Margot Faust, née Schäfer

Born: January 9, 1917 in Frankfurt am Main
died: December 9, 2001 in Wiesbaden

Margot Faust lost her father at an early age as a result of an accident. The guardian appointed as a result took her out of grammar school after her secondary school leaving certificate and made her attend a girls' agricultural school, which determined the course of her life. After training as an agricultural teacher, she worked for three years at various agricultural schools. In 1943, she married the farmer and owner of the Wiesbaden copper mill, Reinhard Faust, with whom she had three children. The family later lived on the Adamstal estate (Adamstaler Hof). After the war, she was particularly committed to the interests of Hessian countrywomen and was one of the founders of the Hesse-Nassau Countrywomen's Association in 1948. In the same year, she founded the first district rural women's association in Wiesbaden and remained its chairwoman for several decades. In 1949, she was the first German rural woman to be invited by the American military government to travel to the USA for three months to learn more about agriculture and women's organizations. Later, she continued to support women living in the countryside and founded the first "Haus der Landfrau" (House of the Countrywoman) in 1951. Margot Faust joined the FDP in 1952 and was elected to the city council in the same year, a position she held for 12 years. She was then an honorary member of the Wiesbaden City Council from 1968 to 1972. Her political work focused on family, cultural and social policy. Among other things, she was one of the co-founders of the Nachbarschaftsheim (Neighborhood House) in Biebrich, of which she was the second chairwoman, and was on the board of the Wiesbaden Adult Education Center. She also stood as a top candidate for the Wiesbaden FDP in the 1965 and 1969 Bundestag elections. From 1977 to 1980, she was also President of the Wiesbaden Zonta Club, an association of professional women who are involved in charitable work. In addition to various municipal honors and the Letter of Honor of the State of Hesse, she was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit in 1982.