Guido Westerwelle
| Guido Westerwelle | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Minister of Foreign Affairs | |
|
In office 28 October 2009 – 17 December 2013 |
|
| Chancellor | Angela Merkel |
| Preceded by | Frank-Walter Steinmeier |
| Succeeded by | Frank-Walter Steinmeier |
| Vice Chancellor of Germany | |
|
In office 28 October 2009 – 16 May 2011 |
|
| Chancellor | Angela Merkel |
| Preceded by | Frank-Walter Steinmeier |
| Succeeded by | Philipp Rösler |
| Leader of the Free Democratic Party | |
|
In office 4 May 2001 – 13 May 2011 |
|
| Preceded by | Wolfgang Gerhardt |
| Succeeded by | Philipp Rösler |
| Member of the Bundestag | |
|
In office 1996 – 2013 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born |
27 December 1961 Bad Honnef, West Germany (now Germany) |
| Died | 18 March 2016 (aged 54) Cologne, Germany |
| Cause of death | Leukemia |
| Political party | Free Democratic Party |
| Domestic partner | Michael Mronz |
| Alma mater |
University of Bonn University of Hagen |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
Guido Westerwelle (German: [ˈɡiːdo ˈvɛstɐˌvɛlə]; 27 December 1961 – 18 March 2016) was a German politician who served as Foreign Minister in the second cabinet of Chancellor Angela Merkel and as Vice Chancellor of Germany from 2009 to 2011, being the first openly gay person to hold any of these positions. He was also the chairman of the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP) from May 2001 until he stepped down in 2011. A lawyer by profession, he was a member of the Bundestag from 1996 to 2013.
Guido Westerwelle was born in Bad Honnef in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. His parents were lawyers. He graduated from Ernst Moritz Arndt Gymnasium in 1980 after academic struggles resulted in his departure from previous institutions where he was considered an average student at best, but substandard otherwise. He studied law at the University of Bonn from 1980 to 1987. Following the First and Second State Law Examinations in 1987 and 1991 respectively, he began practising as an attorney in Bonn in 1991. In 1994, he earned a doctoral degree in law from FernUniversität Hagen.
Westerwelle joined the FDP in 1980. He was a founding member of the Junge Liberale (Young Liberals), the youth organization of that party, and was its chairman from 1983 to 1988. In a 1988 newspaper interview, he singled out the FDP's rejection of an amnesty for tax offenders and its diminished enthusiasm for nuclear power as fruits of the youth wing's labors.
...
Wikipedia