Konrad Adenauer (1876-1967)
Even for politicians the age of 73 is quite late to start a national political career. Chairman Konrad Adenauer of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) was that old when he was elected as first Chancellor of the new federal republic of West Germany. This was in 1949. The typical father figure (he was called Der Alte – The Old) had previously been mayor of Cologne. In that function, he refused to receive Adolf Hitler in 1933 and was temporarily held in custody by the Gestapo somewhat later. From 1935, he withdrew from political life until after World War II.
Adenauer reigned from 1949 to 1963, during which period Germany transformed from much maligned country to a valuable member of the European Community and a trustworthy ally of the West. Especially the latter was an Adenauer contribution, since the sincere catholic was a fanatic anti-communist. The story goes he told the Pope: "God ordered the Germans to stop the godless communism".
Integration in Europe stood high on his agenda. He was one of the founders of the European Coal and Steel Community in 1957. Two years before Germany had become a member of NATO. Economically the country was also revived, which led the people to re-elect Chancellor Adenauer three times. At the age of 87, he was succeeded by Ludwig Erhard. He died in April 1967.
Some highlights from his political life:
- 1917 elected mayor of Cologne
- 1933 refuses to receive Hitler and leaves Cologne a few weeks later
- 1945 reappointed mayor of Cologne by the American military regime, but abducted by the British half a year later
- 1946 elected chairman of the newly founded CDU
- 1949 elected first Chancellor of the German republic by only a small margin
- 1958 meets French prime-minister De Gaulle for the first of many times
- 1959 visited by US president Eisenhower
- 1963 visited by US president Kennedy