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Karl Heinrich Lübkeb. 14 Oct 1894, Enkhausen, Westphalia, German Reich |
| Title: | Bundespräsident (Federal President) |
| Term: | 13 Sep 1959 - 12 Sep 1964 |
| Chronology: | 1 Jul 1959, elected by the 3rd Federal Assembly, Ostpreußenhalle, Berlin [1, pp. 94-101, 104-121] |
| 13 Sep 1959, 00:00, term begun | |
| 15 Sep 1959, oath of office taken in the presence of the members of Bundestag and Bundesrat, Bonn [2] | |
| 12 Sep 1964, 24:00, term expired | |
| Term: | 13 Sep 1964 - 30 Jun 1969 |
| Chronology: | 1 Jul 1964, re-elected by the 4th Federal Assembly, Ostpreußenhalle, Berlin [1, pp. 144-151] |
| 13 Sep 1964, 00:00, term begun | |
| 14 Oct 1968, announced his intention to resign at a public reception in Bonn with resignation to become effective 30 Jun 1969 | |
| 6 Jun 1969, a formal note sent to the presidents of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat and to the Federal Chancellor confirming the announced resignation to be effective 30 Jun 1969 |
| Biography: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As a student Heinrich Lübke became a volunteer in the German army (1914-1918) and served during World War I. He graduated as agricultural engineer in 1921 and held a number of executive positions in German farmer associations in the 1930s. As a member of the Catholic Center Party, he was elected to the Prussian Landtag (member Apr 1932 to Oct 1933). After the Nazi party came to power he was dismissed from all posts and faced charges on corruption, which were never proved. In the pre-war years and during World War II, Lübke was involved in construction and housing business. He joined the Christian Democrats (CDU) in 1945 and became a member of the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia (2 Oct 1946 - Sep 1952). He was appointed minister for food, agriculture and forests in the local government of North Rhine-Westphalia (6 Jan 1947 - 31 Dec 1952). Elected to the Bundestag (member 14 Aug 1949 - 2 Oct 1950, 6 Sep 1953 - 2 Sep 1959), Lübke headed the parliamentary committee for agriculture, but soon resigned. He was re-elected to the Bundestag in 1953 and became federal minister for food, agriculture and forests (20 Oct 1953 - 12 Sep 1959). In 1959, the Federal Chancellor and the CDU leader Konrad Adenauer supported Lübke as a candidate at the presidential elections. Lübke served two consecutive terms as head of state. He tried to give more political weight to the office by participating in legislative process and by supporting the initiatives to help the "third world" countries. By the end of his second term, Lübke became a target of criticism in East Germany for his cooperation with the Nazi regime in construction of military objects during the war. The public opinion in West Germany was also stirred and Lübke had to provide explanations in an address that was broadcast in March 1968. As his health seriously deteriorated, Lübke announced his intention to resign at a public reception on the occasion of his 74th birthday (14 Oct 1968). On 6 June 1969 Lübke formally notified the presidents of the Bundestag and the Bundesrat as well as Chancellor Kurt Georg Kiesinger that he "resigns from the office of Federal President as of the end of 30 June 1969" [3, p. 578]. Biography source: [3][4] |
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| Election results: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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] | Swearing-in ceremony was postponed to hold it on the same day when the 10th anniversary of appointment of the first Federal Chancellor was observed (15 Sep 1959). Lübke did not exercise presidential functions before his swearing-in. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| [3] | "Heinrich Lübke. Eine politische Biographie", by Rudolf Morsey (Paderborn: Schöningh, 1996). |
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| [4] | "Die Bundespräsidenten: Biographien eines Amtes", by Günther Scholz (Heidelberg: Decker & Müller, 1990). | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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