List of German presidents
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. In April–May 1945, Karl Dönitz briefly became President upon the suicide of Hitler.
The West German constitution (Grundgesetz, Basic Law) of May 1949 created the office of President of the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundespräsident). Since the 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 Präsident der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik (DDR) ("President of the German Democratic Republic"). Upon the death of Wilhelm Pieck in 1960, the office of Präsident der DDR was abolished and replaced by a collective head of state, the Staatsrat ("State Council"). The Staatsrat was abolished by a constitutional amendment of the Volkskammer ("People's Chamber") on 5 April 1990. From then until the GDR joined the Federal Republic on 3 October 1990, the president of the Volkskammer also served as the GDR head of state.
Weimar Republic (1919–1933)
- Political Party
- Status
| № | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of Office | Political Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elected | Took Office | Left Office | ||||
| President of the Reich (Reichspräsident) | ||||||
| 1 |  |
Friedrich Ebert (1871–1925) |
1919 | 11 February 1919 | 28 February 1925 (died in office) |
SPD |
| — |  |
Hans Luther[A] (1879–1962) |
— | 28 February 1925 | 12 March 1925 | Non-partisan |
| — |  |
Walter Simons[B] (1861–1937) |
— | 12 March 1925 | 12 May 1925 | Non-partisan |
| 2 |  |
General Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934) |
1925 1932 |
12 May 1925 | until 2 August 1934 (died in office) |
Non-partisan |
A Acting President, as Chancellor of Germany.
B Acting President, as President of the Reichsgericht.
Nazi Germany (1933–1945)
- Political Party
| № | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of Office | Political Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elected | Took Office | Left Office | ||||
| 2 | |
Reichspräsident | 1925 1932 |
since 12 May 1925 |
2 August 1934 (died in office) |
Non-partisan |
| General Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934) | ||||||
| — |  |
Führer und Reichskanzler | 1934 (referendum) |
2 August 1934 | 30 April 1945 (committed suicide) |
NSDAP |
| Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) | ||||||
| — |  |
Reichspräsident | — | 30 April 1945 | 23 May 1945 (arrested by the Allies) |
NSDAP |
| Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz (1891–1980) | ||||||
German Democratic Republic ("East Germany", 1949–1990)
- Political Party
- Status
| № | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of Office | Political Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elected | Took Office | Left Office | ||||
| President of the State (Staatspräsident) | ||||||
| — |  |
Johannes Dieckmann[D] (1893–1969) |
— | 7 October 1949 | 11 October 1949 | LDPD |
| 1 |  |
Wilhelm Pieck (1876–1960) |
1949 1953 1957 |
11 October 1949 | 7 September 1960 (died in office) |
SED |
| — | |
Johannes Dieckmann[D] (1893–1969) |
— | 7 September 1960 | 12 September 1960 | LDPD |
| Chairman of the State Council (Vorsitzender des Staatsrats) | ||||||
| 1 |  |
Walter Ulbricht (1893–1973) |
— | 12 September 1960 | 1 August 1973 (died in office) |
SED |
| — |  |
Friedrich Ebert, Jr.[E] (1894–1979) |
— | 1 August 1973 | 3 October 1973 | SED |
| 2 |  |
Willi Stoph (1914–1999) |
— | 3 October 1973 | 29 October 1976 | SED |
| 3 |  |
Erich Honecker (1912–1994) |
— | 29 October 1976 | 18 October 1989 (resigned) |
SED |
| 4 |  |
Egon Krenz (1937–) |
— | 18 October 1989 | 6 December 1989 (resigned) |
SED |
| 5 |  |
Manfred Gerlach (1928–2011) |
— | 6 December 1989 | 5 April 1990 (office abolished) |
LDPD |
| — |  |
Sabine Bergmann-Pohl[F] (1946–) |
— | 5 April 1990 | 2 October 1990 (office abolished) |
CDU |
D Acting President, as President of the People's Chamber.
E Acting Chairman of the State Council, as Deputy Chairman of the State Council.
F Acting head of state, as President of the People's Chamber.
Federal Republic of Germany (1949–present; "West Germany" 1949–1990)
- Political Party
- Status
| № | Portrait | Name (Birth–Death) |
Term of Office | Political Party | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elected | Took Office | Left Office | ||||
| President of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundespräsident) | ||||||
| — |  |
Karl Arnold[C] (1901–1958) |
— | 7 September 1949 | 12 September 1949 | CDU |
| 1 |  |
Theodor Heuss (1884–1963) |
1949 1954 |
13 September 1949 | 12 September 1959 | FDP |
| 2 |  |
Heinrich Lübke (1894–1972) |
1959 1964 |
13 September 1959 | 30 June 1969 (resigned) |
CDU |
| 3 |  |
Gustav Heinemann (1899–1976) |
1969 | 1 July 1969 | 30 June 1974 | SPD |
| 4 |  |
Walter Scheel (1919–2016) |
1974 | 1 July 1974 | 30 June 1979 | FDP |
| 5 |  |
Karl Carstens (1914–1992) |
1979 | 1 July 1979 | 30 June 1984 | CDU |
| 6 |  |
Richard von Weizsäcker (1920–2015) |
1984 1989 |
1 July 1984 | 30 June 1994 | CDU |
| 7 |  |
Roman Herzog (1934–) |
1994 | 1 July 1994 | 30 June 1999 | CDU |
| 8 |  |
Johannes Rau (1931–2006) |
1999 | 1 July 1999 | 30 June 2004 | SPD |
| 9 |  |
Horst Köhler (1943–) |
2004 2009 |
1 July 2004 | 31 May 2010 (resigned) |
CDU |
| — |  |
Jens Böhrnsen[C] (1949–) |
— | 31 May 2010 | 30 June 2010 | SPD |
| 10 |  |
Christian Wulff (1959–) |
2010 | 30 June 2010 | 17 February 2012 (resigned) |
CDU |
| — |  |
Horst Seehofer[C] (1949–) |
— | 17 February 2012 | 18 March 2012 | CSU |
| 11 |  |
Joachim Gauck (1940–) |
2012 | 18 March 2012 | Incumbent | Independent |
C Acting President, as President of the Bundesrat.
See also
- List of German monarchs
- President of Germany
- President of Germany (1919–45)
- Leadership of East Germany
- Chancellor of Germany
 German presidential elections | |
|---|---|
| Weimar Republic (1919–1933) | |
| East Germany (1949–1960) |
|
| Federal Republic of Germany (since 1949) | |