Christian Wulff facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Christian Wulff
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Wulff in 2014
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| President of Germany | |
| In office 30 June 2010 – 17 February 2012 |
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| Chancellor | Angela Merkel |
| Preceded by | Horst Köhler |
| Succeeded by | Joachim Gauck |
| Minister-President of Lower Saxony | |
| In office 4 March 2003 – 30 June 2010 |
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| Deputy | Walter Hirche Philipp Rösler Jörg Bode |
| Preceded by | Sigmar Gabriel |
| Succeeded by | David McAllister |
| Deputy Leader of the Christian Democratic Union |
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| In office 7 November 1998 – 30 June 2010 |
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| Leader | Wolfgang Schäuble Angela Merkel |
| Preceded by | Angela Merkel |
| Succeeded by | Ursula von der Leyen |
| Leader of the Christian Democratic Union of Lower Saxony |
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| In office 20 June 1994 – 19 June 2008 |
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| Preceded by | Josef Stock |
| Succeeded by | David McAllister |
| Leader of the Christian Democratic Union in the Landtag of Lower Saxony | |
| In office 23 June 1994 – 4 March 2003 |
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| Preceded by | Jürgen Gansäuer |
| Succeeded by | David McAllister |
| Member of the Landtag of Lower Saxony for Osnabrück-West |
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| In office 23 June 1994 – 11 June 2010 |
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| Preceded by | Karin Detert-Weber |
| Succeeded by | Fritz Güntzler |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 19 June 1959 Osnabrück, Lower Saxony, West Germany |
| Political party | Christian Democratic Union |
| Spouses |
Christiane Vogt
(m. 1988; div. 2006)Bettina Körner
(m. 2008; div. 2020)
(m. 2023, separated) |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Großburgwedel |
| Alma mater | University of Osnabrück |
| Awards | Toleranzpreis der Evangelischen Akademie Tutzing (2014) |
| Signature |  |
Christian Wilhelm Walter Wulff (born 19 June 1959) is a retired German politician and lawyer. He served as the President of Germany from 2010 to 2012. As a member of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), he was also the minister president (like a governor) of the German state of Lower Saxony from 2003 to 2010.
Wulff was elected president on 30 June 2010. At age 51, he became the youngest person to ever hold the office of German president.
On 17 February 2012, Wulff stepped down as president. This was because of serious accusations about his actions when he was minister president of Lower Saxony. In 2014, a court in Hanover found that he had not done anything wrong and cleared him of all accusations.
Contents
Early Life and Schooling
Christian Wulff was born in Osnabrück, Germany. He is Roman Catholic. When he was a boy, his father left the family. As a teenager, he helped care for his younger sister because his mother had multiple sclerosis.
After finishing high school, Wulff studied law at the University of Osnabrück. He became interested in politics and joined the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party in 1975. After passing his law exams, he began working as a lawyer.
Political Career
Wulff became active in politics at a young age. From 1978 to 1980, he was the head of a political group for high school students connected to the CDU. He held several leadership roles in the youth organization of his party.
In 1986, he was elected to the city council in his hometown of Osnabrück. He quickly moved up in the CDU party in his home state of Lower Saxony.
Leader in Lower Saxony
The CDU chose Wulff to run for minister president of Lower Saxony in 1994. He lost to the popular leader at the time, Gerhard Schröder. He ran again in 1998 but lost once more. Wulff spent many years as the leader of the opposition party in the state's parliament.
Finally, in the 2003 state election, Wulff's party won. The CDU received 48.3% of the vote, a clear victory. On 4 March 2003, Christian Wulff became the Minister President of Lower Saxony. He led a government formed by his CDU party and the Free Democratic Party (FDP).
As minister president, Wulff made changes to the state's schools and police force. Lower Saxony had serious money problems, so his government had to make difficult cuts to public spending. These decisions were often not popular but were seen as necessary.
Becoming President of Germany
On 31 May 2010, the German President, Horst Köhler, resigned. The parties in Germany's government, led by Chancellor Angela Merkel, chose Wulff as their candidate for the next president.
The election was held on 30 June 2010 in the Federal Convention, a special group that meets only to elect the president. Wulff won the election on the third try, defeating his main opponent, Joachim Gauck. He was sworn into office on 2 July 2010.
As president, Wulff represented Germany on the world stage. He met with many world leaders and gave important speeches. For example, he spoke about the future of the euro, Europe's shared currency.
Resignation and Life After Politics
In late 2011, Wulff faced difficult questions from the media and the public. The questions were about a private loan he had received and vacations he had taken while he was minister president of Lower Saxony. People wondered if he had received special favors from business leaders.
The situation became very serious, and on 16 February 2012, government lawyers asked for his presidential protection from legal action to be removed so they could investigate. The next day, on 17 February 2012, Christian Wulff announced he was resigning as President of Germany. He said he wanted to prevent any more damage to the office of the president.
Two years later, in February 2014, a court in Hanover looked at all the evidence. The court decided that Wulff was innocent and cleared him of all accusations.
Since leaving office, Wulff has continued to serve Germany in other ways. He has represented the country at important international events, like the inauguration of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in 2019. He has also worked as a university lecturer and an advisor for a company.
Personal Life
Christian Wulff married his first wife, Christiane Vogt, in 1988. They have a daughter named Annalena. The couple divorced in 2006.
In 2008, he married his second wife, Bettina Körner. They have a son named Linus. Bettina also has a son from a previous relationship. Christian and Bettina Wulff separated in 2013 but got back together in 2015. They separated again in 2018.
Images for kids
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Wulff with the President of Poland, Bronisław Komorowski, in 2010
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Wulff with the President of Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, in 2011
See also
In Spanish: Christian Wulff para niños
