- Monarchs (1871–1918)
- President (1919–1945)
- President
- Leader of East Germany
- Styles of the Heads of State
- Living former heads of state
- References
This is a list of the heads of state of Germany, from the Unification of Germany in 1871 to the present day. From 1871 to 1918 the head of state was the Emperor, who was the same person as the King of Prussia according to the Constitution. Germany became a republic under the Constitution of 1919 and the monarch was replaced by a President with semi-presidential powers. In 1934 when President von Hindenburg died, Chancellor Adolf Hitler called for a referendum in 1934 which was to merge the offices of President and Chancellor, after the result he became Führer and Chancellor. Monarchs (1871–1918)The succession to the throne of Germany was the same as the succession to the throne of the Prussia. Monarch | Reign | Position | Royal House |
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# Portrait Name Reign start Reign end Duration | | | | | |
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1 | Wilhelm I (1797–1888) | 18 January}} 1871 | 9 March}} 1888 | 1871|1|18|1888|3|9}} | {{lang>de|Deutscher Kaiser}} | House of Hohenzollern |
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2 | Friedrich III (1831–1888)[1] | 9 March}} 1888 | 15 June}} 1888 | 1888|3|9|1888|6|15}} | {{lang>de|Deutscher Kaiser}} | House of Hohenzollern |
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3 | Wilhelm II (1859–1941) | 15 June}} 1888 | 9 November}} or {{nowrap|28 November}} 1918 (Abdicated) | 1888|6|15|1918|11|9}} | {{lang>de|Deutscher Kaiser}} | House of Hohenzollern |
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President (1919–1945)Under the 1919 Constitution, the first republican constitution of Germany, the President replaced the monarch as ceremonial head of state with semi-presidential powers. The President was to be elected by universal suffrage for a seven-year term. In the event of a vacancy the Chancellor served as Acting President, but in case of a longer vacancy parliament was to decide on the Acting President by law. However, the first President, Friedrich Ebert, was elected by the National Assembly; he also acted as head of state during the revolutionary period, as Co-Chairman of the Council of the People's Deputies, together with Hugo Haase from 10 November 1918 until 29 December 1918 and thereafter together with Philipp Scheidemann. - Status
{{legend|#E6E6AA|Denotes Acting President}}President | Term of Office | Position | Political party |
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# Portrait Name Took office Left office Duration | | | | | |
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1 | Friedrich Ebert (1871–1925) | 11 February 1919 | 28 February 1925 (Died in Office) | 1919|2|11|1925|2|28}} | {{lang>de|Reichspräsident}} | SPD |
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| Hans Luther (1879–1962) | 28 February 1925 | 12 March 1925 | 1925|2|28|1925|3|12}} | {{lang>de|Reichskanzler}} | Independent |
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| Walter Simons (1861–1937) | 12 March 1925 | 12 May 1925 | 1925|3|12|1925|5|12}} | {{lang>de|Präsident des Reichsgerichts}} | Independent |
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2 | General Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934) | 12 May 1925 | 2 August 1934 (Died in Office) | 1925|5|12|1934|8|2}} | {{lang>de|Reichspräsident}} | Independent |
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№ | Portrait | Name | Term | Tenure | Election Year/Voter Percentage | Affiliation | {{color|white|3}} | | Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) | {{color|white|1}} | 2 August 1934 | 30 April 1945 | — | NSDAP | Died in Office | {{color|white|4}} | | Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz (1891–1980) | {{color|white|1}} | 30 April 1945 | 23 May 1945 | — | NSDAP | | |
PresidentUnder the current Constitution, the second republican constitution of Germany, the President is the ceremonial head of state. The President is elected indirectly for a five-year term. In the event of a vacancy the President of the Bundesrat serves as Acting President. - Status
{{legend|#E6E6AA|Denotes President of the Bundesrat as Acting President}}№ | Portrait | Name | Term | Tenure | Election Year/Voter Percentage | Affiliation | {{color|white|—}} | | Karl Arnold (1901–1958) | {{color|white|—}} | 7 September 1949 | 12 September 1949 | — | CDU | As President of the Bundesrat he acted as President until after the 1949 presidential election | {{color|black|5}} | | Theodor Heuss (1884–1963) | {{color|black|1}} | 13 September 1949 | 12 September 1954 | 1949 — %
| FDP | {{color|black|2}} | 13 September 1954 | 12 September 1959 | 1954 — %
| | {{color|white|6}} | | Heinrich Lübke (1894–1972) | {{color|white|1}} | 13 September 1959 | 12 September 1964 | 1959 — %
| CDU | {{color|white|2}} | 13 September 1964 | 30 June 1969 | 1964 — %
| Resigned | {{color|white|7}} | | Gustav Heinemann (1899–1976) | {{color|white|1}} | 1 July 1969 | 30 June 1974 | 1969 — %
| SPD | | {{color|black|8}} | | Walter Scheel (1919–2016) | {{color|black|1}} | 1 July 1974 | 30 June 1979 | 1974 — %
| FDP | | {{color|white|9}} | | Karl Carstens (1914–1992) | {{color|white|1}} | 1 July 1979 | 30 June 1984 | 1979 — %
| CDU | | {{color|white|10}} | | Richard von Weizsäcker (1920–2015) | {{color|white|1}} | 1 July 1984 | 30 June 1989 | 1984 — %
| CDU | {{color|white|2}} | 1 July 1989 | 30 June 1994 | 1989 — %
| | {{color|white|11}} | | Roman Herzog (1934–2017) | {{color|white|1}} | 1 July 1994 | 30 June 1999 | 1994 — %
| CDU | | {{color|white|12}} | | Johannes Rau (1931–2006) | {{color|white|1}} | 1 July 1999 | 30 June 2004 | 1999 — %
| SPD | | {{color|white|13}} | | Horst Köhler (1943–) | {{color|white|1}} | 1 July 2004 | 30 June 2009 | 2004 — %
| CDU | {{color|white|2}} | 1 July 2009 | 31 May 2010 | 2009 — %
| Resigned | {{color|white|—}} | | Jens Böhrnsen (1949–) | {{color|white|—}} | 31 May 2010 | 1 July 2010 | — | SPD | As President of the Bundesrat he acted as President until after the 2010 presidential election | {{color|white|14}} | | Christian Wulff (1959–) | {{color|white|1}} | 2 July 2010 | 17 February 2012 | 2010 — %
| CDU | Resigned | {{color|white|—}} | | Horst Seehofer (1949–) | {{color|white|—}} | 17 February 2012 | 18 March 2012 | — | CSU | As President of the Bundesrat he acted as President until after the 2012 presidential election | {{color|black|15}} | | Joachim Gauck (1940–) | {{color|black|1}} | 18 March 2012 | 18 March 2017 | 2012 — %
| Independent | | {{color|white|16}} | | Frank-Walter Steinmeier (1956–) | {{color|white|1}} | 19 March 2017 |
| 2017 — %
| SPD | | |
Leader of East GermanyDuring the East German period the title of the heads of state varies from President to Chairman of the Council. - Status
{{legend|#E6E6AA|Denotes Acting President}}№ | Portrait | Name | Term | Tenure | Election Year/Voter Percentage | Affiliation | {{color|white|—}} | | Johannes Dieckmann (1893–1969) | {{color|white|—}} | 7 October 1949 | 11 October 1949 | — | LDPD | As President of the People's Chamber he acted as President until after the 1949 presidential election. | {{color|white|1}} | | Wilhelm Pieck (1876–1960) | {{color|white|1}} | 11 October 1949
| 1953 | 1949 — %
| SED | {{color|white|2}} | 1953 | 1957 | 1953 — %
| {{color|white|3}} | 1957 | 7 September 1960 | 1957 — %
| Died in Office. | {{color|white|—}} | | Johannes Dieckmann (1893–1969) | {{color|white|—}} | 7 September 1960 | 12 September 1960 | — | LDPD | As President of the People's Chamber he acted as President after the death of Wilhelm Pieck. | {{color|white|2}} | | Walter Ulbricht (1893–1973) | {{color|white|1}} | 12 September 1960 | 1 August 1973 | — | SED | Died in Office. | {{color|white|—}} | | Friedrich Ebert, Jr. (1894–1979) | {{color|white|–}} | 1 August 1973 | 3 October 1973 | — | SED | As Deputy Chairman of the State Council he acted as Chairman after the death of Walter Ulbricht. | {{color|white|3}} | | Willi Stoph (1914–1999) | {{color|white|1}} | 3 October 1973 | 29 October 1976 | — | SED | | {{color|white|4}} | | Erich Honecker (1912–1994) | {{color|white|1}} | 29 October 1976 | 18 October 1989 | — | SED | | {{color|white|5}} | | Egon Krenz (1937–) | {{color|white|1}} | 18 October 1989 | 6 December 1989 | — | SED | | {{color|white|6}} | | Manfred Gerlach (1928–2011) | {{color|white|1}} | 6 December 1989 | 5 April 1990 | — | LDPD | | | {{color|white|–}} | | Sabine Bergmann-Pohl (1946–) | {{color|white|–}} | 5 April 1990 | 2 October 1990 | — | CDU | As President of the People's Chamber she acted as President until the German reunification | |
Styles of the Heads of State Country | Years | Title of Head of State |
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German Empire}} German Empire | 1871–1918 | {{lang>de|Deutscher Kaiser}} | Weimar Republic}} Weimar Republic | 1919–1933 | {{lang>de|Reichspräsident}} | {{flagicon|Nazi Germany}} Nazi Germany | 1933–1934 | {{lang>de|Reichspräsident}} | 1934–1945 | {{lang>de|Führer und Reichskanzler}} | 1945 | {{lang>de|Reichspräsident}} | West Germany}} West Germany | 1949–1990 | {{lang>de|Bundespräsident}} | {{flagicon|East Germany}} East Germany | 1949–1960 | {{lang>de|Präsident der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik}} | 1960–1990 | {{lang>de|Vorsitzender des Staatsrates}} | Germany}} Reunited Germany | 1990–Present | {{lang>de|Bundespräsident}} | |
Living former heads of state Name | Term | Office | Date of birth |
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Egon Krenz | 1989 | President of East Germany | 19 March 1937 | Sabine Bergmann-Pohl | 1990 | Acting President of East Germany | 20 April 1946 | |
Horst Köhler | 2004–2010 | President of Germany | 22 February 1943 | Jens Böhrnsen | 2010 | Acting President of Germany | 12 June 1949 | Christian Wulff | 2010–2012 | President of Germany | 19 June 1959 | Horst Seehofer | 2012 | Acting President of Germany | 4 July 1949 | |
References1. ^Enumerated as successor of Frederick II who was King of Prussia 1740–1786 but not German Emperor.
{{Heads of State of Germany}}{{DEFAULTSORT:List Of Emperors Of Germany}} 6 : German emperors|Lists of German people|Lists of monarchs|Political history of Germany|Heads of state of Germany|Lists of heads of state |