Gebhard Müller (17 April 1900 – 7 August 1990) was a German lawyer and politician (
CDU). He was
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
* President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...
of
Württemberg-Hohenzollern
Württemberg-Hohenzollern (french: Wurtemberg-Hohenzollern ) was a West German state created in 1945 as part of the French post-World War II occupation zone. Its capital was Tübingen. In 1952, it was merged into the newly founded state of Bad ...
(1948–1952),
Minister President
A minister-president or minister president is the head of government in a number of European countries or subnational governments with a parliamentary or semi-presidential system of government where they preside over the council of ministers. I ...
of
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg (; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million inhabitants across a ...
(1953–1958) and President of the
Federal Constitutional Court of Germany
The Federal Constitutional Court (german: link=no, Bundesverfassungsgericht ; abbreviated: ) is the supreme constitutional court for the Federal Republic of Germany, established by the constitution or Basic Law () of Germany. Since its in ...
(1959-1971). He was born in
Füramoos and died in
Stuttgart.
Educational career
Gebhard Müller was the fifth child of a teacher from
Oberschwaben and lived in his birthplace Füramoos until 1906, from then in his father's new place of work
Ludwigsburg
Ludwigsburg (; Swabian: ''Ludisburg'') is a city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, about north of Stuttgart city centre, near the river Neckar. It is the largest and primary city of the Ludwigsburg district with about 88,000 inhabitants. It is s ...
. He attended the Catholic elementary school in Ludwigsburg and later the
Gymnasium in
Rottweil. In the last year of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
he was drafted and served in the Ludwigsburg barracks without having to march out. In 1919 Müller started studying
theology
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...
,
history
History (derived ) is the systematic study and the documentation of the human activity. The time period of event before the invention of writing systems is considered prehistory. "History" is an umbrella term comprising past events as well ...
and
philosophy at the
University of Tübingen
The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-W� ...
. He later switched to
law
Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been vario ...
and
political science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
and passed his doctoral degree exam in the latter.
Müller served as a legal clerk at the local district court in Ludwigsburg, the regional court and the Office of
Public Prosecutor
A prosecutor is a legal representative of the prosecution in states with either the common law adversarial system or the civil law inquisitorial system. The prosecution is the legal party responsible for presenting the case in a criminal tria ...
in Stuttgart, at the Oberamt Ludwigsburg and at a law firm.
Legal and military service
In June 1929 he served as deputy judge of local court in Stuttgart and Tübingen, prior to an intermittent leave of absence from civil service, which allowed him, from 1930 to 1933, to work as a tax consultant to the administration of the
diocese of Rottenburg.
In 1933 Müller returned to the civil service and served as judge of local courts in different
Württemberg
Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart.
Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Württ ...
towns. Although he never became a member of the
Nazi Party
The Nazi Party, officially the National Socialist German Workers' Party (german: Nationalsozialistische Deutsche Arbeiterpartei or NSDAP), was a far-right political party in Germany active between 1920 and 1945 that created and supported t ...
, he joined a number of
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
organizations, such as the
Association of German National Socialist legal Professionals.
On November 9, 1938, the so-called
Kristallnacht
() or the Night of Broken Glass, also called the November pogrom(s) (german: Novemberpogrome, ), was a pogrom against Jews carried out by the Nazi Party's (SA) paramilitary and (SS) paramilitary forces along with some participation fro ...
, Müller filed charges against a Landrat (district chief executive), who had refused fire brigade operation at the burning
Göppingen
Göppingen (Swabian: ''Geppenge'' or ''Gebbenga'') is a town in southern Germany, part of the Stuttgart Region of Baden-Württemberg. It is the capital of the district Göppingen. Göppingen is home to the toy company Märklin, and it is the bi ...
synagoge, he was transferred to the Stuttgart district court. Shortly before the start of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
Müller was drafted and took part in the campaign in France as a camp office clerk.
Political career and head of the Constitutional Court
After the war, Müller became the leader of the CDU in the provisional state of
Württemberg-Hohenzollern
Württemberg-Hohenzollern (french: Wurtemberg-Hohenzollern ) was a West German state created in 1945 as part of the French post-World War II occupation zone. Its capital was Tübingen. In 1952, it was merged into the newly founded state of Bad ...
in 1947, and soon won a seat to the assembly, situated in
Bebenhausen Abbey
Bebenhausen Abbey (''Kloster Bebenhausen'') is a former Cistercian monastery complex located in Bebenhausen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The complex is also the location of Bebenhausen Palace, a hunting retreat created and maintained by two K ...
. He thus came to head the state government from 1948, as the CDU dominated the elections in 1946 (with 42 seats out of 68).
As Minister President, Müller signed the
last death warrant executed in Germany (other than in
East Germany
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
and
West Berlin
West Berlin (german: Berlin (West) or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin during the years of the Cold War. Although West Berlin was de jure not part of West Germany, lacked any sovereignty, and was under mi ...
, which had its own legal framework) of murderer
Richard Schuh
Richard Schuh (2 October 1920 – 18 February 1949) was a German convicted murderer and the last criminal to be executed by the West German judiciary (excluding West Berlin).
Biography
Schuh was a trained mechanic who had served in the Luftwaff ...
, who was beheaded on 18 February 1949. Müller, a proponent of capital punishment, did not relent even as the
constitution of Germany
The Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany (german: Grundgesetz für die Bundesrepublik Deutschland) is the constitution of the Federal Republic of Germany.
The West German Constitution was approved in Bonn on 8 May 1949 and came i ...
enacted later the same year outlawed capital punishment in the entire federal republic. The penalty remained formally on the books in the state for years after.
Upon the joining of Baden and Württemberg
into the significantly larger state
State may refer to:
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* ''The State'' (newspaper), a daily newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, United States
* ''Our S ...
of Baden-Württemberg in 1952, Müller's CDU became the predominant party and he replaced liberal Reinhold Maier as the Minister President. Müller retained this post until he returned to his legal career as he was appointed to head the
Federal Constitutional Court
The Federal Constitutional Court (german: link=no, Bundesverfassungsgericht ; abbreviated: ) is the supreme constitutional court for the Federal Republic of Germany, established by the constitution or Basic Law () of Germany. Since its in ...
, now placed relatively close in
Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe ( , , ; South Franconian: ''Kallsruh'') is the third-largest city of the German state (''Land'') of Baden-Württemberg after its capital of Stuttgart and Mannheim, and the 22nd-largest city in the nation, with 308,436 inhabitants. ...
. He kept this office for a full tenure of 12 years and subsequently retired. He lived long enough to witness the collapse of the
Berlin Wall in 1989, dying barely two months before reunification in 1990.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Muller, Gebhard
1900 births
1990 deaths
People from Biberach (district)
Christian Democratic Union of Germany politicians
Members of the Landtag of Baden-Württemberg
German Roman Catholics
Justices of the Federal Constitutional Court
Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Recipients of the Order of Merit of Baden-Württemberg
Ministers-President of Baden-Württemberg