Helmut Schmidt
| Helmut Schmidt | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) | |
|
In office 16 May 1974 – 1 October 1982 |
|
| President |
Gustav Heinemann Walter Scheel Karl Carstens |
| Deputy |
Hans-Dietrich Genscher Egon Franke |
| Preceded by | Willy Brandt |
| Succeeded by | Helmut Kohl |
| Minister for Finance | |
|
In office 7 July 1972 – 16 May 1974 |
|
| Chancellor | Willy Brandt |
| Preceded by | Karl Schiller |
| Succeeded by | Hans Apel |
| Minister for Economics | |
|
In office 7 July 1972 – 15 December 1972 |
|
| Chancellor | Willy Brandt |
| Preceded by | Karl Schiller |
| Succeeded by | Hans Friderichs |
| Minister for Defense | |
|
In office 22 October 1969 – 7 July 1972 |
|
| Chancellor | Willy Brandt |
| Preceded by | Gerhard Schröder |
| Succeeded by | Georg Leber |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt 23 December 1918 Hamburg, Weimar Republic |
| Died |
10 November 2015 (aged 96) Hamburg, Germany |
| Political party | Social Democratic Party |
| Spouse(s) | Loki Glaser (1942–2010) |
| Domestic partner | Ruth Loah (2012–2015) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | University of Hamburg |
| Religion | Lutheranism |
| Signature |  |
Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt (German pronunciation: [ˈhɛlmuːt ˈha͡ɪnʁɪç ˈvaldəmaːɐ ˈʃmɪt]; 23 December 1918 – 10 November 2015) was a German statesman and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), who served as Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) from 1974 to 1982.
Before becoming Chancellor, he had served as Minister of Defence (1969–1972) and as Minister of Finance (1972–1974). In the latter role he gained credit for his financial policies. He had also served briefly as Minister of Economics and as acting Foreign Minister. As Chancellor, he focused on international affairs, seeking "political unification of Europe in partnership with the United States". He was an energetic diplomat who sought European co-operation and international economic co-ordination. He was re-elected chancellor in 1976 and 1980, but his coalition fell apart in 1982 with the switch by his coalition allies, the Free Democratic Party.
He retired from Parliament in 1986, after clashing with the SPD's left wing, who opposed him on defence and economic issues. In 1986 he was a leading proponent of European monetary union and a European Central Bank.
Helmut Schmidt was born as the eldest of two sons of teachers Ludovica Koch (1890–1968) and Gustav Ludwig Schmidt (1888–1981) in Barmbek, a rough working-class district of Hamburg, in 1918. Schmidt studied at Hamburg Lichtwark School, graduating in 1937. Schmidt's father was born the biological son of a German Jewish banker, Ludwig Gumpel, and a Christian waitress, Friederike Wenzel, and then covertly adopted, although this was kept a family secret for many years. This was confirmed publicly by Schmidt in 1984, after Valéry Giscard d'Estaing revealed the fact to journalists, apparently with Schmidt's assent. Schmidt himself was a non-practising Lutheran.
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