He was a member of the Party Politburo Agitation Committee in the German Democratic Republic from 1965, and in 1981 he replaced Harri Czepuck as chairman of the country's national Union of Journalists.
[1][2] Eberhard Heinrich was born in a small rural town in Lower Silesia, roughly 80 km (50 miles) west of Breslau.
Eberhard's home region of Lower Silesia was now part of Poland, survivors from its formerly German speaking population having been persuaded to leave.
Although Heinrich never actually followed Lamberz to become a member of the powerful Party Central Committee, his name did feature on the list of candidates for membership from 1971 right up till the institutional collapse of 1989/90.
[1] Eberhard Heinrich was married to Lieselotte Thoms-Heinrich, a journalist and, between 1963 and 1990, a longstanding member of the National Legislature (Volkskammer).