Ursula von der Leyen's Family and Background
Early Life
Ursula von der Leyen was born Ursula Albrecht on October 8, 1958, in Ixelles, Brussels, Belgium. She lived there until she was 13 years old. She is the daughter of Ernst Albrecht, a senior civil servant in the European Commission, and Heidi Adele, a lawyer.
Family Background
Albrecht Family
The Albrecht family is a prominent German family of civil servants and politicians. Ursula von der Leyen's paternal grandfather, Ernst Albrecht Sr., was a high-ranking official in the Nazi regime. Her paternal uncle, Ernst Albrecht Jr., was the Minister-President of Lower Saxony from 1976 to 1990.
Von der Leyen Family
Von der Leyen married Heiko von der Leyen, a doctor, in 1986. They have seven children. The von der Leyen family is also prominent in German politics. Heiko von der Leyen's father, Julius Lothar von der Leyen, was a high-ranking official in the German Foreign Ministry.
Political Career
Ursula von der Leyen entered politics in 1990, when she was elected to the Lower Saxony state parliament. She served as Minister of Social Affairs, Women, Family, and Health from 1994 to 2003. In 2003, she was appointed Federal Minister of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women, and Youth by Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. She held this position until 2005.
In 2005, von der Leyen was appointed Federal Minister of Labor and Social Affairs by Chancellor Angela Merkel. She held this position until 2009. In 2009, she was appointed Federal Minister of Defense, the first woman to hold this position.
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