Weber, Helene

(1881-1962)

   politician; member of the Center Party's* Reichstag* faction and a leader in the Catholic* women s* movement. Born in Elberfeld (now in Wuppertal), she trained as a teacher and then taught at a Volksschule until 1905. In 1909, after further education, she became mistress (StudienraÜtin) of a secondary school. During the war she helped found the Social Women s School of the Catholic Women s Alliance (Katholische Frauenbund) and became its deputy chairman in 1917 when it relocated from Cologne to Aachen.

   Weber expanded her purview in 1919, assuming a position with the Prussian Welfare Ministry in Berlin.* While still active in the Catholic Women s Alli-ance, she entered the National Assembly,* served in the Prussian Landtag during 1921-1924, and sat in the Reichstag during 1924-1933. An advocate for social issues, especially those relating to the education of women, she was chairman of her Party s women s advisory board.

   Shaken by the depression,* Weber opposed Doppelverdiener (two careers in one household) and drew up a motion in 1931 demanding the dismissal of married women from government employment as a contribution toward solving unemployment. In 1932 she gave outspoken support to a similar measure sub-mitted by Heinrich Brüning.* She was among a minority of her Party's faction to oppose Hitler s* Enabling Act* in March 1933. Leaving the Reichstag in November 1933, she continued her welfare work and was loosely engaged in resistance activities. After World War II she returned to politics with the Chris-tian Democratic Union.

   REFERENCES:Benz and Graml, Biographisches Lexikon; Ellen Evans, German Center Party; Pregardier, Helene Weber; Schumacher, M.d.R.