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) |
| 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 German politician and lawyer. He served as the President of Germany from 2010 to 2012. Before that, he was the Minister-President of Lower Saxony, a state in Germany, from 2003 to 2010.
Christian Wulff is a member of the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) political party. He was elected President on 30 June 2010. At 51 years old, he became Germany's youngest president ever. He resigned from his position on 17 February 2012. He faced questions about his actions while he was Minister President of Lower Saxony. Later, a court found him not guilty of any wrongdoing in 2014.
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Early Life and Education
Christian Wulff was born in Osnabrück, Germany. He is a Roman Catholic. He was the first Catholic President of Germany since Heinrich Lübke (1959–1969). He was also the first president born after World War II.
When he was young, his father left the family. Christian grew up with his mother. As a teenager, he helped care for his younger sister because his mother became ill. After finishing high school at the Ernst Moritz Arndt Gymnasium in Osnabrück, Wulff studied law. He focused on economics at the University of Osnabrück.
He joined the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) in 1975. After finishing his law studies, he became a lawyer.
Political Career
Christian Wulff has been a member of the CDU since 1975. From 1978 to 1980, he led the Schülerunion, a political group for high school students. He also served on the board of the Junge Union, a youth political organization.
In 1986, he was elected as a city councilor in his hometown. He became the chairman of the CDU's state party council in Lower Saxony in 1994.
In 1994, the CDU chose Wulff to run for Minister President of Lower Saxony. However, the current Minister President, Gerhard Schröder, won the election. Wulff then served as the leader of the opposition party for many years.
He ran for Minister President again in 1998, but Schröder won again. After Schröder became Chancellor of Germany in 1998, new Minister Presidents took over in Lower Saxony. In 2003, the CDU became very popular in opinion polls.
Wulff was also a deputy chairman of the federal CDU party from 1998. He was also a board member of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation.
2003 State Election
In 2003, Lower Saxony was facing budget problems. Christian Wulff ran for Minister President again. He promised to control spending and make reforms in education and law enforcement. He was expected to win.
The Christian Democrats won the election with a large majority. Wulff became Minister President on 4 March 2003. He led a government with the CDU and the FDP.
Policies as Minister President
As Minister President, Wulff made many changes. He reformed the education system and increased the number of police officers. Lower Saxony had a big budget problem when he took office. He made difficult cuts to public spending, which were not always popular.
Before the 2005 federal election, some people thought Wulff might become a candidate for Chancellor of Germany. However, he had just started his first term as Minister President. He decided not to run and supported Angela Merkel instead.
Wulff was known for appealing to different types of voters. He often appeared on TV and gave interviews to national newspapers. He also spoke about many important issues, like reforming the German language and modernizing Germany's constitution. He also supported extending the use of nuclear energy.
In 2006, Wulff announced a new plan for Lower Saxony. The government would temporarily help pay salaries for low-wage jobs. This was to help create new jobs in Germany.
Wulff and the 2005 Federal Elections
Because he was popular, Wulff was considered a possible candidate for Chancellor in 2005. However, he announced that he would not run. He said he wanted to finish his term as Minister President of Lower Saxony. He fully supported Angela Merkel for Chancellor. Even though some thought he might join the federal government, he stayed in Lower Saxony.
President of Germany
Christian Wulff was elected President of Germany on 30 June 2010. He took over from Horst Köhler, who had resigned. Wulff won 625 votes out of 1,242 in the third round of voting. He became Germany's youngest president at 51 years old. He was sworn in on 2 July 2010.
His main opponent in the election was Joachim Gauck. Gauck was a civil rights activist from East Germany. He was nominated by the opposition parties.
After Wulff became President, David McAllister became the new Minister President of Lower Saxony.
In August 2011, President Wulff gave a speech about the euro. He questioned some actions taken by the European Central Bank to stabilize the euro currency.
Life After Politics
After leaving his role as President, Christian Wulff continued to represent Germany at various public events. For example, he attended state funerals and presidential inaugurations in other countries.
In 2016, Wulff became a visiting professor at the University of Duisburg-Essen. He taught seminars and gave lectures there. In 2017, it was announced that he also works as an advisor for a fashion company.
Awards and Recognitions
- 2014 Toleranzpreis der Evangelischen Akademie Tutzing (Tolerance Prize of the Evangelical Academy Tutzing)
Personal Life
Christian Wulff married his first wife, Christiane Vogt, in 1988. They had a daughter named Annalena. They divorced in 2006.
In 2008, Wulff married Bettina Körner. She had a son from a previous relationship. Together, Christian and Bettina had a son named Linus in 2008. Christian and Bettina separated in 2013 and later divorced.
See also
In Spanish: Christian Wulff para niños
