Karl Arnold

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Karl Arnold (March 21, 1901 – June 29, 1958) was a German politician. He was acting president of the Federal Republic of Germany in 1949, the first person to hold that office.

1 Youth and early political activities
2 Nazi era
3 German reconstruction after World War II
4 External link

[edit] Youth and early political activities

Arnold was born in Herrlishöfen in Württemberg. He was trained as shoemaker and later (1920/21) studied at the Soziale Hochschule Leohaus, Munich.

From 1920 onwards, Arnold worked as functionary of the movement of Christian workers. In 1924, he became secretary of the Christian workers union for the Düsseldorf region. He was elected in the town council of Düsseldorf for the Centre Party in 1929.

In 1928, he married Liesel Joeres.

[edit] Nazi era

In 1933, Arnold was co-owner of a sanitary installation shop in Düsseldorf. The Nazi Gestapo observed and hunted him in the following years because of his political activities. In 1944, he was brought to jail by the Gestapo.

[edit] German reconstruction after World War II

After World War II, Arnold became politically active again. In 1945, he was co-founder of the local Christian-Democratic Party in Düsseldorf, which became part of the CDU later in 1945. Also in 1945, the Düsseldorf chapter of the united workers union was founded, presided by Arnold. On January 29, 1946, Arnold was named mayor of Düsseldorf and later elected in the first free elections (October 26, 1946).

In December, 1946, Arnold became deputy minister president of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and in 1947 he was elected minister president. Until 1950 he presided over a coalition of CDU, Centre Party, SPD and (shortly) the Communist Party.

On September 7, 1949 he was elected as the first president of the federal Bundesrat of Germany, acting as head of state until Theodor Heuss was elected five days later.

From 1950 to 1956, Arnold was elected minister president for North Rhine-Westphalia twice again, governing with the help of conservative parties and the Free Democrats. Important acts of his government were the foundation of the North Rhine-Westphalian broadcasting system (today: Westdeutscher Rundfunk) and the German system of workers union influence in steel and coal industries.

On February 20, 1956 FDP switched coalition affiliation to the SPD, ending the Arnold government in North Rhine-Westphalia. Arnold became a leading member of the CDU in North Rhine-Westphalia and in Germany.

In 1957, he was elected in the German Bundestag (with a 72 % majority in his election district). He was member of the Bundestag until June 29, 1958, when he died of heart disfunction.