Kiesinger, Kurt Georg (1904-1988)

West German Christian Democrat politician. He succeeded Ludwig Erhard as chancellor in 1966, heading a ‘grand coalition’ of the Christian Democrats (CDU) and the Social Democrats (SPD) until 1969, when Willy Brandt took over as chancellor.

Kiesinger was born in Ebingen and trained as a lawyer. He joined the Nazi party in 1933 and worked in the German Foreign Office during World War II. After a period of internment after the war, he was exonerated by a German court in 1948 and was elected to the lower house of the West German legislature (Bundestag) in 1949. In 1958 he became minister president of Baden Württemberg, serving in this capacity until 1966, when an economic crisis led to the resignation of Erhard. He was also president of the Bundesrat (the upper house of the German legislature) 1962-3.