Theodor Heuss

First president of the Federal Republic of Germany (1949–59), born in Brackenheim, SW Germany. He studied at Munich and Berlin, became editor of the political magazine Hilfe (1905–12), professor at the Berlin College of Political Science (1920–33), and an MP (1924–8, 1930–2). A prolific author and journalist, he wrote two books denouncing Hitler, and when the latter came to power in 1933, he was dismissed from his chair and his books publicly burned. In 1946 he became a founder member of the Free Democratic Party, and helped to draft the new federal constitution.

Theodor Heuss

President of Germany
In office September 13, 1949 – September 12, 1959
Preceded by	Karl Dönitz
Succeeded by	Heinrich Lübke
Born	January 31, 1884 Brackenheim, Germany
Died	December 12, 1963 Stuttgart, Germany
Political party	FDP
Spouse	"Elly" Heuss-Knapp (1881-1952)

Theodor Heuss (January 31, 1884 - December 12, 1963) was a German politician. He was the first person elected to a regular term as President of the Federal Republic of Germany after WWII, and the third person (after Friedrich Ebert and Paul von Hindenburg) to be elected German president.

Heuss was born in Brackenheim, near Heilbronn. Between 1923 and 1926 he published the magazine Die Deutsche Nation ("The German Nation"). Heuss became a member of the Deutsche Demokratische Partei (DDP – "German Democratic Party"), the political heir of the Fortschrittliche Volkspartei, in 1918 and was a member of parliament in the Reichstag 1924-1928 and 1930-1933.

After World War II he was the first Minister of Culture in Baden-Württemberg. On December 12, 1948, he was elected head of West German and Berlin sections of the newly founded Freie Demokratische Partei ("Free Democratic Party").

After being elected to the first German Bundestag, he relinquished his parliamentary mandate on September 12, 1949, when he was elected president, the highest state office, in the Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung) against Kurt Schumacher.

Heuss shaped the office of president by his non-partisan governing. As a representative of the democratic-liberal and cultural traditions of Germany, he was a symbol of confidence in the German post-war republic in the international community. He was opposed to re-armament and the founding of the new West German Army in 1955, but had no power to stop it;

In 1959 he was awarded the prestigious Peace Prize of the German Book Trade (Friedenspreis des Deutschen Buchhandels).

The Airforce Airbus, which is used by the President of Germany is named in his honor.