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)
† denotes people who died in office.
| № | President | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Election | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Friedrich Ebert (1871–1925) | 11 February 1919 | 28 February 1925 † | 6 years, 17 days | SPD | 1919 | |
| - | Hans Luther (1879–1962) Acting [A] | 28 February 1925 | 12 March 1925 | 12 days | Nonpartisan | – | |
| - | Walter Simons (1861–1937) Acting [B] | 12 March 1925 | 12 May 1925 | 61 days | Nonpartisan | – | |
| 2 | Generalfeldmarschall Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934) | 12 May 1925 | 2 August 1934 † | 9 years, 82 days | Nonpartisan | 1925 1932 |
A Acting President, as Chancellor of Germany.
B Acting President, as President of the Reichsgericht.
Nazi Germany (1933–1945)
† denotes people who died in office.
| № | President | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Election | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Generalfeldmarschall Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934) Reichspräsident | 12 May 1925 | 2 August 1934 † | 9 years, 82 days | Nonpartisan | 1925 1932 | |
| – | Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) Führer und Reichskanzler | 2 August 1934 | 30 April 1945 † | 10 years, 271 days | NSDAP | 1934 (referendum) | |
| – | Großadmiral Karl Dönitz (1891–1980) Reichspräsident | 30 April 1945 | 23 May 1945 | 23 days | NSDAP | – |
German Democratic Republic ("East Germany", 1949–1990)
† denotes people who died in office.
President of the State (Staatspräsident)
| № | President | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Election | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Johannes Dieckmann (1893–1969) Acting [D] | 7 October 1949 | 11 October 1949 | 4 days | LDPD | – | |
| 1 | Wilhelm Pieck (1876–1960) | 11 October 1949 | 7 September 1960 † | 10 years, 332 days | SED | 1949 1953 1957 | |
| – | Johannes Dieckmann (1893–1969) Acting [D] | 7 September 1960 | 12 September 1960 | 5 days | LDPD | – |
Chairman of the State Council (Vorsitzender des Staatsrats)
| № | President | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walter Ulbricht (1893–1973) | 12 September 1960 | 1 August 1973 † | 12 years, 323 days | SED | |
| – | Friedrich Ebert Jr. (1894–1979) Acting [E] | 1 August 1973 | 3 October 1973 | 63 days | SED | |
| 2 | Willi Stoph (1914–1999) | 3 October 1973 | 29 October 1976 | 3 years, 26 days | SED | |
| 3 | Erich Honecker (1912–1994) | 29 October 1976 | 18 October 1989 (resigned) | 12 years, 354 days | SED | |
| 4 | Egon Krenz (born 1937) | 18 October 1989 | 6 December 1989 (resigned) | 49 days | SED | |
| 5 | Manfred Gerlach (1928–2011) | 6 December 1989 | 5 April 1990 (office abolished) | 120 days | LDPD | |
| – | Sabine Bergmann-Pohl (born 1946) Acting [F] | 5 April 1990 | 2 October 1990 (office abolished) | 180 days | 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)
| № | Bundespräsident | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Election | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| – | Karl Arnold (1901–1958) Acting [C] | 7 September 1949 | 12 September 1949 | 5 days | CDU | – | |
| 1 | Theodor Heuss (1884–1963) | 13 September 1949 | 12 September 1959 | 9 years, 364 days | FDP | 1949 1954 | |
| 2 | Heinrich Lübke (1894–1972) | 13 September 1959 | 30 June 1969 (resigned) | 9 years, 290 days | CDU | 1959 1964 | |
| 3 | Gustav Heinemann (1899–1976) | 1 July 1969 | 30 June 1974 | 4 years, 364 days | SPD | 1969 | |
| 4 | Walter Scheel (1919–2016) | 1 July 1974 | 30 June 1979 | 4 years, 364 days | FDP | 1974 | |
| 5 | Karl Carstens (1914–1992) | 1 July 1979 | 30 June 1984 | 4 years, 365 days | CDU | 1979 | |
| 6 | Richard von Weizsäcker (1920–2015) | 1 July 1984 | 30 June 1994 | 9 years, 364 days | CDU | 1984 1989 | |
| 7 | Roman Herzog (1934–2017) | 1 July 1994 | 30 June 1999 | 4 years, 364 days | CDU | 1994 | |
| 8 | Johannes Rau (1931–2006) | 1 July 1999 | 30 June 2004 | 4 years, 365 days | SPD | 1999 | |
| 9 | Horst Köhler (born 1943) | 1 July 2004 | 31 May 2010 (resigned) | 5 years, 334 days | CDU | 2004 2009 | |
| – | Jens Böhrnsen (born 1949) Acting [C] | 31 May 2010 | 30 June 2010 | 30 days | SPD | – | |
| 10 | Christian Wulff (born 1959) | 30 June 2010 | 17 February 2012 (resigned) | 1 year, 232 days | CDU | 2010 | |
| – | Horst Seehofer (born 1949) Acting [C] | 17 February 2012 | 18 March 2012 | 30 days | CSU | – | |
| 11 | Joachim Gauck (born 1940) | 18 March 2012 | 18 March 2017 | 5 years, 0 days | Independent | 2012 | |
| 12 | Frank-Walter Steinmeier (born 1956) | 18 March 2017 | Incumbent | 1 year, 212 days | SPD | 2017 |
C Acting President, as President of the Bundesrat.