List of presidents of Germany
A number of presidential offices have existed in Germany since the collapse of the German Empire in 1918.
The Weimar Constitution of August 1919 created the office of President of Germany (German: Reichspräsident). Upon the death of Paul von Hindenburg in August 1934 the office was left vacant, with Adolf Hitler becoming head of state as Führer und Reichskanzler (retroactively approved by a referendum). In April–May 1945, Karl Dönitz briefly became President upon the suicide of Hitler (in accordance with last will and testament of Hitler).
The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany of May 1949 created the office of President of the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundespräsident). From German reunification in 1990, the President has been the head of state for all of Germany.
The East German constitution of October 1949 created the office of President of the German Democratic Republic (German: Präsident der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik, DDR). Upon the death of Wilhelm Pieck in 1960, the office of president was replaced by a collective head of state, the Staatsrat ("State Council"). After the Staatsrat was abolished on 5 April 1990, the president of the Volkskammer ("People's Chamber") served as head of state until East Germany joined the Federal Republic on 3 October 1990
Contents
Weimar Republic (1919–1933)
† denotes people who died in office.
Reichspräsident | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Election | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Friedrich Ebert (1871–1925) |
11 February 1919 | 28 February 1925 † | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | SPD | 1919 | ||
Hans Luther (Acting) (1879–1962) [lower-alpha 1] |
28 February 1925 | 12 March 1925 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | Nonpartisan | – | ||
Walter Simons (Acting) (1861–1937) [lower-alpha 2] |
12 March 1925 | 12 May 1925 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | Nonpartisan | – | ||
Generalfeldmarschall Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934) |
12 May 1925 | 2 August 1934 † | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | Nonpartisan | 1925 1932 |
Nazi Germany (1933–1945)
† denotes people who died in office.
Reichspräsident | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Election | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Generalfeldmarschall Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934) |
12 May 1925 | 2 August 1934 † | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | Nonpartisan | 1925 1932 |
||
Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) Führer und Reichskanzler |
2 August 1934 | 30 April 1945 † | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | NSDAP | – | ||
Großadmiral Karl Dönitz (1891–1980) |
30 April 1945 | 23 May 1945 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | NSDAP | – |
German Democratic Republic (East Germany) (1949–1990)
† denotes people who died in office.
Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
President of the Republic Präsident der Republik |
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Wilhelm Pieck (1876–1960) |
11 October 1949 | 7 September 1960 † | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany|Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/shortname]] | ||
Johannes Dieckmann (Acting) (1893–1969) [lower-alpha 3] |
7 September 1960 | 12 September 1960 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | [[Liberal Democratic Party of Germany|Template:Liberal Democratic Party of Germany/meta/shortname]] | ||
Chairman of the State Council Vorsitzender des Staatsrats |
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Walter Ulbricht (1893–1973) |
12 September 1960 | 1 August 1973 † | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany|Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/shortname]] | ||
Friedrich Ebert Jr. (Acting) (1894–1979) [lower-alpha 4] |
1 August 1973 | 3 October 1973 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany|Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/shortname]] | ||
Willi Stoph (1914–1999) |
3 October 1973 | 29 October 1976 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany|Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/shortname]] | ||
Erich Honecker (1912–1994) |
29 October 1976 | 18 October 1989 (resigned) |
Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany|Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/shortname]] | ||
Egon Krenz (born 1937) |
18 October 1989 | 6 December 1989 (resigned) |
Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | [[Socialist Unity Party of Germany|Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/shortname]] | ||
Manfred Gerlach (1928–2011) |
6 December 1989 | 5 April 1990 (office abolished) |
Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | [[Liberal Democratic Party of Germany|Template:Liberal Democratic Party of Germany/meta/shortname]] | ||
President of the People's Chamber Präsident der Volkskammer |
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Sabine Bergmann-Pohl (born 1946) |
5 April 1990 | 2 October 1990 (office abolished) |
Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | CDU |
Federal Republic of Germany (from 1949)
† denotes people who died in office.
Bundespräsident | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Election | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Theodor Heuss (1884–1963) |
12 September 1949 | 12 September 1959 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | FDP | 1949 1954 |
||
Heinrich Lübke (1894–1972) |
13 September 1959 | 30 June 1969 (resigned) |
Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | CDU | 1959 1964 |
||
Gustav Heinemann (1899–1976) |
1 July 1969 | 30 June 1974 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | SPD | 1969 | ||
Walter Scheel (1919–2016) |
1 July 1974 | 30 June 1979 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | FDP | 1974 | ||
Karl Carstens (1914–1992) |
1 July 1979 | 30 June 1984 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | CDU | 1979 | ||
Richard von Weizsäcker (1920–2015) |
1 July 1984 | 30 June 1994 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | CDU | 1984 1989 |
||
Roman Herzog (1934–2017) |
1 July 1994 | 30 June 1999 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | CDU | 1994 | ||
Johannes Rau (1931–2006) |
1 July 1999 | 30 June 2004 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | SPD | 1999 | ||
Horst Köhler (born 1943) |
1 July 2004 | 31 May 2010 (resigned) |
Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | CDU | 2004 2009 |
||
Jens Böhrnsen (Acting) (born 1949) [lower-alpha 5] |
31 May 2010 | 30 June 2010 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | SPD | – | ||
Christian Wulff (born 1959) |
30 June 2010 | 17 February 2012 (resigned) |
Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | CDU | 2010 | ||
Horst Seehofer (Acting) (born 1949) [lower-alpha 5] |
17 February 2012 | 18 March 2012 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | CSU | – | ||
Joachim Gauck (born 1940) |
18 March 2012 | 18 March 2017 | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | Independent | 2012 | ||
Frank-Walter Steinmeier (born 1956) |
18 March 2017 | Incumbent | Script error: The function "age_generic" does not exist. | SPD | 2017 |
Notes
- ↑ Acting President, as Chancellor of Germany.
- ↑ Acting President, as President of the Reichsgericht.
- ↑ Acting head of state, as President of the Volkskammer.
- ↑ Acting Chairman of the State Council, as Deputy Chairman of the State Council.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Acting President, as President of the Bundesrat.