List of presidents of Germany

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, 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 Germany during the Weimar Republic (Reichspräsidenten) (1919–1934)

Political Party

  SPD   none

Status

  Acting President

#	Portrait	Name (Born-Died)	Term of Office		Party
style="background:Template:Social Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" | 1		Friedrich Ebert (1871–1925)	11 February 1919	28 February 1925 (died in office)	SPD
style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;" | –		Hans Luther[1]	28 February 1925	12 March 1925	Non-partisan
style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;" | –		Walter Simons[2]	12 March 1925	12 May 1925	Non-partisan
style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;" | 2		General Field Marshal Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934)	12 May 1925	2 August 1934 (died in office)	Non-partisan

Heads of state of Nazi Germany (1934–1945)

Political Party

  NSDAP   none

#	Portrait	Name (Born-Died)	Term of Office		Party
style="background:Template:Nazi Party/meta/color; color:white" |		Adolf Hitler (1889–1945) (as Führer und Reichskanzler)	2 August 1934	30 April 1945 (committed suicide)	NSDAP
style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;" |	File:Donitz.jpg	Grand Admiral Karl Dönitz (1891–1980) (President of Germany)	30 April 1945	23 May 1945 (arrested)	Non-partisan

Heads of state of Partitioned Germany (1949–1990)

Presidents of the Federal Republic of Germany Political Party   CDU   FDP   SPD   none Status   Acting President # Portrait Name (Born-Died) Term of Office Party style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color; color:white;"| – Karl Arnold[5] 7 September 1949 12 September 1949 CDU style="background:Template:Free Democratic Party (Germany)/meta/color;" | 1 Theodor Heuss (1884–1963) 13 September 1949 12 September 1959 FDP style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color; color:white;" | 2 Heinrich Lübke (1894–1972) 13 September 1959 30 June 1969 (resigned) CDU style="background:Template:Social Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" | 3 Gustav Heinemann (1899–1976) 1 July 1969 30 June 1974 SPD style="background:Template:Free Democratic Party (Germany)/meta/color;" | 4 Walter Scheel (born 1919) 1 July 1974 30 June 1979 FDP style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color; color:white;" | 5 Karl Carstens (1914–1992) 1 July 1979 30 June 1984 CDU style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color; color:white;" | 6 Richard von Weizsäcker (born 1920) 1 July 1984 until 30 June 1994 CDU

Heads of state of the German Democratic Republic Political Party   SPD   SED   CDU Status   Acting President # Portrait Name (Born-Died) Term of Office Party President (Staatspräsident) – Johannes Dieckmann[3] 7 October 1949 11 October 1949 LDPD style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" | 1 Wilhelm Pieck (1876–1960) 11 October 1949 7 September 1960 (died in office) SED – Johannes Dieckmann[3] 7 September 1960 12 September 1960 LDPD Chairmen of the State Council (Vorsitzende des Staatsrats) style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" | 1 Walter Ulbricht (1893–1973) 12 September 1960 1 August 1973 (died in office) SED style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;"| – Friedrich Ebert, jr.[4] 1 August 1973 3 October 1973 SED style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" | 2 Willi Stoph (1914–1999) 3 October 1973 29 October 1976 SED style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" | 3 Erich Honecker (1912–1994) 29 October 1976 18 October 1989 (resigned) SED style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" | 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) style="background:Template:CDU/meta/color; color:white;" | 1 Sabine Bergmann-Pohl (born 1946) 5 April 1990 2 October 1990 (office abolished) CDU

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

Political Party

  CDU   SPD   CSU   none

Status

  Acting President

#	Portrait	Name (Born-Died)	Term of Office		Party
style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color; color:white;" | 6		Richard von Weizsäcker (born 1920)	since 1 July 1984	30 June 1994	CDU
style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color; color:white;" | 7		Roman Herzog (born 1934)	1 July 1994	30 June 1999	CDU
style="background:Template:Social Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;" | 8		Johannes Rau (1931–2006)	1 July 1999	30 June 2004	SPD
style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color; color:white;" | 9		Horst Köhler (born 1943)	1 July 2004	31 May 2010 (resigned)	CDU
style="background:Template:Social Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color; color:white;"| –		Jens Böhrnsen[6]	31 May 2010	30 June 2010	SPD
style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color; color:white;" | 10		Christian Wulff (born 1959)	30 June 2010	17 February 2012 (resigned)	CDU
style="background:Template:Christian Social Union in Bavaria/meta/color; color:white;"| –		Horst Seehofer[7]	17 February 2012	18 March 2012	CSU
style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;" | 11		Joachim Gauck (born 1940)	18 March 2012	Incumbent	Independent

List of acting heads of state

Political Party

  SPD   SED   CDU   SPD   CSU   none

#	Portrait	Name (Born-Died)	In capacity	Term of Office	Party
Weimar Republic
style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;"| 1		Hans Luther (1879–1962)	Chancellor of Germany	28 February 1925 – 12 March 1925	Non-partisan
style="background:Template:Independent (politician)/meta/color;"| 2		Walter Simons (1861–1937)	President of the Reichsgericht	12 March 1925 – 12 May 1925	Non-partisan
German Democratic Republic
3		Johannes Dieckmann (1893–1969)	President of the People's Chamber	7 October 1949 – 11 October 1949	LDPD
				7 September 1960 – 12 September 1960
style="background:Template:Socialist Unity Party of Germany/meta/color;"| 4		Friedrich Ebert junior (1894–1979)	Deputy Chairman of the State Council	1 August 1973 – 3 October 1973	SED
Federal Republic of Germany
style="background:Template:CDU/CSU/meta/color;"| 5		Karl Arnold (1901–1958)	President of the Bundesrat	7 September 1949 – 12 September 1949	CDU
style="background:Template:Social Democratic Party of Germany/meta/color;"| 6		Jens Böhrnsen (born 1949)	President of the Bundesrat	31 May 2010 – 2 July 2010	SPD
style="background:Template:Christian Social Union in Bavaria/meta/color;"| 7		Horst Seehofer (born 1949)	President of the Bundesrat	17 February 2012 – 18 March 2012	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