List of German presidents

A number of presidential offices have existed in Germany since the fall of the monarchies in 1918. During the 1919-1933 Weimar Republic the head of state was the 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 1945, Karl Dönitz briefly became President.

The West German constitution (Grundgesetz or Basic Law) of May 1949 created the office of President of Germany (German: Bundespräsident). Since Germany was reunited 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.

Presidents of the German Reich (Reichspräsidenten) (1919–1945)

#	Portrait	Name (Born–Died)	Took office	Left office	Party
1		Friedrich Ebert (1871–1925)	11 February 1919	28 February 1925 (died in office)	SPD
2		General Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934)	12 May 1925	2 August 1934 (died in office)	Non-partisan
		Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) (Head of state and government as Führer und Reichskanzler)	2 August 1934	30 April 1945 (died in office)	NSDAP
		Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz (1891–1980)	30 April 1945	23 May 1945	Non-partisan

Presidents of Partitioned Germany (1949–1990)

Presidents of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundespräsidenten) # Picture Name (Born-Died) Took office Left office Party 1 Theodor Heuss (1884–1963) 13 September 1949 12 September 1959 FDP 2 Heinrich Lübke (1894–1972) 13 September 1959 30 June 1969 (resigned) CDU 3 Gustav Heinemann (1899–1976) 1 July 1969 30 June 1974 SPD 4 Walter Scheel (born 1919) 1 July 1974 30 June 1979 FDP 5 Karl Carstens (1914–1992) 1 July 1979 30 June 1984 CDU 6 Richard von Weizsäcker (born 1920) 1 July 1984 until 30 June 1994 CDU Presidents of the Saar (French protectorate) # Name Took office Left office Party 1 Peter Zimmer 15 December 1947 1 January 1956 SPS 2 Heinrich Schneider 2 January 1956 13 December 1956 DPS

Heads of state of the German Democratic Republic # Picture Name (Born-Died) Took office Left office Party President (Staatspräsident) 1 Wilhelm Pieck (1876–1960) 11 October 1949 7 September 1960 (died in office) SED Chairmen of the State Council (Vorsitzende des Staatsrats) 1 Walter Ulbricht (1893–1973) 12 September 1960 1 August 1973 (died in office) 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 (born 1937) 18 October 1989 6 December 1989 (resigned) SED 5 Manfred Gerlach (1928–2011) 6 December 1989 5 April 1990 (office abolished) LDPD President of the People's Chamber (Präsident der Volkskammer) 1 Sabine Bergmann-Pohl (born 1946) 5 April 1990 2 October 1990 (office abolished) CDU

Presidents of the reunified Germany (Bundespräsidenten) (since 1990)

#	Picture	Name (Born-Died)	Took office	Left office	Party
6		Richard von Weizsäcker (born 1920)	since 1 July 1984	30 June 1994	CDU
7		Roman Herzog (born 1934)	1 July 1994	30 June 1999	CDU
8		Johannes Rau (1931–2006)	1 July 1999	30 June 2004	SPD
9		Horst Köhler (born 1943)	1 July 2004	31 May 2010 (resigned)	CDU
10		Christian Wulff (born 1959)	30 June 2010	17 February 2012 (resigned)	CDU

List of acting heads of state

#	Picture	Name (Born-Died)	Office	Term	Party
Weimar Republic
–		Hans Luther (1879–1962)	Chancellor of Germany	28 February 1925 – 12 March 1925	DVP
–		Walter Simons (1861–1937)	President of the Reichsgericht	12 March 1925 – 12 May 1925	Non-partisan
German Democratic Republic
–		Johannes Dieckmann (1893–1969)	President of the People's Chamber	7 October 1949 – 11 October 1949	SED
				7 September 1960 – 12 September 1960
–		Friedrich Ebert junior (1894–1979)	Deputy Chairman of the State Council	1 August 1973 – 3 October 1973	SED
Federal Republic of Germany
–		Karl Arnold (1901–1958)	President of the Bundesrat	7 September 1949 – 12 September 1949	CDU
–		Jens Böhrnsen (born 1949)	President of the Bundesrat	31 May 2010 – 30 June 2010	SPD
–		Horst Seehofer (born 1949)	President of the Bundesrat	17 February 2012 – Present	CSU

See also

• List of German monarchs
• President of Germany
• President of Germany (Weimar Republic)
• Leadership of East Germany
• Chancellor of Germany
• List of Chancellors of Germany