Walter Scheel

Walter Scheel
8th President of Germany 4th President of the Federal Republic of Germany
In office 1 July 1974 – 30 June 1979
Preceded by	Gustav Heinemann
Succeeded by	Karl Carstens
Personal details
Born	(1919-07-08)8 July 1919 Solingen, Germany
Died	24 August 2016(2016-08-24) (aged 97)
Nationality	German
Political party	FDP
Spouse(s)	Eva Charlotte Kronenberg (1942–1966) Mildred Scheel (1969–1985) Barbara Wiese (1988–present)
Religion	Protestant

Walter Scheel (8 July 1919 – 24 August 2016) was a German politician (FDP).

Biography

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

He was federal minister of economic cooperation and development (1961–1966), but he persuaded the FDP to leave Ludwig Erhard's coalition government in late 1966. This forced elections in Germany, and Kurt Georg Kiesinger became chancellor.

In 1969 his party formed a new coalition with the Social Democrats. He became Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor. With Willy Brandt his foreign policy meant the Federal Republic of Germany promised not to try and get back the parts of Germany given to Poland and the USSR. The treaty with Poland actually defined the western border of Poland, not the border between Poland and Germany. It is the same thing, but meant Poland could sign a treaty with West Germany that described the border of East Germany.

When Brandt resigned on 7 May 1974, Scheel, was acting chancellor, for about a week, until Helmut Schmidt was elected Chancellor.

Walter Scheel with Jimmy Carter

A few weeks later, Scheel was elected Federal President of West Germany, a post he held from July 1974 until June 1979.

Like most ex German presidents, Scheel retired from political life term ended. He sometimes appeared on political talk shows or events. At the funeral of the murdered businessman Hanns Martin Schleyer in October 1977, Scheel gave a speech entitled shame.

Death

Scheel died on 24 August 2016 following a long illness. Having lived to 97 years, 47 days he holds the record as the longest-lived German head of state, either imperial or elected.