Heinrich Lübke Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Heinrich Lübke
Heinrich Lübke in 1959

President of Germany West Germany
In office 13 September 1959 – 30 June 1969
Chancellor	Konrad Adenauer Ludwig Erhard Kurt Georg Kiesinger
Preceded by	Theodor Heuss
Succeeded by	Gustav Heinemann
Federal Minister of Food, Agriculture and Forestry
In office 20 October 1953 – 15 September 1959
Chancellor	Konrad Adenauer
Preceded by	Wilhelm Niklas
Succeeded by	Werner Schwarz
Member of the Bundestag
In office 6 September 1953 – 2 September 1959
Preceded by	Franz Etzel
Succeeded by	Arnold Verhoeven
Constituency	Rees – Dinslaken
In office 14 August 1949 – 19 November 1950
Preceded by	Constituency created
Succeeded by	Ernst Majonica
Constituency	Arnsberg – Soest
Minister for Food, Agriculture and Forests of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia
In office 6 January 1947 – 1 January 1953
Preceded by	Hermann Heukamp
Succeeded by	Johannes Peters
Member of the Landtag of North Rhine-Westphalia
In office 1946 – 6 March 1954

Personal details
Born	Karl Heinrich Lübke (1894-10-14)14 October 1894 Enkhausen, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire
Died	6 April 1972(1972-04-06) (aged 77) Bonn, West Germany
Political party	Centre Party (Zentrumspartei) (1930–1933) Christian Democratic Union (1945–1972)
Spouse(s)	Wilhelmine Keuthen (m. 1929)
Signature
Military service
Allegiance	German Empire (1914–1918) Weimar Republic (1918) Nazi Germany
Service/branch	Imperial German Army German Army
Rank	Captain in the reserve
Battles/wars	World War I

Karl Heinrich Lübke (14 October 1894 – 6 April 1972) was a German politician. He served as the president of West Germany from 1959 to 1969.

Towards the end of his time in office, his health became worse. He became known for some embarrassing moments that might have been caused by his health problems. Lübke stepped down from his role three months before his second term was supposed to end. This happened during a time when questions were raised about his activities during the World War II era.

Early Life and Career
Political Career After the War
As a Public Speaker
Honours
- National honour
- Foreign honours
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Career

Lübke's birthplace in Enkhausen with a memorial plaque, 2008

Heinrich Lübke was born in Enkhausen, Westphalia. He grew up in a simple family; his father was a shoemaker and farmer. Lübke trained as a surveyor.

When World War I began in August 1914, he volunteered to serve in the army. He fought on both the Eastern and Western Fronts. He was promoted to lieutenant in 1917 and received the Iron Cross for his service. He left the military in December 1918.

After the war, Lübke continued his education. He became a surveying and cultural engineer in 1921. He also studied economics. From 1922, he worked as a managing director for different agricultural associations.

In 1929, Heinrich Lübke married Wilhelmine Keuthen.

In 1930, he joined the Roman Catholic Centre Party. In 1932, he was elected to the Prussian Parliament. After the National Socialists came to power in 1933, his party was dissolved. Lübke faced accusations and was held for a while, but no evidence was found against him.

In 1937, he started working for a building company. By 1939, he was involved in large building projects, including the expansion of military test centers.

Political Career After the War

After World War II, Lübke returned to politics. He joined the CDU party in West Germany. In 1947, he became the Minister of Agriculture in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In 1953, Konrad Adenauer, who was the Chancellor, made him the Federal Minister of Agriculture in Bonn.

In 1959, Lübke was chosen to become the President of West Germany. This role was mostly ceremonial. He won the election in the second round of voting.

In 1964, he was re-elected for a second term. Before his re-election, he met with a leader from another major party, and they agreed on his re-election. This helped him get support from both main parties.

During his presidency, some questions were raised about his past. Accusations came from East Germany in 1966, suggesting he knew about the use of forced labor on his building projects during the war. They presented building plans with his signature as proof. However, these claims were dismissed in West Germany as propaganda. Even so, the possibility of a scandal could harm the office of the President. Because of this, Lübke announced in October 1968 that he would resign on June 30, 1969. This was three months before his term was officially supposed to end.

After leaving office, Lübke's health continued to decline. He suffered from a condition that affected his memory and speech. It later became clear that this illness had started several years earlier and explained some of his behavior during his last years as president.

Heinrich Lübke passed away on April 6, 1972, in Bonn, at the age of 77.

As a Public Speaker

Heinrich Lübke was not known for being a great public speaker. Towards the end of his time in office, his age and health issues affected his memory, leading to some memorable moments. For example, he sometimes forgot where he was speaking.

He was also known for his direct, word-for-word translations from German into English, which people often found amusing. This was sometimes called "Lübke English."

A German satirical magazine even collected recordings of his speeches and released them on a popular record.

Honours

National honour

West Germany:
- Grand Cross Special Class (and former Grand Master) of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of West Germany

Foreign honours

Cameroon:
- Grand Cordon of the Order of Valour
Ethiopia:
- Knight of the Order of Solomon
France:
- Grand Cross of the Order of the Legion of Honour
Iran:
- First Class with Collar of the Order of Pahlavi
Malaysia:
- Honorary Recipient of the Most Exalted Order of the Crown of the Realm
Philippines:
- Grand Collar (Raja) of the Order of Sikatuna
Thailand:
- Knight of the Order of the Rajamitrabhorn
- Knight Grand Cordon (Special Class) of the Order of Chula Chom Klao
United Kingdom:
- Honorary Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath