Overview

• Wagner died at age 82 on July 5 in Wiesbaden, the Hessian State Chancellery confirmed his passing.
• Minister-President Boris Rhein described him as “a formative voice of Hessian politics” and Landtag President Astrid Wallmann called him “a straightforward, reliable politician.”
• He served as Hessian Kultusminister from 1987 to 1991 and later as Justizminister from 1999 to 2005, where he championed measures including the introduction of electronic ankle monitors.
• From November 2005 until January 2014, Wagner led the CDU parliamentary group in the Hessian Landtag, shaping legislative strategy and party cohesion.
• After retiring in early 2014, he volunteered as a telephone counselor and chaired the Stiftung Zentrum gegen Vertreibungen, maintaining active civic engagement.