Heide Simonis was a German author and politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). She was minister of finance in Schleswig-Holstein from 1988 until 1993, when she became minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein. She was the first woman to serve as head of a state government in German history and the only woman to do so in the 20th century, serving until 2005. As of 2025, she is the longest serving former minister-president of Schleswig-Holstein and also the longest serving former female minister-president of all German states.
- Occupation
- writer, politician, author, poet
- Position held
- member of the German Bundestag, member of the Landtag of Schleswig-Holstein, Minister-President of Schleswig-Holstein, member of the German Bundestag
- Citizenship
- Germany
