2000, Dreßler was a member of German Bundestag, representing the Wuppertal I district.[citation needed] In 1982, he briefly served as Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, in this capacity assisting minister Heinz Westphal. From 1987 to 2002, he served as deputy chair of the SPD parliamentary group, under the leadership of successive chairmen Hans-Jochen Vogel, Hans-Ulrich Klose, Rudolf Scharping and Peter Struck.
From 2000 to 2005, Dreßler served as German ambassador in Israel. During this time, he coined the phrase that "Israel's security is part of German raison d'état." He wrote these words in a 2005 article for the Federal Agency for Civic Education. Later, then-Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) reiterated this principle in a speech to the Kneset.
In February 2023, Dreßler was one of the first signatories of a petition initiated by Sahra Wagenknecht and Alice Schwarzer calling for an end to military support for Ukraine in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Personal life
Dreßler married three times and had two children.
On 11 November 1997, he had a car accident near Bonn.
Dreßler died on 8 January 2025, at the age of 84.
Awards
- 1988: Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Content from Wikipedia — licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
Interactive
Test Your Knowledge – Trivia Challenge
How well do you know this person's life and legacy?
No account needed to play. Sign in to keep your score on the leaderboard.
Articles & News
Reported coverage of Rudolf Dreßler; each link opens the original article on the publisher's own site.
Books & Media
Find books, audiobooks and films about Rudolf Dreßler on Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates.
Sources
- Wikipedia
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudolf_Dre%C3%9Fler
- CC BY-SA 4.0
- Sep 26, 2026
- View article
- Sep 26, 2026
Trivia & Knowledge· 7 questions
Questions drawn from Rudolf Dreßler's archived record and the sources above.
1.On which day of the month did Rudolf Dreßler die?
- A.7
- B.8correct
- C.9
- D.10
Rudolf Dreßler died on day 8 of the month.
Source: Archive record: date of death: "record: year of death 2025. Archive record: year of birth 1940. Archive record: age at death 84. Archive record: occupation politician and diplomat. Archive r
2.In which field was Rudolf Dreßler known?
- A.novelist
- B.politician and diplomatcorrect
- C.architect
- D.chemist
The biography describes Rudolf Dreßler as a politician and diplomat.
Source: Profile: occupation: "n Parteitag muss den Richtungskampf beenden – interview i Freitag Nr. 25/2008 Archive record: year of death 2025. Archive record: year of birth 1940. Archive record: ag
3.What nationality was Rudolf Dreßler?
- A.American
- B.Australian
- C.Argentine
- D.Germancorrect
Rudolf Dreßler is recorded as German.
Source: Profile: nationality: "view i Freitag Nr. 25/2008 Archive record: year of death 2025. Archive record: year of birth 1940. Archive record: age at death 84. Archive record: occupation politici
4.In which year did Rudolf Dreßler die?
- A.2018
- B.2012
- C.2016
- D.2025correct
Rudolf Dreßler died in 2025.
Source: Profile: year of death: "ar of death 2025. Archive record: year of birth 1940. Archive record: age at death 84. Archive record: occupation politician and diplomat. Archive record: nationalit
5.How old was Rudolf Dreßler when they died?
- A.76
- B.73
- C.79
- D.84correct
Rudolf Dreßler was 84 years old at the time of death.
Source: Profile: age at death: "National Library catalogue Ein Parteitag muss den Richtungskampf beenden – interview i Freitag Nr. 25/2008 Archive record: year of death 2025. Archive record: year of
6.In which year was Rudolf Dreßler born?
- A.1934
- B.1928
- C.1940correct
- D.1931
Rudolf Dreßler was born in 1940.
Source: Profile: year of birth: "out Rudolf Dreßler in the German National Library catalogue Ein Parteitag muss den Richtungskampf beenden – interview i Freitag Nr. 25/2008 Archive record: year of d
7.In which month did Rudolf Dreßler die?
- A.March
- B.February
- C.Januarycorrect
- D.April
Rudolf Dreßler died in January.
Source: Archive record: date of death: "cord: year of death 2025. Archive record: year of birth 1940. Archive record: age at death 84. Archive record: occupation politician and diplomat. Archive rec
Explore the archive
People who died on January 8
Spotted an error?
Help us keep the archive accurate. Report a correction with a source.
Report an error for Rudolf Dreßler →

