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Theodor Heussb. 31 Jan 1884, Brackenheim, Württemberg, German Reich |
| Title: | Bundespräsident (Federal President) |
| Term: | 13 Sep 1949 - 12 Sep 1954 |
| Chronology: | 12 Sep 1949, elected by the 1st Federal Assembly, Bundeshaus, Bonn [1, pp. 41-44, 48-52] |
| 12 Sep 1949, oath of office taken in the presence of the members of Bundestag and Bundesrat, Bundeshaus, Bonn | |
| 13 Sep 1949, 00:00, 1st term begun | |
| 12 Sep 1954, 24:00, 1st term expired | |
| Term: | 13 Sep 1954 - 12 Sep 1959 |
| Chronology: | 17 Jul 1954, re-elected by the 2nd Federal Assembly, Ostpreußenhalle, Berlin [1, pp. 68-78] |
| 13 Sep 1954, 00:00, 2nd term begun | |
| 12 Sep 1959, 24:00, 2nd term expired |
| Biography: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
After receiving a degree in economics, Heuss was an editor on several newspapers and taught at the "Hochschule für Politik" in Berlin. A member of the German Democratic Party (DDP) since 1918, he served in the Reichstag in 1924-28. Then he joined the German State Party (DSP) and also was elected to the Reichstag in 1930-33. Heuss was an author of many biographical books about German celebrities written in 1937-1945. After World War II, he headed the Democratic People's Party in the US occupation zone. In 1946 he was elected to the constituent assembly and to the Landtag of Württemberg-Baden. Heuss helped found the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and became its first chairman in December 1948. He was elected to the Bundestag in the course of the first federal elections on 14 Aug 1949. The Federal Assembly elected Heuss first Federal President on 12 Sep 1949. The office of federal president moved to Bonn in December 1950. Heuss easily won reelection in 1954 and succeeded in promoting the image of a new democratic Germany. When his second presidential term came to an end, there were proposals for amending the constitution to allow the third reelection, but Heuss declined it and retired from politics. Biography source: [4; 5] |
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| Sources and notes: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [1] | "Die Bundesversammlungen 1949-1994 - Eine Dokumentation aus Anlaß der Wahl des Bundespräsidenten am 23. Mai 1999" (Bonn: Deutscher Bundestag, 1999). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [2] | Not nominated. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [3] | Nominated against his will by the Communist Party. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [4] | "Die Bundespräsidenten: Biographien eines Amtes", by Günther Scholz (Heidelberg: Decker & Müller, 1990). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [5] | Projekt Theodor Heuss (web site) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Image: photograph, Deutsches Historisches Museum, Berlin. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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