# List of German interior ministers

The Federal Minister of the Interior (German: Bundesminister des Innern) is the head of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and a member of the Cabinet of Germany.
The current Federal Minister of the Interior is Nancy Faeser, since 8 December 2021.

## List of officeholders
### Secretaries of State for the Interior, 1879–1919

Political Party:  Zentrum
| Name (Birth–Death) | Party | Term of Office | Term of Office | Chancellor |
| Karl von Hofmann [de] (1827–1910) | N/A | 21 December 1879 | 31 August 1880 | Bismarck |
| Karl Heinrich von Boetticher (1833–1907) | N/A | 1 September 1880 | 1 July 1897 | Bismarck von Caprivi Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst |
| Arthur von Posadowsky-Wehner (1845–1932) | N/A | 1 July 1897 | 24 June 1907 | Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst von Bülow |
| Theobald von Bethmann Hollweg (1856–1921) | N/A | 24 June 1907 | 10 July 1909 | von Bülow |
| Clemens von Delbrück (1856–1921) | N/A | 14 July 1909 | 22 May 1916 | von Bethmann Hollweg |
| Karl Helfferich (1872–1924) | N/A | 22 May 1916 | 24 October 1917 | von Bethmann Hollweg Michaelis |
| Max Wallraf (1859–1941) | N/A | 25 October 1917 | 9 November 1918 | Michaelis von Hertling (I) von Baden (I) |
| Karl Trimborn (1854–1921) | Zentrum | 14 November 1918 | 13 February 1919 | Ebert (Council of the People's Deputies) |

### Ministers of the Interior, 1919–1945

Political Party:  DDP  DNVP  DVP  NSDAP  SPD  Zentrum
| No. | Minister of the Interior | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Cabinet |
| 1 | Preuß, HugoHugo Preuß (1860–1925) | 13 February 1919 | 20 June 1919 | 127 days | DDP | Scheidemann |
| 2 | David, EduardEduard David (1863–1930) | 21 June 1919 | 3 October 1919 | 104 days | SPD | Bauer |
| 3 | Koch-Weser, ErichErich Koch-Weser (1875–1944) | 3 October 1919 | 4 May 1921 | 1 year, 213 days | DDP | Bauer Müller I Fehrenbach |
| 4 | Gradnauer, GeorgGeorg Gradnauer (1866–1946) | 10 May 1921 | 22 October 1921 | 165 days | SPD | Wirth I |
| 5 | Köster, AdolfAdolf Köster (1883–1930) | 26 October 1921 | 14 November 1922 | 1 year, 19 days | SPD | Wirth II |
| 6 | Oeser, RudolfRudolf Oeser (1858–1926) | 22 November 1922 | 12 August 1923 | 263 days | DDP | Cuno |
| 7 | Sollmann, WilhelmWilhelm Sollmann (1881–1951) | 14 August 1923 | 3 November 1923 | 81 days | SPD | Stresemann I |
| 8 | Jarres, KarlKarl Jarres (1874–1951) | 11 November 1923 | 15 December 1924 | 1 year, 34 days | DVP | Stresemann II Marx I–II |
| 9 | Schiele, MartinMartin Schiele (1870–1939) | 15 January 1925 | 23 October 1925 | 281 days | DNVP | Luther I |
| – | Gessler, OttoOtto Gessler (1875–1955) Acting | 23 October 1925 | 5 December 1925 | 43 days | DDP | Luther I |
| 10 | Külz, WilhelmWilhelm Külz (1875–1948) | 20 January 1926 | 17 December 1926 | 331 days | DDP | Luther II Marx III |
| 11 | von Keudell, WalterWalter von Keudell (1884–1973) | January 1927 | 12 June 1928 | 1 year, 5 months | DNVP | Marx IV |
| 12 | Severing, CarlCarl Severing (1875–1952) | 28 June 1928 | 27 March 1930 | 1 year, 272 days | SPD | Müller II |
| 13 | Wirth, JosephJoseph Wirth (1879–1956) | 30 March 1930 | 7 October 1931 | 1 year, 191 days | Centre | Brüning I |
| 14 | Groener, WilhelmWilhelm Groener (1867–1939) | 9 October 1931 | 30 May 1932 | 234 days | Independent | Brüning II |
| 15 | von Gayl, WilhelmWilhelm von Gayl (1879–1945) | 1 June 1932 | 17 November 1932 | 169 days | DNVP | Papen |
| 16 | Bracht, FranzFranz Bracht (1877–1933) | 3 December 1932 | 28 January 1933 | 56 days | Independent | Schleicher |
| 17 | Frick, WilhelmWilhelm Frick (1877–1946) | 30 January 1933 | 20 August 1943 | 10 years, 202 days | NSDAP | Hitler |
| 18 | Himmler, HeinrichHeinrich Himmler (1900–1945) | 24 August 1943 | 29 April 1945 | 1 year, 248 days | NSDAP | Hitler |
| 19 | Giesler, PaulPaul Giesler (1895–1945) | 30 April 1945 | 2 May 1945 | 2 days | NSDAP | Goebbels |
| 20 | Stuckart, WilhelmWilhelm Stuckart (1902–1953) | 5 May 1945 | 23 May 1945 | 18 days | NSDAP | Schwerin von Krosigk |

### Ministers of the Interior of the GDR, 1949–1990

Political Party:  SED  DSU
| No. | Minister of the Interior | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Chairman |
| 1 | Steinhoff, KarlKarl Steinhoff (1892–1981) | 11 October 1949 | 6 May 1953 | 3 years, 6 months | SED | Grotewohl |
| 2 | Stoph, WilliWilli Stoph (1914–1999) | 6 May 1953 | 1 July 1955 | 2 years, 1 month | SED | Grotewohl |
| 3 | Maron, KarlKarl Maron (1903–1975) | 1 July 1955 | 14 November 1963 | 8 years, 4 months | SED | Grotewohl |
| 4 | Dickel, FriedrichFriedrich Dickel (1913–1993) | 14 November 1963 | 18 November 1989 | 26 years | SED | Grotewohl Stoph Sindermann Stoph |
| 5 | Ahrendt, LotharLothar Ahrendt (born 1936) | 18 November 1989 | 12 April 1990 | 4 months | SED | Modrow |
| 6 | Diestel, Peter-MichaelPeter-Michael Diestel (born 1952) | 12 April 1990 | 2 October 1990 | 5 months | DSU | de Maizière |

### Ministers of the Interior (Bundesminister des Innern), since 1949

Political Party:  CDU  CSU  FDP  SPD
| No. | Minister of the Interior | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | Cabinet |
| 1 | Heinemann, GustavGustav Heinemann (1899–1976) | 20 September 1949 | 11 October 1950 | 1 year, 21 days | CDU | Adenauer I |
| 2 | Lehr, RobertRobert Lehr (1883–1956) | 11 October 1950 | 20 October 1953 | 3 years, 9 days | CDU | Adenauer I |
| 3 | Schröder, GerhardGerhard Schröder (1910–1989) | 20 October 1953 | 13 November 1961 | 8 years, 24 days | CDU | Adenauer II–III |
| 4 | Höcherl, HermannHermann Höcherl (1912–1989) | 14 November 1961 | 25 October 1965 | 3 years, 345 days | CSU | Adenauer IV–V Erhard I |
| 5 | Lücke, PaulPaul Lücke (1914–1976) | 26 October 1965 | 2 April 1968 | 2 years, 159 days | CDU | Erhard II Kiesinger |
| 6 | Benda, ErnstErnst Benda (1925–2009) | 2 April 1968 | 21 October 1969 | 1 year, 202 days | CDU | Kiesinger |
| 7 | Genscher, Hans-DietrichHans-Dietrich Genscher (1927–2016) | 22 October 1969 | 16 May 1974 | 4 years, 216 days | FDP | Brandt I–II |
| 8 | Maihofer, WernerWerner Maihofer (1918–2009) | 16 May 1974 | 8 June 1978 | 4 years, 23 days | FDP | Schmidt I–II |
| 9 | Baum, GerhartGerhart Baum (1932–2025) | 8 June 1978 | 17 September 1982 | 4 years, 101 days | FDP | Schmidt II–III |
| 10 | Schmude, JürgenJürgen Schmude (1936–2025) | 17 September 1982 | 1 October 1982 | 14 days | SPD | Schmidt III |
| 11 | Zimmermann, FriedrichFriedrich Zimmermann (1925–2012) | 4 October 1982 | 21 April 1989 | 6 years, 199 days | CSU | Kohl I–II–III |
| 12 | Schäuble, WolfgangWolfgang Schäuble (1942–2023) | 21 April 1989 | 26 November 1991 | 2 years, 219 days | CDU | Kohl III–IV |
| 13 | Seiters, RudolfRudolf Seiters (born 1937) | 26 November 1991 | 7 July 1993 | 1 year, 223 days | CDU | Kohl IV |
| 14 | Kanther, ManfredManfred Kanther (born 1939) | 7 July 1993 | 27 October 1998 | 5 years, 112 days | CDU | Kohl IV–V |
| 15 | Schily, OttoOtto Schily (born 1932) | 27 October 1998 | 22 November 2005 | 7 years, 26 days | SPD | Schröder I–II |
| (12) | Schäuble, WolfgangWolfgang Schäuble (1942–2023) | 22 November 2005 | 28 October 2009 | 3 years, 340 days | CDU | Merkel I |
| 16 | Maizière, ThomasThomas de Maizière (born 1954) | 28 October 2009 | 3 March 2011 | 1 year, 126 days | CDU | Merkel II |
| 17 | Friedrich, Hans-PeterHans-Peter Friedrich (born 1957) | 3 March 2011 | 17 December 2013 | 2 years, 289 days | CSU | Merkel II |
| (16) | Maizière, ThomasThomas de Maizière (born 1954) | 17 December 2013 | 14 March 2018 | 4 years, 87 days | CDU | Merkel III |
| 18 | Seehofer, HorstHorst Seehofer (born 1949) | 14 March 2018 | 8 December 2021 | 3 years, 269 days | CSU | Merkel IV |
| 19 | Faeser, NancyNancy Faeser (born 1970) | 8 December 2021 | Incumbent | 3 years, 79 days | SPD | Scholz |