political and social organisations and was effectively controlled by the Socialist Unity Party of Germany. From 1950 on, Dieckmann was a member of the Präsidium of the National Front. Later, from 10 March 1948 to 11 December 1949, he was minister of justice of the state of Saxony and deputy Ministerpräsident of Saxony. In 1948/49 Dieckmann was a member of the German Economic Commission (German: Deutsche Wirtschaftskommission or DWK), member of German People’s Council (Volksrat) and its constitution committee. He also acted as the president (chairman) of provisional People’s Chamber and People’s Chamber (Volkskammer), the parliament of the GDR, a post he held until his death. As such he was acting head of state after president Wilhelm Pieck's death on 7 September 1960, until the presidency was replaced by the State Council five days later. Dieckmann was elected one of the deputy chairmen of the State Council, a post he held until his death. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Germany, one of several parties in the Socialist system of East Germany, Dieckmann already in 1947 was a founding member of the Society for Studying the Culture of the Soviet Union ("Gesellschaft zum Studium der Kultur der Sowjetunion"; from 1949: Gesellschaft für Deutsch-Sowjetische Freundschaft). He became one of its leaders and from 1963 to 1968 was the president of the association. He was the Chairman of Permanent Delegation of the GDR for the "International Conference for peaceful solution to German Question" and Chairman of "Foundation of the Veterans for People’s Solidarity". Honour titles and awards Ehrendoktor (Honorary doctor) of the Leipzig University (1953) Further reading Wandlungen und Wirkungen. Protokoll des Wissenschaftlichen Kolloquiums des Politischen Ausschusses des Zentralvorstandes der LDPD am 17. January 1983 zum Thema "Johannes Dieckmann, sein Verhältnis zur Arbeiterklasse und sein Beitrag zur Bündnispolitik" anläßlich des 90. Geburtstages von Prof. Dr. Dieckmann, Berlin 1983 (Liberal-Demokratische Partei Deutschlands: Schriften der LDPD, Bd. 26) Hübsch, Reinhard: Dieckmann raus – hängt ihn auf! Der Besuch des DDR-Volkskammerpräsidenten Johannes Dieckmann in Marburg am 13. Januar 1961, Bonn 1995; - DBE, Bd. 2, München 1995, 514, "Dieckmann, Johannes", in: Müller-, Helmut (Hrsg.): Wer war wer in der DDR? Ein biographisches Lexikon. Berlin 2000, 151. Dieckmann: an unfriendly welcome at Marburg in 1961 References 1893 births 1969 deaths People from Verden (district) People from the Province of Hanover German Lutherans German People's Party politicians Liberal Democratic Party of Germany politicians Heads of