Konrad Adenauer.

Konrad Adenauer was born on 5 January 1876 in Cologne, Germany, to Johann Konrad Adenauer. Raised in a Catholic family, he studied law and political science at the University of Freiburg, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, and the University of Bonn. His father, a civil servant, sparked his interest in politics, and Adenauer soon entered local governance.

Konrad Adenauer started his political career as a member of the Cologne city council. He served as Mayor of Cologne from 1917 to 1933, known for efficient administration. After World War II, he helped found the Christian Democratic Union CDU and chaired it from 1946 to 1966. In 1949, he became West Germany’s first chancellor, serving until 1963. He rebuilt the country, integrated it with Western Europe, and established a social market economy. In 1954, he received the Charlemagne Prize for advancing European unity.

Konrad Adenauer married Emma Weyer in 1904, and they had three children before she died in 1916. In 1919, he married Auguste Zinsser, with whom he had five children. He did not smoke or drink, and enjoyed boccia, crime novels, and chocolate. His sharp intellect and 14-year chancellorship earned him the nickname Der Alte The Old One.

Adenauer is often called the founding father of modern Germany. He led postwar reconstruction and forged strong ties with the United States and France. In 2005, a television poll named him the greatest German ever. Cologne/Bonn Airport bears his name, and he is an honorary citizen of Bonn, Cologne, and Berlin. His chancellorship delivered Germany’s economic miracle and anchored it in the European Union.