Henning Scherf

Henning Scherf (born 31 October 1938) is a German lawyer and politician of the SPD party who served as President of the Senate and Mayor of Bremen from 4 July 1995 to 8 November 2005.

Henning Scherf
Scherf as Mayor
President of the Senate and Mayor of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen
In office 4 July 1995 – 8 November 2005
Deputy	Ulrich Nölle Hartmut Perschau Peter Gloystein Thomas Röwekamp
Preceded by	Klaus Wedemeier
Succeeded by	Jens Böhrnsen
Vice President of the Senate and Mayor of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen
In office 18 September 1985 – 11 December 1991
President	Klaus Wedemeier
Preceded by	Moritz Thape
Succeeded by	Claus Jäger
Bremen Senator Senator for Justice and the Constitution In office 11 December 1991 – 8 November 2005 President Klaus Wedemeier himself Deputy Michael Göbel Ulrich Mäurer Preceded by Volker Kröning Succeeded by Jens Böhrnsen Senator for Education, Science and Arts In office 6 February 1990 – 4 July 1995 President Klaus Wedemeier Deputy Reinhard Hoffmann Preceded by Horst Werner Franke Succeeded by Bringfriede Kahrs Senator for Health Interim In office 31 January 1987 – 26 January 1988 President Klaus Wedemeier Deputy Friedrich Hennemann Preceded by Herbert Brückner Succeeded by Vera Rüdiger Senator for Youth and Social Affairs In office 7 November 1979 – 6 February 1990 President Hans Koschnick Klaus Wedemeier Deputy Hans-Christoph Hoppensack Preceded by Walter Franke Succeeded by Sabine Uhl Senator for Finance In office 27 September 1978 – 7 November 1979 President Hans Koschnick Deputy Günter Stahl Preceded by Hans Stefan Seifriz (interim) Succeeded by Moritz Thape
Personal details
Born	(1938-10-31) 31 October 1938 Bremen, Free Hanseatic City of Bremen, Nazi Germany (now Germany)
Political party	Social Democratic Party (1963–)
Spouse	Luise Scherf
Children	3
Alma mater	University of Freiburg Free University of Berlin
Occupation	Politician Lawyer Actor

Education

Scherf was born in Bremen. After studying law and social sciences from 1958 until 1962 in Berlin, Hamburg and Freiburg he worked for a Protestant students association (Evangelisches Studentenwerk) until 1964. In 1968 he received his law doctorate from University of Hamburg.

Political career

Scherf has been a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany since 1963.

Scherf went into politics after practicing as a lawyer in Bremen, and was elected to the Bremer Bürgerschaft (parliament) in 1971. From 1978 until 2005 he was a member of Bremen Senate (government) in various functions, including Senator for Finances, Senator for Youth and Social Issues, Senator for Health and Sport, Mayor, Senator for Education and Sciences and Senator of Law and Constitution. In 1995 Scherf was elected President of the Senate and Mayor of Bremen.

Scherf accepts an Indiana flag from members of the town council of Bremen, Indiana – 1986

He was also the head of the "Vermittlungsausschuss" (negotiations-committee) which resolves conflicts concerning legislation between "Bundesrat" and "Bundestag", the two houses of the German parliament at the federal level.

Scherf has been re-elected twice due to his popularity in Bremen. He is well known for his warm and friendly character despite his looks (he is 2 m tall). His diplomatic skills, especially in forging compromises and running negotiations, are considered legendary, not only by members of his own party.

For some time Scherf was urged by the people to run for the German Presidency (Bundespräsident) which he declined because of family reasons.

Other activities

• Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Member of the Board of Trustees
• Gustav Heinemann Civic Award of the SPD, Chairman of the Board of Trustees

Personal life

Henning Scherf married his wife Luise in 1960. The couple has three children and nine grandchildren.

He is well known for going to work by bicycle and refusing to accept a car and a driver provided by the city. He also has the habit of only drinking warm water with his meals.