Biography

• Born on 5th April 1934 in Landshut.
• Studied Law in Munich; was conferred a doctorate (LLD) in 1958, afterwards academic assistant, awarded the title of professor in 1964. After teaching as a private lecturer for two years he was given a professorship in 1965 at the Free University of Berlin; in 1969 he moved to the University for Administrative Science in Speyer, where he was Professor for Political Science and Politics, where he also held the office of university principal in 1971/72.
• After a period as leading representative of the State (Bundesland) of Rhineland–Palatinate in Bonn (1973–1978) he became Minister for Education and Sport in the Baden–Württemberg State Government. In 1980 he was elected to the State Parliament in Stuttgart and was appointed Minister of the Interior. At the end of 1983 he resigned as minister, in order to become Vice-President of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany and simultaneously Chairman of the First Senat; in 1987 he took on the office of President of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany.
• From 1994 to 1999 he was President of the Federal Republic of Germany. He considered European integration to be an important political task, for which he campaigned in manifold ways (especially for a Europe of the people and the eastern European expansion of the EU).
• Died on 10th January 2017.