Walter Scheel

**Walter Scheel** (8 July 1919 – 24 August 2016) was a German politician (FDP).

## Biography

Scheel was born in Solingen.
During World War II, he became a member of the Nazi Party and served in the Luftwaffe, the last years of the war as a Radar operator on a Me 110 night fighter.

He was federal minister of economic cooperation and development (1961–1966), but he persuaded the FDP to leave Ludwig Erhard's coalition government in late 1966. This forced elections in Germany, and Kurt Georg Kiesinger became chancellor.

In 1969 his party formed a new coalition with the Social Democrats. He became Foreign Minister and Vice Chancellor. With Willy Brandt his foreign policy meant the Federal Republic of Germany promised not to try and get back the parts of Germany given to Poland and the USSR. The treaty with Poland actually defined the western border of Poland, not the border between Poland and Germany. It is the same thing, but meant Poland could sign a treaty with West Germany that described the border of East Germany.

When Brandt resigned on 7 May 1974, Scheel, was acting chancellor, for about a week, until Helmut Schmidt was elected Chancellor.

A few weeks later, Scheel was elected Federal President of West Germany, a post he held from July 1974 until June 1979.

Like most ex German presidents, Scheel retired from political life term ended. He sometimes appeared on political talk shows or events. At the funeral of the murdered businessman Hanns Martin Schleyer in October 1977, Scheel gave a speech entitled _shame_.

## Death

Scheel died on 24 August 2016 following a long illness. Having lived to  he holds the record as the longest-lived German head of state, either imperial or elected.

## Infobox (officeholder)

- **name**: Walter Scheel
- **office**: President of Germany
<small>(West Germany)</small>
- **image**: Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1989-047-20, Walter Scheel.jpg
- **caption**: Walter Scheel in 1974
- **chancellor**: Helmut Schmidt
- **predecessor**: Gustav Heinemann
- **successor**: Karl Carstens
- **signature**: Signatur Walter Scheel.jpg
- **office2**: Chancellor of Germany
<small>(West Germany)
Acting</small>
- **predecessor2**: Willy Brandt
- **party**: Free Democratic Party (Germany), Free Democratic Party
- **successor2**: Helmut Schmidt
- **birth place**: Solingen, Weimar Republic
- **death place**: Bad Krozingen, Germany
- **otherparty**: Nazi Party <small>(1942–1945)</small>
- **spouse**:

- **children**: Ulrich
Cornelia
Simon Martin
Andrea-Gwendoline
- **term start**: 1 July 1974
- **term end**: 30 June 1979
- **term start2**: 7 May 1974
- **term end2**: 16 May 1974
- **office3**: Vice Chancellor of Germany
<small>(West Germany)</small>
- **term start3**: 21 October 1969
- **term end3**: 16 May 1974
- **chancellor3**: Willy Brandt
- **predecessor3**: Willy Brandt
- **successor3**: Hans-Dietrich Genscher
- **office4**: Minister for Foreign Affairs (Germany), Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs
- **term start4**: 21 October 1969
- **term end4**: 16 May 1974
- **chancellor4**: Willy Brandt
- **predecessor4**: Willy Brandt
- **successor4**: Hans-Dietrich Genscher
- **office5**: Presidium of the Bundestag, Vice President of the Bundestag
- **term start5**: 1967
- **term end5**: 1969
- **predecessor5**: Thomas Dehler
- **successor5**: Liselotte Funcke
- **office6**: Member of the European Parliament
 for West Germany
- **term start6**: 1 July 1956
- **term end6**: 20 November 1961
- **office7**: Bundestag, Member of the Bundestag
- **term start7**: 6 September 1953
- **term end7**: 27 June 1974