Wolfgang Schäuble.

In 1942, Wolfgang Schäuble was born into a middle-class family in Freiburg im Breisgau. His father Karl Schäuble worked as a tax consultant. He studied law at the University of Freiburg and later at the University of Hamburg, where he developed an interest in politics. His younger brother Thomas Schäuble also entered politics.

In 1972, Wolfgang Schäuble was elected to the German Bundestag, beginning a parliamentary career that would span nearly five decades. Rising through the Christian Democratic Union CDU ranks, he became Head of the Chancellery in 1984. In 1989, he became Federal Minister of the Interior, a role he held until 1991 and again from 2005 to 2009. On 12 October 1990, during an election speech in Oppenau, a mentally ill man shot Schäuble, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down. Despite the attack, he continued his political career, serving as Chairman of the CDU from 1998 to 2000. From 2009 to 2017, he served as Federal Minister of Finance, overseeing Germany’s response to the Eurozone crisis. In 2017, he became President of the Bundestag, a role he held until 2021.

Wolfgang Schäuble married Ingeborg, with whom he had four children: Christine born 1971, Hans-Jörg born 1974, Juliane born 1976, and Anna born 1981. After the assassination attempt in 1990, he used a wheelchair and was nicknamed Rolli by colleagues. He was also known as Schwarze Null for his strict fiscal policies as Finance Minister. His daughter Christine Strobl is also a politician, and his brother Thomas Schäuble served in politics as well.

Wolfgang Schäuble left a lasting impact on German and European politics. As Finance Minister from 2009 to 2017, he was a central figure in the Eurozone crisis, advocating for budget discipline. He received numerous honors, including the Charlemagne Prize and the Grand Cross 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany. He set a record for continuous service in the Bundestag 1972-2021 and served as its President until 2021. He is remembered as a tenacious politician who overcame severe disability to shape modern Germany.