Adenauer, Konrad
(b. Cologne, 5 Jan. 1876; d. 19 Apr. 1967) German; Chancellor of Federal Republic of Germany 1949–63, chief mayor of Cologne 1917–33 Together with
Kohl
, Adenauer must rank as the most successful German politician since 1945. He led the West Germans from being the most hated and despised people of Europe in 1945, to being amongst the most repected and successful by the late 1950s. No one could have predicted his rise, or that of the future West German state, in 1945.
Adenauer was the son of a civil servant and, after graduating in law and economics, embarked on a legal career in the public service. He turned later to politics, joining the Catholic Centre ...