Walter Scheel

Walter Scheel
4th President of the Federal Republic of GermanyIn office
July 1, 1974 – June 28, 1979Preceded by Gustav HeinemannSucceeded by Karl Carstens Acting Chancellor of the Federal Republic of GermanyIn office
May 7, 1974 – May 16, 1974President Gustav HeinemannPreceded by Willy BrandtSucceeded by Helmut Schmidt6th Vice-Chancellor of the Federal Republic of GermanyIn office
October 21, 1969 – May 16, 1974Preceded by Willy BrandtSucceeded by Hans-Dietrich Genscher5th Federal Minister of the Foreign AffairsIn office
October 21, 1969 – May 16, 1974Preceded by Willy BrandtSucceeded by Hans-Dietrich GenscherBorn July 8, 1919(1919-07-08) (age 88)
Solingen, GermanyPolitical party FDPSpouse Mildred Scheel (1932-1985) Religion Protestant

Walter Scheel (born July 8, 1919) is a German politician (FDP).

Biography

Scheel was born in Solingen. During World War II, he served in the Luftwaffe, the last years of the war as a Radar operator on a Me 110 night fighter.

As federal minister of economic cooperation and development (1961-1966), he brought about the downfall of the Erhard government in late 1966, when he took the Free Democratic Party, which he led, out of the coalition government.

In 1969, he enabled his party to form a new coalition with the Social Democrats. He returned to government as Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor. Due to his foreign policy, the Federal Republic of Germany gave up claims on former territories ceded to Poland and the USSR in 1945 and officially recognized the existence of the GDR, causing a massive public debate that led to early elections in 1972. The coalition was reelected and the efforts to improve relations with the countries on the other side of the iron curtain continued.

On May 7, 1974, Brandt resigned as Chancellor after one of his personal assistants, Günter Guillaume, was arrested as a spy for the East German state. Though this had been internally suspected since 1973, Brandt accepted responsibility and resigned. Scheel, as acting chancellor, chaired the government meetings for a little over a week, until Helmut Schmidt was elected Chancellor.

At that time, Scheel was elected Federal President of West Germany, a post he held from July 1974 until June 1979. He largely retreated to private life after his term of office expired, though he sometimes appears on political talk shows or events. At the funeral of Hanns Martin Schleyer in October 1977, Scheel gave a speech entitled shame.

Walter Scheel, Portrait by Günter Rittner 1996 Preceded by
Gustav Heinemann President of Germany
1974 – 1979 Succeeded by
Karl CarstensPreceded by
Willy Brandt Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs
1969 – 1974 Succeeded by
Hans-Dietrich GenscherPreceded by
Willy Brandt Vice Chancellor of Germany
1969 – 1974 Succeeded by
Hans-Dietrich GenscherPreceded by
Willy Brandt Acting Chancellor of Germany
7 May – 16 May 1974 Succeeded by
Helmut Schmidt

v • d • e Presidentsof the Federal Republic of Germany Theodor Heuss· Heinrich Lübke· Gustav Heinemann· Walter Scheel · Karl Carstens· Richard von Weizsäcker· Roman Herzog· Johannes Rau· Horst Köhler

v • d • e Foreign Ministers of Germany
Foreign Minister of Prussiauntil 1918 Kingdom of Prussia
(1701-1918) office established 1768 · Hertzberg · Goltz · Hardenberg · Bernstorff · Ancillon · Werther · Maltzan · H. Bülow · Canitz · Arnim-Boitzenburg · Arnim · Schleinitz · Auerswald · Dönhoff · Brandenburg · Eichmann · Arnim-Heinrichsdorff · Schleinitz · Radowitz · Manteuffel · Schleinitz · Bernstorff · Bismarck · Caprivi · Bieberstein · B. Bülow · Bethmann Hollweg · Michaelis · Hertling · Baden Weimar Republic
(1918-1933) Brockdorff-Rantzau · Müller · Köster · Simons · Rosen · Wirth · Rathenau · Wirth · Rosenburg · Stresemann · Curtius · Brüning Nazi Germany
(1933-1945) Neurath · Ribbentrop · Seyss-Inquart · Krosigk German Democratic Republic
(1949-1990) Dertinger · Ackermann · Bolz · Winzer · Fischer · Meckel · de Maizière Federal Republic of Germany
(1951-present) Adenauer · Brentano · Schröder · Brandt · Scheel · Genscher · Schmidt · Genscher · Kinkel · Fischer · Steinmeier

PersondataNAME Scheel, Walter ALTERNATIVE NAMES SHORT DESCRIPTION German politician DATE OF BIRTH July 8, 1919PLACE OF BIRTH Solingen, Germany DATE OF DEATH PLACE OF DEATH