# List of presidents of Germany

A number of presidential offices have existed in Germany since the collapse of the German Empire in 1918.
The Weimar Constitution of August 1919 created the office of President of the Reich (German: Reichspräsident). Upon the death of Paul von Hindenburg in August 1934, the office was left vacant, with Adolf Hitler becoming head of state as Führer und Reichskanzler (retroactively approved by a referendum). In April–May 1945, Karl Dönitz briefly became President upon the suicide of Hitler (in accordance with Hitler's last will and testament).
The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany of May 1949 created the office of Federal President of the Federal Republic of Germany (German: Bundespräsident der Bundesrepublik Deutschland). Since German reunification in 1990, the President has been the head of state for all of Germany.
The East German constitution of October 1949 created the office of President of the German Democratic Republic (German: Präsident der Deutschen Demokratischen Republik). Upon the death of Wilhelm Pieck in 1960, the office of president was replaced by a collective head of state, the Staatsrat ("State Council"). After the Staatsrat was abolished on 5 April 1990, the president of the Volkskammer ("People's Chamber") served as head of state until East Germany joined the Federal Republic on 3 October 1990

## Weimar Republic (1919–1933)

SPD  None
† denotes people who died in office.
| Reichspräsident | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Election |
| Ebert, FriedrichFriedrich Ebert (1871–1925) | 11 February 1919 | 28 February 1925 † | 6 years, 17 days | SPD | 1919 |
| Luther, HansHans Luther (1879–1962) Acting | 28 February 1925 | 12 March 1925 | 12 days | Independent | – |
| Simons, WalterWalter Simons (1861–1937) Acting | 12 March 1925 | 12 May 1925 | 61 days | Independent | – |
| Hindenburg, PaulGeneralfeldmarschall Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934) | 12 May 1925 | 21 March 1933 | 7 years, 313 days | Independent | 1925 1932 |

## Nazi Germany (1933–1945)

None  NSDAP
† denotes people who died in office.
| Reichspräsident | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Election |
| Hindenburg, PaulGeneralfeldmarschall Paul von Hindenburg (1847–1934) | 21 March 1933 | 2 August 1934 † | 1 year, 143 days | Independent | 1925 1932 |
| Hitler, AdolfAdolf Hitler (1889–1945) Führer und Reichskanzler | 2 August 1934 | 30 April 1945 † | 10 years, 271 days | NSDAP | – |
| Dönitz, KarlGroßadmiral Karl Dönitz (1891–1980) | 30 April 1945 | 23 May 1945 | 23 days | NSDAP | – |

## German Democratic Republic (East Germany) (1949–1990)

† denotes people who died in office.
| Portrait | Name | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party |
| President of the Republic Präsident der Republik |||||||
| | Pieck, WilhelmWilhelm Pieck (1876–1960) | 11 October 1949 | 7 September 1960 † | 10 years, 332 days | SED |
| | Dieckmann, JohannesJohannes Dieckmann (1893–1969) Acting | 7 September 1960 | 12 September 1960 | 5 days | LDPD |
| Chairman of the State Council Vorsitzender des Staatsrats |||||||
| | Ulbricht, WalterWalter Ulbricht (1893–1973) | 12 September 1960 | 1 August 1973 † | 12 years, 323 days | SED |
| | Ebert, FriedrichFriedrich Ebert Jr. (1894–1979) Acting | 1 August 1973 | 3 October 1973 | 63 days | SED |
| | Stoph, WilliWilli Stoph (1914–1999) | 3 October 1973 | 29 October 1976 | 3 years, 26 days | SED |
| | Honecker, ErichErich Honecker (1912–1994) | 29 October 1976 | 18 October 1989 (resigned) | 12 years, 354 days | SED |
| | Krenz, EgonEgon Krenz (born 1937) | 18 October 1989 | 6 December 1989 (resigned) | 49 days | SED |
| | Gerlach, ManfredManfred Gerlach (1928–2011) | 6 December 1989 | 5 April 1990 (office abolished) | 120 days | LDPD |
| President of the People's Chamber Präsident der Volkskammer |||||||
| | Bergmann-Pohl, SabineSabine Bergmann-Pohl (born 1946) | 5 April 1990 | 2 October 1990 (office abolished) | 180 days | CDU |

## Federal Republic of Germany (1949–present)

† denotes people who died in office.
| Bundespräsident | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Election |
| Heuss, TheodorTheodor Heuss (1884–1963) | 12 September 1949 | 12 September 1959 | 10 years | FDP | 1949 1954 |
| Lübke, HeinrichHeinrich Lübke (1894–1972) | 13 September 1959 | 30 June 1969 (resigned) | 9 years, 290 days | CDU | 1959 1964 |
| Heinemann, GustavGustav Heinemann (1899–1976) | 1 July 1969 | 30 June 1974 | 4 years, 364 days | SPD | 1969 |
| Scheel, WalterWalter Scheel (1919–2016) | 1 July 1974 | 30 June 1979 | 4 years, 364 days | FDP | 1974 |
| Carstens, KarlKarl Carstens (1914–1992) | 1 July 1979 | 30 June 1984 | 4 years, 365 days | CDU | 1979 |
| Weizsäcker, RichardRichard von Weizsäcker (1920–2015) | 1 July 1984 | 30 June 1994 | 9 years, 364 days | CDU | 1984 1989 |
| Herzog, RomanRoman Herzog (1934–2017) | 1 July 1994 | 30 June 1999 | 4 years, 364 days | CDU | 1994 |
| Rau, JohannesJohannes Rau (1931–2006) | 1 July 1999 | 30 June 2004 | 4 years, 365 days | SPD | 1999 |
| Köhler, HorstHorst Köhler (1943–2025) | 1 July 2004 | 31 May 2010 (resigned) | 5 years, 334 days | CDU | 2004 2009 |
| Böhrnsen, JensJens Böhrnsen (born 1949) Acting | 31 May 2010 | 30 June 2010 | 30 days | SPD | – |
| Wulff, ChristianChristian Wulff (born 1959) | 30 June 2010 | 17 February 2012 (resigned) | 1 year, 232 days | CDU | 2010 |
| Seehofer, HorstHorst Seehofer (born 1949) Acting | 17 February 2012 | 18 March 2012 | 30 days | CSU | – |
| Gauck, JoachimJoachim Gauck (born 1940) | 18 March 2012 | 18 March 2017 | 5 years | Independent | 2012 |
| Steinmeier, Frank-WalterFrank-Walter Steinmeier (born 1956) | 19 March 2017 | Incumbent | 7 years, 336 days | SPD | 2017 2022 |