Franz Blücher

Franz Blücher
Vice-Chancellor of Germany
In office 20 September 1949 – 29 October 1957
Preceded by	vacant last office holder: Franz von Papen
Succeeded by	Ludwig Erhard
Federal Minister for Matters of the Marshall Plan later renamed Minister for Economic Cooperation
In office 20 September 1949 – 29 October 1957
Preceded by	new office
Succeeded by	Hermann Lindrath as Minister for Federal Patrimony
Personal details
Born	24 March 1896 Essen, German Empire
Died	26 March 1959(1959-03-26) (aged 63) Bad Godesberg, West Germany
Political party	FDP Free People's Party (FVP)

Franz Blücher (24 March 1896 – 26 March 1959) was a German politician and member of the German Parliament (Bundestag).

Blücher was born in Essen, Rhine Province, German Empire.

After World War II, Blücher was one of the founders of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and served as chairman in the British occupation zone (1946-1949) and as Federal Chairman (1949-1954).

From 1949 to 1957, he was a member of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer's cabinet. As representative of the second-largest government party, he occupied the position of Vice-Chancellor of Germany and also held the Ministry for Matters of the Marshall Plan, which in 1953 was renamed Ministry for Economic Cooperation.

In 1956, he - along with other fifteen ministers and parliamentarians - sided with Chancellor Adenauer against his party and formed the Free People's Party (FVP), which early in 1957 merged with the German Party (DP).

After the elections of 1957, in which Adenauer won an absolute majority, Blücher's party left the government.

Franz Blücher died on 26 March 1959 in Bad Godesberg, North Rhine-Westphalia.

Honours and awards

Blücher was awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Berlin (1954) and the University of the Punjab in Lahore (1957). In 1954 he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit and the Grand Cross of the Greek Order of George I. In 1955, he received the Grand Cross of Merit of the Italian Republic.

Political offices
Preceded by -	Vice Chancellor of Germany 1949–1957	Succeeded by Ludwig Erhard