Carl Wilhelm Kaisen (May 22, 1887 – December 19, 1979) was a German politician from the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). Between 1945 and 1965 he was mayor of the city Bremen which also made him the head of the state of Bremen.
Kaisen was born in the German city of Hamburg, and spent his youth there. The poverty of his family didn’t allow him to visit a higher school or even receive a high school education. After the First World War he moved to his wife’s home city Bremen. Influenced by his family he managed to get the SPD into the parliament of Bremen (Bürgerschaft). In 1928 Kaisen became Senator of Social Services.
Kaisen wasn’t involved in politics during the Nazism but spent his time with agriculture in the suburb of Bremen-Borgfeld.
August 1, 1945 the US military government made Kaisen mayor of Bremen. Supported by the Liberals as well as the Communists he tried to re-establish the political and economical structures of the Weimar Republic. He was re-elected by the people of Bremen during the first free elections after the war.
Kaisen was very popular but less liked within the SPD itself. The decision to position Germany within the NATO led to a break with the president of the SPD Kurt Schumacher.
A rescue cruiser as well as a bridge was given his name. In 1971 a container terminal in Bremerhaven received the name of Wilhelm Kaisen as well.
On December 19, 1979 Kaisen died in Bremen.
He was the oldest former Minister-President of Germany from January 4, 1978 to June 9, 1980, preceded by Arthur Werner and succeeded by Hans Ehard. If you only count the Ministers-President of the FRG (after formation) he was it since January 5, 1970, preceded by Christian Stock.
| Preceded by Erich Vagts |
Mayor of Bremen 1945–1965 |
Succeeded by Willy Dehnkamp |
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