Biography

• Born on 8th July 1919 in Solingen.
• Apprenticeship as a banker; from 1939 to 1945 military service.
• From 1945 to 1953 he was manager at several companies, afterwards worked as an independent management consultant.
• From 1950 to 1953 he was a Member of the North Rhine Westphalia Regional Parliament for the FDP. From 1953 to 1974 he was a Member of the German Federal Parliament and also its Vice President from 1967 to 1969; in addition from 1955 to 1957 he was a Member of the Joint Assembly of the European Coal and Steel Community and from 1958 to 1961 Member of the European Parliament.
• In 1961 he was appointed Minister for Economic Cooperation, an office which he held until 1966. In 1968 he was elected Chairman of the FDP; from 1969 to 1974 he held the office of Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor. Afterwards he was elected Federal President of West Germany for 5 years (until 1979). During his political work of many years he campaigned for the consolidation of the European integration process.
• Died on 24th August 2016.