Richard von Weizsäcker

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Richard von Weizsäcker
Image:Richard von Weizsäcker.jpg <small/>
President of Germany
In office July 1, 1984 – June 30, 1994
Preceded by	Karl Carstens
Succeeded by	Roman Herzog

Born	April 15, 1920 Stuttgart, Germany
Political party	CDU
Spouse	Marianne Freifrau (Baroness) von Weizsäcker

Dr. Richard Freiherr von Weizsäcker listen (help·info) (born April 15 1920) is a German politician (CDU). He was President of Germany from 1984 to 1994.

He was born in Stuttgart as the son of the diplomat Ernst von Weizsäcker and brother of physicist and philosopher Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker. He lived several years in Switzerland and Denmark due to his father's diplomatic duties. When he was 17 years old, he moved to Britain and studied philosophy and history at Balliol College, Oxford. Later he studied in Grenoble in France. After the outbreak of the war, he served in the German Army, finally as a captain of the Reserve. He was wounded in East Prussia in 1945 and was transported home to Stuttgart. Then he continued his study of history in Göttingen and eventually studied law. He took his first judicial state exam in 1950, the second in 1953, and in 1955 was promoted doctor juris. In 1953 he married Marianne von Kretschmann; they have four children.

Richard von Weizsäcker joined the CDU in 1954 and became a member of the Bundestag (German Parliament) in 1969 (1969-1981). In 1981 he was elected vice president of the Bundestag (1979-1981) and then Governing Mayor (Regierender Bürgermeister) of West Berlin (1981-1984). He was elected President of Germany by the Bundesversammlung (Federal Convention) in 1984, succeeding Karl Carstens.

Richard von Weizsäcker is famous for his speeches. Due to the high esteem in which he is being held by Germany's political establishment, he is so far the only candidate to have stood for elections for the office of federal president uncontested; he was elected in such a way to a second term of office in 1989. He was a member of the Synod and the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany from 1967-1984. Dr. von Weizsäcker stretched the traditionally ceremonial position of Germany’s president to reach across political, national, and generational boundaries to address a wide range of controversial issues.

Image:Richard Von Weizsäcker at FrankfurtBookfair2006.jpg

In his public addresses and in his writings, Dr. von Weizsäcker has been a strong and articulate advocate of democratic principles, tolerance, and social responsibility. He has been actively involved in food aid activities targeted at relieving global hunger problems.

Although now an elder statesman, Richard von Weizsäcker is still involved in politics and charitable affairs. He was the chair of a commission installed by the then social democratic-green government for reforming the Bundeswehr.

He has served on many international commissions. Notably, he served as chairman of the Independent Working Group on the future of the United Nations and as one of three 'Wise Men' appointed by European Commission President Romano Prodi to consider the future of the European Union.

His publications include Von Deutschland aus; Die deutsche Geschichte geht weiter; Von Deutschland nach Europa; and Vier Zeiten. His memoirs have been published as From Weimar to the Wall: My Life in German Politics (1999). He has received many honors in his career. These honors include an honorary doctorate from Johns Hopkins University in 1993 and the creation of the Richard von Weizsäcker Professorship at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of Johns Hopkins University and the Robert Bosch Foundation of Stuttgart in 2003. More than 11 other honorary doctorates ranging from the Weizmann Institute in Israel to Oxford, Cambridge and Harvard universities, the Ruprecht Karls University in Prague, the Leo Baeck Prize from the Central Council of Jews in Germany, and the Buber-Rosenzweig Medallion from the Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation.

[edit] Notes

Note regarding personal names: Freiherr is a title, translated as Baron, not a first or middle name. The female forms are Freifrau and Freiin.

Preceded by: Karl Carstens	President of Germany 1984 – 1994	Succeeded by: Roman Herzog
Preceded by: Hans-Jochen Vogel	Mayor of West Berlin 1981– 1984	Succeeded by: Eberhard Diepgen

Presidents of the Federal Republic of Germany <td style="vertical-align: middle; width: 1px" rowspan="2"> Image:Standarte des Bundespräsidenten.svg </td>
Theodor Heuss • Heinrich Lübke • Gustav Heinemann • Walter Scheel • Karl Carstens • Richard von Weizsäcker • Roman Herzog • Johannes Rau • Horst Köhler