| Leader of the Free Democratic Party | |
|---|---|
| Vorsitzender der Freien Demokratischen Partei | |
 | |
| Member of | Federal Executive Presidium |
| Formation | 12 December 1948 |
| First holder | Theodor Heuss |
| Website | Christian Lindner's official website |
The Leader of the Free Democratic Party (German: Vorsitzender der Freien Demokratischen Partei) is the most senior and leading political figure within the Free Democratic Party (FDP), a centre-right and liberal political party in Germany with parliamentary representation. The Free Democratic Party (FDP) is, historically, also one of the most significant political parties in Germany. Since 6 December 2013, the office has been held by Christian Lindner, who succeeded Philipp Rösler.[1]
The Leader of the Free Democratic Party is supported by a General Secretary who, since 19 September 2020, has been Volker Wissing.
| Portrait | Name (Born–Died) |
Term of office | State | Chancellor | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Took office | Left office | Days | |||||
| 1 | 
|
Theodor Heuss (1884–1963) |
12 December 1948 | 12 September 1949 | 274 days |  Baden-Württemberg
|
None Konrad Adenauer |
| 2 | 
|
Franz Blücher (1896–1959) |
12 September 1949 | 6 March 1954 | 4 years, 175 days |  North Rhine-Westphalia
|
Konrad Adenauer |
| 3 | .jpg)
|
Thomas Dehler (1897–1967) |
6 March 1954 | 26 January 1957 | 2 years, 326 days |  Bavaria
|
Konrad Adenauer |
| 4 | Reinhold Maier (1889–1971) |
26 January 1957 | 28 January 1960 | 3 years, 2 days | Baden-Württemberg
|
Konrad Adenauer | |
| 5 | 
|
Erich Mende (1916–1998) |
28 January 1960 | 30 January 1968 | 8 years, 2 days | North Rhine-Westphalia
|
Konrad Adenauer Ludwig Erhard Kurt Georg Kiesinger |
| 6 | 
|
Walter Scheel (1919–2016) |
30 January 1968 | 1 October 1974 | 6 years, 244 days | North Rhine-Westphalia
|
Kurt Georg Kiesinger Willy Brandt Helmut Schmidt |
| 7 | 
|
Hans-Dietrich Genscher (1927–2016) |
1 October 1974 | 23 February 1985 | 10 years, 145 days | North Rhine-Westphalia
|
Helmut Schmidt Helmut Kohl |
| 8 | 
|
Martin Bangemann (1934–2022) |
23 February 1985 | 8 October 1988 | 3 years, 228 days | Baden-Württemberg
|
Helmut Kohl |
| 9 | .jpg)
|
Otto Graf Lambsdorff (1926–2009) |
8 October 1988 | 11 June 1993 | 4 years, 246 days | North Rhine-Westphalia
|
Helmut Kohl |
| 10 | 
|
Klaus Kinkel (1936–2019) |
11 June 1993 | 10 June 1995 | 1 year, 364 days | Baden-Württemberg
|
Helmut Kohl |
| 11 | 
|
Wolfgang Gerhardt (born 1943) |
10 June 1995 | 4 May 2001 | 5 years, 328 days |  Hesse
|
Helmut Kohl Gerhard Schröder |
| 12 | 
|
Guido Westerwelle (1961–2016) |
4 May 2001 | 13 May 2011 | 10 years, 9 days | North Rhine-Westphalia
|
Gerhard Schröder Angela Merkel |
| 13 | 
|
Philipp Rösler (born 1973) |
13 May 2011 | 7 December 2013 | 2 years, 208 days |  Lower Saxony
|
Angela Merkel |
| 14 | _by_Sandro_Halank%E2%80%932.jpg)
|
Christian Lindner (born 1979) |
7 December 2013 | Incumbent | 10 years, 50 days | North Rhine-Westphalia
|
Angela Merkel Olaf Scholz |
