Gebhard Müller | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister-President of Baden-Württemberg | |
| In office 30 September 1953 – 9 December 1958 | |
| President | Theodor Heuss |
| Chancellor | Konrad Adenauer |
| Preceded by | Reinhold Maier |
| Succeeded by | Kurt Georg Kiesinger |
| 3rdPresident of the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany | |
| In office 8 January 1959 – 8 December 1971 | |
| Preceded by | Josef Wintrich |
| Succeeded by | Ernst Benda |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1900-04-17)17 April 1900 |
| Died | 7 August 1990(1990-08-07) (aged 90) |
| Nationality | German |
| Political party | CDU |
| Alma mater | University of Tübingen |
Gebhard Müller (17 April 1900 – 7 August 1990) was a German lawyer and politician (CDU). He wasPresident ofWürttemberg-Hohenzollern (1948–1952),Minister President ofBaden-Württemberg (1953–1958) and President of theFederal Constitutional Court of Germany (1959-1971). He was born inFüramoos and died inStuttgart.
Gebhard Müller was the fifth child of a teacher fromOberschwaben and lived in his birthplace Füramoos until 1906, from then in his father's new place of workLudwigsburg. He attended the Catholic elementary school in Ludwigsburg and later theGymnasium inRottweil.[1] In the last year ofWorld War I he was drafted and served in the Ludwigsburg barracks without having to march out. In 1919 Müller started studyingtheology,history andphilosophy at theUniversity of Tübingen. He later switched tolaw andpolitical science and passed his doctoral degree exam in the latter.[2]
Müller served as a legal clerk at the local district court in Ludwigsburg, the regional court and the Office ofPublic Prosecutor in Stuttgart, at the Oberamt Ludwigsburg and at a law firm.[3]
In June 1929 he served as deputy judge of local court in Stuttgart and Tübingen, prior to an intermittent leave of absence from civil service, which allowed him, from 1930 to 1933, to work as a tax consultant to the administration of thediocese of Rottenburg. In 1933, Müller returned to the civil service and served as judge of local courts in differentWürttemberg towns. Although he never became a member of theNazi Party, he joined a number ofNazi organizations, such as theAssociation of German National Socialist legal Professionals.[4]
On 9 November 1938 the so-calledKristallnacht, Müller filed charges against a Landrat (district chief executive), who had refused fire brigade operation at the burningGöppingensynagoge, he was transferred to the Stuttgart district court. Shortly before the start ofWorld War II Müller was drafted and took part in the campaign in France as a camp office clerk.[3]
After the war, Müller became the leader of the CDU in the provisional state ofWürttemberg-Hohenzollern in 1947, and soon won a seat to the assembly, situated inBebenhausen Abbey. He thus came to head the state government from 1948, as the CDU dominated the elections in 1946 (with 42 seats out of 68).[3]
As Minister President, Müller signed thelast death warrant executed in Germany (other than inEast Germany andWest Berlin, which had its own legal framework) of murdererRichard Schuh, who was beheaded on 18 February 1949. Müller, a proponent of capital punishment, did not relent even as theconstitution of Germany enacted later the same year outlawed capital punishment in the entire federal republic. The penalty remained formally on the books in the state for years after.[3]
Upon the joining of Baden and Württemberginto the significantly largerstate of Baden-Württemberg in 1952, Müller's CDU became the predominant party and he replaced liberal Reinhold Maier as the Minister President. Müller retained this post until he returned to his legal career as he was appointed to head theFederal Constitutional Court, now placed relatively close inKarlsruhe. He kept this office for a full tenure of 12 years and subsequently retired. He lived long enough to witness the collapse of theBerlin Wall in 1989, dying barely two months before reunification in 1990.[2]
| Kingdom of Württemberg |
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| Free People's State of Württemberg | ||
| Württemberg-Baden |
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| Württemberg-Hohenzollern | ||
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President:Eugen Gerstenmaier (CDU) | |||||||
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| OTHER |
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