Richard von Weizsäcker

Richard von Weizsäcker
10th President of Germany 6th President of the Federal Republic of Germany
In office 1 July 1984 – 30 June 1994
Preceded by	Karl Carstens
Succeeded by	Roman Herzog
Personal details
Born	15 April 1920 (1920-04-15) Stuttgart, Germany
Nationality	German
Political party	CDU
Spouse(s)	Marianne Freifrau von Weizsäcker

Richard von Weizsäcker as part of his father's defence team at the Ministries Trial

Dr. Richard Freiherr von Weizsäcker  listen (info • help) (born 15 April 1920) is a German politician, and a member of the CDU party. He was President of Germany from 1984 to 1994.

He was born in Stuttgart, the son of the diplomat Ernst von Weizsäcker and brother of physicist and philosopher Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker. His grandfather Carl von Weizsäcker had been Minister President of Württemberg

In World War II he served in the German Army. He was wounded in East Prussia in 1945 and was sent home to Stuttgart. Then he continued his study of history in Göttingen and eventually studied law. As a law student he was a member of his father's defence team at the Eleventh secondary Nuremburg Trial aka the Ministries Trial. He took his first judicial state exam in 1950, the second in 1953, and in 1955 was promoted doctor juris. In 1953 he married Marianne von Kretschmann; they have four children.

Richard von Weizsäcker joined the CDU in 1954 and was a member of the Bundestag (German Parliament) from 1969 to 1981. He was elected vice president of the Bundestag 1979-1981, but did not stand for re-election, because he became the Governing Mayor (German: Regierender Bürgermeister) of West Berlin (1981-1984).

He was elected President of Germany by the Bundesversammlung (Federal Convention) in 1984, succeeding Karl Carstens.

Although now an elder statesman, Richard von Weizsäcker is still involved in politics and charitable affairs. He was the chair of a commission installed by the then SPD-Bündnis 90/Die Grünen government for reforming the Bundeswehr.

He has served on many international commissions. He was chairman of the Independent Working Group on the future of the United Nations and was one of three 'Wise Men' appointed by European Commission President Romano Prodi to consider the future of the European Union.

Von Weizsäcker has written may books, including

• Von Deutschland aus
• Die deutsche Geschichte geht weiter
• Von Deutschland nach Europa
• Vier Zeiten

His autobiograghy is called From Weimar to the Wall: My Life in German Politics (1999).