Wolfgang Gerhardt

Wolfgang Gerhardt
Gerhardt in 2016
Leader of the Opposition
In office 22 November 2005 – 1 May 2006
Chancellor	Angela Merkel
Preceded by	Angela Merkel
Succeeded by	Guido Westerwelle
Leader of the Free Democratic Party in the Bundestag
In office 5 October 1998 – 1 May 2006
Preceded by	Hermann Otto Solms
Succeeded by	Guido Westerwelle
Leader of the Free Democratic Party
In office 10 June 1995 – 4 May 2001
Deputy	Cornielia Schmatz-Jacobsen Jürgen Bohn Rainer Brüderle Cornelia Pieper Walter Döring
Preceded by	Klaus Kinkel
Succeeded by	Guido Westerwelle
Deputy Leader of the Free Democratic Party
In office 23 February 1985 – 10 June 1995
Leader	Martin Bangemann Otto Graf Lambsdorff Klaus Kinkel
Preceded by	Jürgen Morlok
Succeeded by	Rainer Brüderle
Deputy Minister President of Hesse
In office 24 April 1987 – 5 April 1991
Minister President	Walter Wallmann
Preceded by	Hans Krollmann
Succeeded by	Joschka Fischer
Representative of Hesse to the Federation
In office 24 April 1987 – 5 April 1991
Minister President	Walter Wallmann
Preceded by	Willi Görlach
Succeeded by	Ulrike Rieder
Hessian Minister of Science and Art
In office 24 April 1987 – 5 April 1991
Minister President	Walter Wallmann
Preceded by	Vera Rüdiger
Succeeded by	Evelies Mayer
Member of the Bundestag for Hesse
In office 16 October 1994 – 22 September 2013
Constituency	Free Democratic List
Personal details
Born	(1943-12-31)31 December 1943 Ulrichstein, Gau Hesse-Nassau, Greater German Reich
Died	13 September 2024(2024-09-13) (aged 80) Wiesbaden, Hesse, Germany
Political party	German: Free Democratic Party EU: Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe

Wolfgang Gerhardt (31 December 1943 – 13 September 2024) was a German politician and the leader of the Free Democratic Party of Germany (FDP) from 1995 until he was succeeded by Guido Westerwelle in 2001.

Political career

Gerhardt was born in Ulrichstein, Hesse. He studied pedagogics, political science and German studies and completed his doctorate 1970 in Marburg. He was a member of the Landtag of Hesse from 1978 until 1994. Between 1987 and 1991, he served as State Minister for Science and Culture and Deputy Minister-President in the state government of Minister-President Walter Wallmann of Hesse. In this capacity, he was one of the state's representatives on the Bundesrat.

Gerhardt was member of the Deutscher Bundestag from 1994 to 2013. Gerhardt served as chair of the Free Democratic Party from 1995 to 2001 and also chaired its grouping in the Bundestag from 1998 to 2006.

From 2002 until 2012, Gerhardt was Vice President of Liberal International (LI), under the leadership of successive presidents Annemie Neyts-Uyttebroeck (2002–2005), John Alderdice (2005–2009), and Hans van Baalen (2009–2011).

Ahead of the 2005 national elections, Gerhard was billed as a possible foreign minister in a new centre-right coalition with the Christian Democrats; instead, newly elected Chancellor Angela Merkel entered a coalition with the Social Democratic Party. From 2006 to 2018, Gerhardt served as chairman of the board of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation.

Political positions

Gerhardt campaigned for a free pluralistic society and advocated for personal responsibility and independent judgment. He was concerned about fair educational opportunities.

For some of his opponents, Gerhardt was too calm. He was succeeded in his most influential positions as Leader of the Opposition, Leader of the Free Democratic Party in the Bundestag and Leader of the Free Democratic Party by Guido Westerwelle.

Other activities

Source:

Corporate boards

• Alte Leipziger Lebensversicherung aG, Member of the Advisory Board
• Hallesche-Nationale Krankenversicherung aG, Member of the Advisory Board
• Rücker AG, Member of the Supervisory Board
• Deutsche Vermögensberatung (DVAG), Member of the Advisory Board (1995)

Non-profits

• Theodor Heuss House, Chairman of the Board of Trustees
• Max Planck Institute for Heart and Lung Research, Member of the Board of Trustees
• German Association for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses (BVMW), Member of the Political Advisory Board
• Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Member of the Advisory Board
• German Institute for International and Security Affairs (SWP), Member of the Council (2005–2013)
• Turkey: Culture of Change Initiative (TCCI), Member of the Advisory Board

Personal life and death

Gerhardt was married and had two children. He died in Wiesbaden, Hesse, on 13 September 2024, at the age of 80.

Writings

• Gerhardt, Wolfgang (1997). Es geht (in German). München: Ferenczy bei Bruckmann. ISBN 978-3-7654-2883-8.

Dissertation

• Gerhardt, Wolfgang (1971). Die bildungspolitische Diskussion in der FDP von 1945–1951 (in German). OCLC 612941060.

Further reading

Obituaries

• Euler, Ralf (13 September 2024). "Wolfgang Gerhardt gestorben: Ex-FDP-Chef überzeugte mit leisen Tönen". FAZ.NET (in German). Retrieved 14 September 2024.
• "Die Freien Demokraten trauern um Dr. Wolfgang Gerhardt". FDP (in German). 13 September 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
• "Hessens Landtagspräsidentin Astrid Wallmann zum Tod von Dr. Wolfgang Gerhardt". Hessischer Landtag (in German). 13 September 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
• Serrao, Marc Felix (13 September 2024). "Wolfgang Gerhardt ist tot – der leise Liberale". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 14 September 2024.

External links

• Reden Wolfgang Gerhardt – Friedrich Naumann Stiftung