Minister-President of Bavaria
Ministerpräsident des Freistaates Bayern
Coat of arms of Bavaria
Incumbent Markus Söder since 16 March 2018
Residence	Prinz-Carl-Palais, Munich (official residence) Bavarian State Chancellery, Munich (executive office)
Appointer	Landtag of Bavaria
Term length	Pending resignation or the election of a successor
Inaugural holder	Kurt Eisner
Formation	8 November 1918; 105 years ago (1918-11-08)
Salary	regulated by legislation
Website	https://www.bayern.de/staatsregierung/ministerpraesident/

Politics of Bavaria
Constitution Constitution
Executive Minister-President Markus Söder Cabinet
Legislature Landtag President: Ilse Aigner
Divisions Administrative regions (Regierungsbezirke) Landkreise/kreisfreie cities Gemeinden (municipalities)
Elections Recent elections Legislative: 2013 2018 2023
Foreign policy Politics of Bavaria Politics of Germany European Union politics
Other countries
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Below is a list of the men who have served in the capacity of Minister-President or equivalent office in the German state of Bavaria from the 17th century to the present.

Privy Council chancellor

Privy Council chancellors (Geheime Ratskanzler) were:

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Note
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
		Johann Adlzreiter von Tettenweis (1596–1662)	1650	11 May 1662	12 years
		Johann Georg Oexle (1605–1675)	11 May 1662	1667	c. 5 years
		Kaspar von Schmid (1622–1693)	1667	3 September 1693	c. 26 years
		Johann Rudolf von Wämpl (1638–1704)	1695	9 December 1704	c. 9 years
		Franz Xaver Josef von Unertl (1675–1750)	3 March 1726	6 March 1749	23 years, 3 days
		Franz Xaver Andreas von Praidlohn (1689–1757)	7 March 1749	20 September 1758	9 years, 197 days
		Wiguläus von Kreittmayr (1705–1790)	20 September 1758	21 October 1790	32 years, 31 days
		Johann Friedrich von Hertling (1729–1806)	21 October 1790	13 February 1806	15 years, 115 days

Ministers of Foreign Affairs

Before 1849 Bavaria had no actual head of government, but the Minister of Foreign Affairs was the most senior of the ministers. In 1806, the office was given to the Minister of the Royal House and of Foreign Affairs.

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Note
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
Electorate of Bavaria (until 1805)
Part of the Holy Roman Empire
1		Maximilian Franz Joseph von Berchem (1702–1777)	1745	18 November 1777	c. 32 years
2		Matthäus von Vieregg (1719–1802)	18 November 1777	21 February 1799	21 years, 95 days
3		Maximilian Graf von Montgelas (1759–1838)	21 February 1799	26 December 1805	6 years, 308 days
Kingdom of Bavaria (1805–1918)
3		Maximilian Graf von Montgelas (1759–1838)	26 December 1805	2 February 1817	11 years, 38 days
4		Heinrich Alois von Reigersberg (1770–1865)	2 February 1817	1823	c. 5 years
5		Aloys Graf von Rechberg und Rothenlöwen (1820–1890)	2 Februar 1817	13 Oktober 1825	8 years, 253 days
6		Friedrich Karl Freiherr von Thürheim (1763–1832)	1 Januar 1827	28 April 1827	117 days
7		Georg Friedrich von Zentner (1752–1835)	28 April 1827	1 September 1828	1 year, 132 days
8		Josef Ludwig von Armansperg (1787–1853)	1 September 1828	31 December 1831	3 years, 121 days
9		Friedrich August von Gise (1783–1860)	2 January 1832	26 May 1846	14 years, 144 days
10		Count Otto von Bray-Steinburg (1807–1899)	26 May 1846	13 February 1847	263 days
11		Georg Ludwig von Maurer (1790–1872)	1 March 1847	29 November 1847	273 days
12		Ludwig von Oettingen-Wallerstein (1791–1870)	1 December 1847	12 March 1848	102 days
13		Klemens August Graf von Waldkirch (1806–1858)	14 March 1848	29 April 1848	46 days
14		Count Otto von Bray-Steinburg (1807–1899)	29 April 1848	18 April 1849	354 days

Chairmen of the Council of Ministers

The office of Chairman of the Council of Ministers was established in 1849. With one exception (1880–1890), the Chairman was always the Foreign Minister.

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
15/1		Baron Ludwig von der Pfordten (1811–1880)	22 December 1849	1 May 1859	9 years, 130 days	Non-partisan
16/2		Karl von Schrenck von Notzing (1806–1884)	1 May 1859	4 October 1864	5 years, 156 days	Non-partisan
17/3		Max von Neumayr (1808–1881)	4 October 1864	4 December 1864	61 days	Non-partisan
18/4		Baron Ludwig von der Pfordten (1811–1880)	4 December 1864	29 December 1866	2 years, 25 days	Non-partisan
19/5		Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (1819–1901)	31 December 1866	7 March 1870	3 years, 66 days	Non-partisan
20/6		Count Otto von Bray-Steinburg (1807–1899)	8 March 1870	18 January 1871	316 days	Non-partisan
Kingdom of Bavaria (1871–1918)
State of the German Reich during the period of the German Empire.
(20/6)		Count Otto von Bray-Steinburg (1807–1899)	18 January 1871	25 June 1871	158 days	Non-partisan
21/7		Friedrich von Hegnenberg-Dux (1810–1872)	21 August 1871	2 June 1872	286 days	Non-partisan
22/8		Adolph von Pfretzschner (1820–1901)	1 October 1872	4 March 1880	7 years, 155 days	Non-partisan
9		Johann von Lutz (1826–1890)	4 March 1880	1 June 1890	10 years, 89 days	Non-partisan
23/10		Friedrich Krafft Graf von Crailsheim (1841–1926)	1 June 1890	1 March 1903	12 years, 273 days	Non-partisan
24/11		Clemens von Podewils-Dürniz (1850–1922)	1 March 1903	9 February 1912	8 years, 345 days	Non-partisan
25/12		Georg von Hertling (1843–1919)	9 February 1912	10 November 1917	5 years, 274 days	Centre Party
26/13		Otto Ritter von Dandl (1868–1942)	11 November 1917	7 November 1918	361 days	Non-partisan

Ministers-President

Free State of Bavaria (1918–1945)

Minister-President of the Free State of Bavaria

Political party:   USPD   SPD   BVP   NSDAP   None

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
Free State of Bavaria (1918–1945)
State of the German Reich during the period of the Weimar Republic.
1		Kurt Eisner (1867–1919)	8 November 1918	21 February 1919 †	105 days	Independent Social Democratic Party
–		Martin Segitz (1853–1927) Acting	1 March 1919	17 March 1919	16 days	Social Democratic Party
2		Johannes Hoffmann (1867–1930)	17 March 1919	16 March 1920	365 days	Social Democratic Party
3		Gustav Ritter von Kahr (1862–1934)	16 March 1920	21 September 1921	1 year, 189 days	Bavarian People's Party
4		Hugo Graf von Lerchenfeld-Köfering (1871–1944)	21 September 1921	8 November 1922	1 year, 48 days	Bavarian People's Party
5		Eugen Ritter von Knilling (1856–1927)	8 November 1922	1 July 1924	1 year, 236 days	Bavarian People's Party
–		Gustav Ritter von Kahr (1862–1934) as Generalstaatskommissar	25 September 1923	17 February 1924	145 days	Bavarian People's Party
6		Heinrich Held (1868–1938)	2 July 1924	30 January 1933	8 years, 212 days	Bavarian People's Party
State of the German Reich during the period of Nazi Germany.
(6)		Heinrich Held (1868–1938)	30 January 1933	9 March 1933	38 days	Bavarian People's Party
7		Franz Ritter von Epp (1868–1947)	Reichskommissar		31 days	Nazi Party
			10 March 1933	10 April 1933
			Reichsstatthalter		12 years, 19 days
			10 April 1933	29 April 1945
8		Ludwig Siebert (1874–1942)	12 April 1933	1 November 1942 †	9 years, 203 days	Nazi Party
9		Paul Giesler (1895–1945)	2 November 1942	29 April 1945	2 years, 178 days	Nazi Party

Free State of Bavaria (1945–present)

Minister-President of Free State of Bavaria

Political party:   CSU   SPD

Portrait		Name (Birth–Death)	Term of office			Political party
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
Free State of Bavaria (1945–present)
American-occupied zone of Germany (1945–1949)
State of the Federal Republic of Germany (as of 23 May 1949)
1		Fritz Schäffer (1888–1967)	28 May 1945	28 September 1945	123 days	Christian Social Union
2		Wilhelm Hoegner (1887–1980) First term	28 September 1945	16 December 1946	1 year, 79 days	Social Democratic Party
3		Hans Ehard (1887–1980) First term	21 December 1946	14 December 1954	7 years, 358 days	Christian Social Union
4 (2)		Wilhelm Hoegner (1887–1980) Second term	14 December 1954	8 October 1957 (resigned)	2 years, 298 days	Social Democratic Party
5		Hanns Seidel (1901–1961)	16 October 1957	22 January 1960 (resigned)	2 years, 98 days	Christian Social Union
6 (3)		Hans Ehard (1887–1980) Second term	26 January 1960	11 December 1962	2 years, 319 days	Christian Social Union
7		Alfons Goppel (1905–1991)	11 December 1962	6 November 1978	15 years, 330 days	Christian Social Union
8		Franz Josef Strauss (1915–1988)	6 November 1978	3 October 1988 †	9 years, 332 days	Christian Social Union
9		Max Streibl (1932–1998)	19 October 1988	27 May 1993 (resigned)	4 years, 220 days	Christian Social Union
10		Edmund Stoiber (born 1941)	28 May 1993	30 September 2007 (resigned)	14 years, 126 days	Christian Social Union
11		Günther Beckstein (born 1943)	9 October 2007	27 October 2008	1 year, 18 days	Christian Social Union
12		Horst Seehofer (born 1949)	27 October 2008	13 March 2018 (resigned)	9 years, 140 days	Christian Social Union
13		Markus Söder (born 1967)	16 March 2018	Incumbent	5 years, 339 days	Christian Social Union

Timeline since 1918