Ruth Wagner

Ruth Wagner (18 October 1940 – 28 December 2025) was a German politician for the Free Democratic Party (FDP). She was a member of the Landtag of Hesse from 1978 to 1999, serving as vice president of the state parliament twice. She was Hessian minister of culture from 1999 to 2003, promoting education, especially independent universities, and the arts. She also worked as city counselor of Darmstadt and on the board of the federal FDP. Wagner held leading positions in several cultural institutions, a co-founder of the Rheingau Musik Festival, president of art associations and a commission for the history of the Jews in Hesse. She was nicknamed Mother Courage of Hesse.