100 Notable alumni of
University of Giessen

Updated:

EduRank

The University of Giessen is 503rd in the world, 185th in Europe, and 26th in Germany by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from the University of Giessen sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.

  1. Frank-Walter Steinmeier

    Frank-Walter Steinmeier
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1956-.. (age 69)
    Enrolled in the University of Giessen
    1976-1982 studied jurisprudence
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    Frank-Walter Steinmeier is a German politician who has served as President of Germany since 2017. He was previously federal minister for foreign affairs from 2005 to 2009 and again from 2013 to 2017, as well as vice chancellor of Germany from 2007 to 2009. Steinmeier was chairman-in-office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2016.

  2. Alexander Gauland

    Alexander Gauland
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1941-.. (age 84)
    Occupations
    opinion journalistpoliticianjuristnon-fiction writer
    Biography

    Eberhardt Alexander Gauland is a German politician, journalist and lawyer who has served as leader of the far-right political party Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the Bundestag since September 2017 and co-leader of the party from December 2017 to November 2019. He has been a Member of the Bundestag (MdB) since September 2017. Gauland was the party's co-founder and was its federal spokesman from 2017 to 2019 and the party leader for the state of Brandenburg from 2013 to 2017.

  3. Georg Büchner

    Georg Büchner
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1813-1837 (aged 24)
    Enrolled in the University of Giessen
    Studied in 1833
    Occupations
    translatorphysician writerphysicianrevolutionarypoet
    Biography

    Karl Georg Büchner was a German dramatist and writer of poetry and prose, considered part of the Young Germany movement. He was also a revolutionary and the brother of physician and philosopher Ludwig Büchner. His literary achievements, though few in number, are generally held in great esteem in Germany and it is widely believed that, had it not been for his early death, he might have joined such central German literary figures as Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Friedrich Schiller at the summit of their profession.

  4. Harald Lesch

    Harald Lesch
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1960-.. (age 65)
    Occupations
    astronomeruniversity teacherwriterphysicistastrophysicist
    Biography

    Harald Lesch is a German physicist, astronomer, natural philosopher, author, television presenter, professor of physics at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) and professor of natural philosophy at the Munich University of Philosophy.

  5. Wangari Muta Maathai

    Wangari Muta Maathai
    Born in
    Kenya Flag Kenya
    Years
    1940-2011 (aged 71)
    Occupations
    teacherpolitician
    Biography

    Wangarĩ Maathai was a Kenyan social, environmental, and political activist who founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-governmental organization focused on the planting of trees, environmental conservation, and women's rights. In 2004 she became the first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.

  6. August Kekulé

    August Kekulé
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1829-1896 (aged 67)
    Occupations
    university teacherchemistpedagogue
    Biography

    Friedrich August Kekulé, later Friedrich August Kekule von Stradonitz, was a German organic chemist. From the 1850s until his death, Kekulé was one of the most prominent chemists in Europe, especially in the field of theoretical chemistry. He was the principal founder of the theory of chemical structure and in particular the Kekulé structure of benzene.

  7. Helge Braun

    Helge Braun
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1972-.. (age 53)
    Enrolled in the University of Giessen
    1994-2001 studied medicine
    Occupations
    politicianphysician
    Biography

    Helge Reinhold Braun is a German physician and politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). Between 2018 and 2021, he served as Head of the Chancellery and Federal Minister for Special Affairs in the fourth coalition government of Chancellor Angela Merkel. He was the Parliamentary Secretary of State for Bureaucracy Reduction and Federal-State Relations at the Chancellery between 2013 and 2018.

  8. Hans-Jochen Vogel

    Hans-Jochen Vogel
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1926-2020 (aged 94)
    Occupations
    judgepolitician
    Biography

    Hans-Jochen Vogel was a German lawyer and a politician for the Social Democratic Party (SPD). He served as Mayor of Munich from 1960 to 1972, winning the 1972 Summer Olympics for the city and Governing Mayor of West Berlin in 1981, the only German ever to lead two cities with a million+ inhabitants. He was Federal Minister of Regional Planning, Construction and Urban Development from 1972 to 1974, and Federal Minister of Justice from 1974 to 1981. He served as leader of the SPD in the Bundestag from 1983 to 1991, and as Leader of the Social Democratic Party from 1987 to 1991. In 1993, he co-founded the organisation Gegen Vergessen – Für Demokratie (Against Oblivion – For Democracy). He was a member of the National Ethics Council of Germany from its beginning in 2001.

  9. Nia Künzer

    Nia Künzer
    Born in
    Botswana Flag Botswana
    Years
    1980-.. (age 45)
    Occupations
    civil servantassociation football player
    Biography

    Nia Tsholofelo Künzer is a retired German women's football player.

  10. Elke Büdenbender

    Elke Büdenbender
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1962-.. (age 63)
    Occupations
    juristjudge
    Biography

    Elke Büdenbender is a German jurist. She is also the wife of Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the current President of Germany.

  11. Wilhelm Liebknecht

    Wilhelm Liebknecht
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1826-1900 (aged 74)
    Occupations
    politicianrevolutionarywriterpeace activistjournalist
    Biography

    Wilhelm Martin Philipp Christian Ludwig Liebknecht was a German socialist and one of the principal founders of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD). His political career was a pioneering project combining Marxist revolutionary theory with practical legal political activity. Under his leadership, the SPD grew from a tiny sect to become Germany's largest political party. He was the father of Karl Liebknecht and Theodor Liebknecht.

  12. Brigitte Zypries

    Brigitte Zypries
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1953-.. (age 72)
    Occupations
    juristpolitician
    Biography

    Brigitte Zypries is a German lawyer and politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD). Between 2017 and 2018, she served as Minister for Economics and Energy in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel; she was the first woman to hold that office in German history.

  13. Mariana Iris Harder-Kühnel

    Mariana Iris Harder-Kühnel
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1974-.. (age 51)
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    Mariana Harder-Kühnel is a German politician of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party. Since October 2017, she has served as member of the Bundestag.

  14. Jürgen Stock

    Jürgen Stock
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1959-.. (age 66)
    Occupations
    university teacherpolice officerjuristlawyer
    Biography

    Jürgen Stock is a German police officer and academic. He served as secretary general of Interpol from November 7, 2014 to November 7, 2024. Stock joined the Kriminalpolizei in Hesse in 1978 and stayed on as an officer until 1992. Between 1992 and 1996, he studied criminology at to the University of Giessen.

  15. Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel

    Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1969-.. (age 56)
    Occupations
    managerpolitician
    Biography

    Thorsten Schäfer-Gümbel is a former German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has been serving as member of the management board of GIZ since 2019.

  16. Hermann Otto Solms

    Hermann Otto Solms
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1940-.. (age 85)
    Occupations
    treasurerpolitician
    Biography

    Hermann Otto Solms is a German politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP).

  17. Walther Bothe

    Walther Bothe
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1891-1957 (aged 66)
    Occupations
    inventorphysicistchemistuniversity teachernuclear physicist
    Biography

    Walther Wilhelm Georg Bothe was a German nuclear physicist known for the development of coincidence methods to study particle physics.

  18. Johann Konrad Dippel

    Johann Konrad Dippel
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1673-1734 (aged 61)
    Occupations
    philosopherphysicianchemistalchemistanatomist
    Biography

    Johann Konrad Dippel, also spelled Johann Conrad Dippel, was a German Pietist theologian, physician, and alchemist.

  19. Ludwig Börne

    Ludwig Börne
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1786-1837 (aged 51)
    Occupations
    literary criticpoetpoet lawyerwriterjournalist
    Biography

    Karl Ludwig Börne was a German-Jewish political writer and satirist, who is considered part of the Young Germany movement.

  20. August Wilhelm von Hofmann

    August Wilhelm von Hofmann
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1818-1892 (aged 74)
    Occupations
    university teacherchemist
    Biography

    August Wilhelm von Hofmann was a German chemist who made considerable contributions to organic chemistry. His research on aniline helped lay the basis of the aniline-dye industry, and his research on coal tar laid the groundwork for his student Charles Mansfield's practical methods for extracting benzene and toluene and converting them into nitro compounds and amines. Hofmann's discoveries include formaldehyde, hydrazobenzene, the isonitriles, and allyl alcohol. He prepared three ethylamines and tetraethylammonium compounds and established their structural relationship to ammonia.

  21. Ascanio Sobrero

    Ascanio Sobrero
    Born in
    Italy Flag Italy
    Years
    1812-1888 (aged 76)
    Occupations
    inventorphysicianchemist
    Biography

    Ascanio Sobrero was an Italian chemist, born in Casale Monferrato. He studied under Théophile-Jules Pelouze at the University of Turin, who had worked with the explosive material guncotton.

  22. Nikos Kotzias

    Nikos Kotzias
    Born in
    Greece Flag Greece
    Years
    1950-.. (age 75)
    Occupations
    university teacherpoliticianarchaeologistdiplomat
    Biography

    Nikolaos Kotzias, GCM is a Greek politician and diplomat who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2015 to 2018.

  23. Emil Erlenmeyer

    Emil Erlenmeyer
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1825-1909 (aged 84)
    Occupations
    pharmacistuniversity teacherchemist
    Biography

    Richard August Carl Emil Erlenmeyer, known simply as Emil Erlenmeyer, was a German chemist known for contributing to the early development of the theory of chemical structure and formulating the Erlenmeyer rule. He also designed the Erlenmeyer flask, a specialized apparatus ubiquitous in chemistry laboratories, which is named after him.

  24. Ákos Hadházy

    Ákos Hadházy
    Born in
    Hungary Flag Hungary
    Years
    1974-.. (age 51)
    Enrolled in the University of Giessen
    Studied veterinary medicine
    Occupations
    veterinarianpolitician
    Biography

    Ákos Ányos Hadházy is a Hungarian veterinarian and politician. He was co-President of the Politics Can Be Different (Lehet Más a Politika; LMP) party from 2016 to 2018, and has been a member of the National Assembly (MP) from the party's National List since 2016, and an independent representative for Budapest 8th Constituency since 2022.

  25. Heinrich von Brentano

    Heinrich von Brentano
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1904-1964 (aged 60)
    Occupations
    politiciannotarylawyer
    Biography

    Heinrich Joseph Maximilian Johann Maria von Brentano di Tremezzo, known professionally as Heinrich von Brentano, was a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). He served as Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs from 1955 to 1961.

  26. Ingrid Matthäus-Maier

    Ingrid Matthäus-Maier
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1945-.. (age 80)
    Enrolled in the University of Giessen
    In 1965 studied jurisprudence
    Occupations
    politiciancivil rights advocatejudgebank managerjurist
    Biography

    Ingrid Matthäus-Maier is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD).

  27. Theodor Fliedner

    Theodor Fliedner
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1800-1864 (aged 64)
    Occupations
    nursepastor
    Biography

    Theodor Fliedner was a German Lutheran minister and founder of Lutheran deaconess training. In 1836, he founded Kaiserswerther Diakonie, a hospital and deaconess training center. Together with his wives Friederike Münster and Caroline Bertheau, he is regarded as the renewer of the apostolic deaconess ministry. His work in nursing was pioneering for Florence Nightingale, who spent a few months in Kaiserswerth in 1850.

  28. Charles-Adolphe Wurtz

    Charles-Adolphe Wurtz
    Born in
    France Flag France
    Years
    1817-1884 (aged 67)
    Occupations
    university teacherpoliticianphysicianchemist
    Biography

    Charles Adolphe Wurtz was an Alsatian French chemist. He is best remembered for his decades-long advocacy for the atomic theory and for ideas about the structures of chemical compounds, against the skeptical opinions of chemists such as Marcellin Berthelot and Henri Étienne Sainte-Claire Deville. He is well known by organic chemists for the Wurtz reaction, to form carbon-carbon bonds by reacting alkyl halides with sodium, and for his discoveries of ethylamine, ethylene glycol, and the aldol reaction. Wurtz was also an influential writer and educator.

  29. Johannes Dieckmann

    Johannes Dieckmann
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1893-1969 (aged 76)
    Occupations
    journalistpolitician
    Biography

    Johannes Dieckmann was a German journalist and politician who served as the 1st President of the Volkskammer, the parliament of East Germany, from 1949 to 1969.

  30. Michael Hüther

    Michael Hüther
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1962-.. (age 63)
    Occupations
    university teachereconomist
    Biography

    Michael Hüther is a German economist who currently serves as director of the Institut der deutschen Wirtschaft. He has previously been the chief economist of DekaBank. Hüther also is an honorary professor at the European Business School International University Schloss Reichartshausen.

  31. Christoph Cellarius

    Christoph Cellarius
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1638-1707 (aged 69)
    Occupations
    historianpedagogueclassical scholarorientalistuniversity teacher
    Biography

    Christoph Cellarius (22 November 1638 – 4 June 1707) was a German classical scholar from Schmalkalden who held positions in Weimar and Halle. Although the Ancient-Medieval-Modern division of history was used earlier by Italian Renaissance scholars Leonardo Bruni and Flavio Biondo, Cellarius' Universal History Divided into an Ancient, Medieval, and New Period helped popularize it. After him, this tripartite division became standard.

  32. Ludwig Bamberger

    Ludwig Bamberger
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1823-1899 (aged 76)
    Occupations
    politicianwriterhistorianeconomistjurist
    Biography

    Ludwig Bamberger was a German Jewish economist, politician, revolutionary and writer.

  33. René Aust

    René Aust
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1987-.. (age 38)
    Enrolled in the University of Giessen
    Studied in 2005-2016
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    René Aust is a German politician of the Alternative for Germany (AfD). He entered the state parliament of Thuringia after the state elections of 27 October 2019. In the 2024 European Parliament election he came third on his party's list and entered the European Parliament.

  34. Udo Bullmann

    Udo Bullmann
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1956-.. (age 69)
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    Udo Bullmann is a German politician who has been serving as a member of the European Parliament since 1999. He is a member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), part of the Party of European Socialists. He has been re-elected to serve as a member until 2029. In the 10th legislation he is the coordinator for his political group in the Committee on Development and a member in the Committee on International Trade. He is furthermore serving as chair of the Delegation for relations with South Africa.

  35. Alexander William Williamson

    Alexander William Williamson
    Born in
    United Kingdom Flag United Kingdom
    Years
    1824-1904 (aged 80)
    Occupations
    university teacherchemist
    Biography

    Alexander William Williamson FRS FRSE PCS MRIA was an English chemist. He is best known today for the Williamson ether synthesis.

  36. Rudolf Stammler

    Rudolf Stammler
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1856-1938 (aged 82)
    Occupations
    economistphilosopher of lawuniversity teacherlawyerjurist
    Biography

    Karl Eduard Julius Theodor Rudolf Stammler was an influential German philosopher of law. He distinguished a purely formal concept of law from the ideal, the realization of justice. He thought that, rather than reacting and adjusting the law to economic pressures, the law should be deliberately steered towards the current ideal.

  37. Ingo Wellenreuther

    Ingo Wellenreuther
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1959-.. (age 66)
    Occupations
    judgepoliticianlawyer
    Biography

    Ingo Peter Wellenreuther is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who served as a member of the Bundestag from 2002 to 2021.

  38. Wilhelm Heinrich Riehl

    Wilhelm Heinrich Riehl
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1823-1897 (aged 74)
    Occupations
    musicographerhikeruniversity teacherwriterhistorian
    Biography

    Wilhelm Heinrich Riehl was a German professor, journalist, novelist, and folklorist.

  39. Franz Joseph Emil Fischer

    Franz Joseph Emil Fischer
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1877-1947 (aged 70)
    Occupations
    chemist
    Biography

    Franz Joseph Emil Fischer was a German chemist. He was the founder and first director of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Coal Research. He is known for the discovery of the Fischer–Tropsch process.

  40. Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg

    Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1884-1966 (aged 82)
    Occupations
    rabbi
    Biography

    Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg was an Ashkenazi Orthodox rabbi, posek ("decisor" of Jewish law) and rosh yeshiva. He is best known as the author of the work of responsa Seridei Eish.

  41. Johann Gottlob Leidenfrost

    Johann Gottlob Leidenfrost
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1715-1794 (aged 79)
    Occupations
    chemistphysiciantheologianuniversity teacherphysicist
    Biography

    Johann Gottlob Leidenfrost was a German physician and theologian who first described the scientific phenomenon eponymously named the Leidenfrost effect.

  42. Georg Gottfried Gervinus

    Georg Gottfried Gervinus
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1805-1871 (aged 66)
    Occupations
    politicianuniversity teacherwriterhistorianliterary historian
    Biography

    Georg Gottfried Gervinus was a German literary and political historian.

  43. Joachim Prinz

    Joachim Prinz
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1902-1988 (aged 86)
    Occupations
    rabbi
    Biography

    Joachim Prinz was a German-American rabbi who was an outspoken activist against Nazism in Germany in the 1930s and later became a leader in the civil rights movement in the United States in the 1960s.

  44. Richard von Volkmann

    Richard von Volkmann
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1830-1889 (aged 59)
    Occupations
    university teachersurgeonwriterphysician
    Biography

    Richard von Volkmann was a prominent German surgeon and author of poetry and fiction. Some of his works were illustrated by his son, Hans, a well known artist.

  45. Kirsten Fründt

    Kirsten Fründt
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1967-2022 (aged 55)
    Enrolled in the University of Giessen
    In 1996 graduated with Diploma of Engineering in landscape ecology
    Occupations
    politicianofficialgardener
    Biography

    Kirsten Fründt was a German politician. A member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, she served as Landrat of Marburg-Biedenkopf from 2014 until her death.

  46. Emil Fuchs

    Emil Fuchs
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1874-1971 (aged 97)
    Occupations
    university teachertheologian
    Biography

    Emil Fuchs was a German theologian, the son of Georg Friedrich Fuchs and Auguste Louise Wilhelmine Lonni Hauss.

  47. Carl Remigius Fresenius

    Carl Remigius Fresenius
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1818-1897 (aged 79)
    Enrolled in the University of Giessen
    Studied in 1842
    Occupations
    university teacherchemistscientist
    Biography

    Carl Remigius Fresenius, was a German chemist, known for his studies in analytical chemistry.

  48. Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck

    Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1776-1858 (aged 82)
    Occupations
    mycologistphysicianbotanistagrostologistentomologist
    Biography

    Christian Gottfried Daniel Nees von Esenbeck was a prolific German botanist, physician, zoologist, and natural philosopher. He was a contemporary of Goethe and was born within the lifetime of Linnaeus. He described approximately 7,000 plant species (almost as many as Linnaeus himself). His last official act as president of the German Academy of Natural Scientists Leopoldina was to admit Charles Darwin as a member. He was the author of numerous monographs on botany and zoology and majority of his best-known works deal with fungi.

  49. Friedrich Ludwig Weidig

    Friedrich Ludwig Weidig
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1791-1837 (aged 46)
    Occupations
    opinion journalisttheologianjournalistpedagogue
    Biography

    Friedrich Ludwig Weidig was a German Protestant theologian, pastor, activist, teacher and journalist. Initially working as a teacher in Butzbach, he then spent a short time as a pastor in Ober-Gleen, a district of Giessen. In what is now Hesse and the Middle Rhine, he was one of the main figures of the Vormärz and a pioneer of the 1848 Revolution.

  50. Heike Hänsel

    Heike Hänsel
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1966-.. (age 59)
    Enrolled in the University of Giessen
    1990-1997 graduated with Diplom in ecotrophology
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    Heike Hänsel is a German politician, representing The Left. Born in Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Heike Hänsel served as a member of the Bundestag from the state of Baden-Württemberg from 2005 to 2021.

  51. Henri de Saussure

    Henri de Saussure
    Born in
    Switzerland Flag Switzerland
    Years
    1829-1905 (aged 76)
    Enrolled in the University of Giessen
    Graduated with doctorate
    Occupations
    entomologistornithologistmineralogistgeologistzoologist
    Biography

    Henri Louis Frédéric de Saussure was a Swiss mineralogist, taxonomist and entomologist specialising in studies of hymenopteroid and orthopteroid insects.

  52. Benjamin Mazar

    Benjamin Mazar
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1906-1995 (aged 89)
    Occupations
    pedagoguewriterhistorianarchaeologistanthropologist
    Biography

    Benjamin Mazar was a pioneering Israeli historian, recognized as the "dean" of biblical archaeologists. He shared the national passion for the archaeology of Israel that also attracts considerable international interest due to the region's biblical links. He is known for his excavations at the most significant biblical site in Israel: south and south west of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. In 1932 he conducted the first archaeological excavation under Jewish auspices in Israel at Beit She'arim (the largest catacombs ever found in Israel) and in 1948 was the first archaeologist to receive a permit granted by the new State of Israel (Tell Qasile, 1948). Mazar was trained as an Assyriologist and was an expert on biblical history, authoring more than 100 publications on the subject. He developed the field of historical geography of Israel. For decades he served as the chairman of the Israel Exploration Society and of the Archaeological Council of Israel (which he founded as the authority responsible for all archaeological excavations and surveys in Israel). Between 1951 and 1977, Mazar served as Professor of Biblical History and Archaeology at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In 1952 he became Rector of the university and later its president for eight years commencing in 1953.

  53. Eduard David

    Eduard David
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1863-1930 (aged 67)
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    Eduard Heinrich Rudolph David was a German politician. He was an important figure in the history of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD) and of the German political labour movement. After the German Revolution of 1918–19 he was a Minister without portfolio in the government of Philipp Scheidemann, before becoming Minister of the Interior in June 1919 in the succeeding government headed by Gustav Bauer. David remained in that position until October of that year.

  54. Lorenz Heister

    Lorenz Heister
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1683-1758 (aged 75)
    Occupations
    anatomistsurgeonbotanistuniversity teacher
    Biography

    Lorenz Heister was a German anatomist, surgeon and botanist born in Frankfurt am Main.

  55. Friedrich Christian Diez

    Friedrich Christian Diez
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1794-1876 (aged 82)
    Occupations
    university teacherwriterromanistlinguist
    Biography

    Friedrich Christian Diez was a German philologist. The two works on which his fame rests are the Grammar of the Romance Languages (published 1836–1844), and the Etymological Dictionary of the Romance Languages (1853, and later editions). He spent most of his career at University of Bonn.

  56. Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Claus

    Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Claus
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1835-1899 (aged 64)
    Occupations
    botanistnaturalistuniversity teachercarcinologistzoologist
    Biography

    Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Claus was a German zoologist and anatomist. He was an opponent of the ideas of Ernst Haeckel.

  57. Samuel Adler

    Samuel Adler
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1809-1891 (aged 82)
    Occupations
    clericrabbi
    Biography

    Samuel Adler was a leading German-American Reform rabbi, Talmudist, and author.

  58. Carl Schmidt

    Carl Schmidt
    Born in
    Latvia Flag Latvia
    Years
    1822-1894 (aged 72)
    Occupations
    physiologistpharmacistpharmacologistprofessorchemist
    Biography

    Carl Ernst Heinrich Schmidt, also Karl Genrikhovich Schmidt was a Baltic German chemist from the Livonia Governorate, Russian Empire.

  59. Adolf Spiess

    Adolf Spiess
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1810-1858 (aged 48)
    Occupations
    gymnastpedagogue
    Biography

    Karl Adolf Spieß was a German gymnast and educator who contributed to the development of school gymnastics for children of both sexes in Switzerland and Germany.

  60. Natalie Pawlik

    Natalie Pawlik
    Born in
    Russia Flag Russia
    Years
    1992-.. (age 33)
    Enrolled in the University of Giessen
    Studied in 2016
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    Natalie Pawlik is a German politician (SPD) and member of the German Bundestag since October 2021. Since 14 April 2022, Pawlik has been the Commissioner for Matters Related to Ethnic German Resettlers and National Minorities.

  61. Charles Follen

    Charles Follen
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1796-1840 (aged 44)
    Occupations
    writeruniversity teacherpoet
    Biography

    Charles Theodor Christian Friedrich Follen (September 6, 1796 – January 13, 1840) was a German poet and patriot, who later moved to the United States and became the first professor of German at Harvard University, a Unitarian minister, and a radical abolitionist. He was fired by Harvard for his abolitionist statements.

  62. Adolph Strecker

    Adolph Strecker
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1822-1871 (aged 49)
    Occupations
    university teacherchemist
    Biography

    Adolph Strecker was a German chemist who is remembered primarily for his work with amino acids.

  63. Joachim Jungius

    Joachim Jungius
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1587-1657 (aged 70)
    Enrolled in the University of Giessen
    Studied in 1608-1608
    Occupations
    botanistphilosopherbiologistphysicistuniversity teacher
    Biography

    Joachim Jungius was a German mathematician, logician and philosopher of science.

  64. Martin Wagenschein

    Martin Wagenschein
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1896-1988 (aged 92)
    Occupations
    university teacherphysicist
    Biography

    Martin Wagenschein was a science educator who worked in mathematical and scientific didactics.

  65. Jacob Volhard

    Jacob Volhard
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1834-1910 (aged 76)
    Occupations
    university teacherchemist
    Biography

    Jacob Volhard was the German chemist who discovered, together with his student Hugo Erdmann, the Volhard–Erdmann cyclization reaction. He was also responsible for the improvement of the Hell–Volhard–Zelinsky halogenation.

  66. August Köhler

    August Köhler
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1866-1948 (aged 82)
    Occupations
    physicistuniversity teacher
    Biography

    August Karl Johann Valentin Köhler was a German professor and early staff member of Carl Zeiss AG in Jena, Germany. He is best known for his development of the microscopy technique of Köhler illumination, an important principle in optimizing microscopic resolution power by evenly illuminating the field of view. This invention revolutionized light microscope design and is widely used in traditional as well as modern digital imaging techniques today.

  67. Carl Theodor Welcker

    Carl Theodor Welcker
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1790-1869 (aged 79)
    Occupations
    opinion journalistuniversity teacherpoliticianjournalistjurist
    Biography

    Carl Theodor Georg Philipp Welcker was a German legal scholar, law professor, politician, and journalist.

  68. Sven Simon

    Sven Simon
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1978-.. (age 47)
    Occupations
    politicianuniversity teacherlawyer
    Biography

    Sven Simon is a German law professor and politician who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament since 2019. He previously taught international and European law at Philipps University of Marburg. In the 2019 European Parliament election he was the lead candidate for the Christian Democratic Union Hessen.

  69. George August Samuel of Nassau-Idstein

    George August Samuel of Nassau-Idstein
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1665-1721 (aged 56)
    Occupations
    military personnelFürst
    Biography

    George August Samuel of Nassau-Idstein was Graf from 1677, and Prince from 1688 until his death, of Nassau-Idstein. He worked mainly in Wiesbaden.

  70. Jürgen Gansel

    Jürgen Gansel
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1974-.. (age 51)
    Occupations
    historianpolitician
    Biography

    Jürgen Werner Gansel is a German politician. He is a representative of the National Democratic Party of Germany. From 2004 until 2014, he was a member of the Landtag of Saxony.

  71. Moshe Smoira

    Moshe Smoira
    Years
    1888-1961 (aged 73)
    Occupations
    lawyerjudge
    Biography

    Moshe Smoira was an Israeli jurist and the first President of the Supreme Court of Israel.

  72. Georg Ludwig Hartig

    Georg Ludwig Hartig
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1764-1837 (aged 73)
    Occupations
    writeruniversity teacherforestry scientist
    Biography

    Georg Ludwig Hartig was a German forester. Along with Heinrich Cotta he helped establish scientific forestry in Prussia, serving as the chief forester from 1811 and giving lectures on forestry at the University of Berlin from 1838 where he served as a professor. He established the goals of sustainable forestry and wrote several influential textbook for foresters.

  73. Charlotte von Siebold

    Charlotte von Siebold
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1788-1859 (aged 71)
    Occupations
    gynecologistphysician
    Biography

    Marian Theodore Charlotte Heidenreich von Siebold was a German physician. She is regarded as the first gynecologist in Germany. She was the daughter of the physicians Damian and Regina von Siebold and was an early assistant of her parents. She graduated with a degree in obstetrics at the Giessen University in 1817.

  74. Svenja Hahn

    Svenja Hahn
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1989-.. (age 36)
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    Svenja Ilona Hahn is a German politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament since 2019.

  75. Friedrich Christoph Schlosser

    Friedrich Christoph Schlosser
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1776-1861 (aged 85)
    Occupations
    writerhistorianlibrarian
    Biography

    Friedrich Christoph Schlosser was a German historian, Professor of History at the University of Heidelberg and a Privy Councillor in Prussia.

  76. Dagmar Schmidt

    Dagmar Schmidt
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1973-.. (age 52)
    Occupations
    historianpolitician
    Biography

    Dagmar Schmidt is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) who has been serving as a member of the Bundestag, the German parliament, since 2013.

  77. Rudolf Leuckart

    Rudolf Leuckart
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1822-1898 (aged 76)
    Occupations
    entomologistbotanistuniversity teacherbryologistzoologist
    Biography

    Karl Georg Friedrich Rudolf Leuckart was a German zoologist born in Helmstedt. He was a nephew to naturalist Friedrich Sigismund Leuckart (1794–1843).

  78. Ferdinand Adolf Kehrer

    Ferdinand Adolf Kehrer
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1837-1914 (aged 77)
    Occupations
    university teacherobstetriciangynecologist
    Biography

    Ferdinand Adolf Kehrer was a German gynecologist who was a native of Guntersblum in Rhenish Hesse. He was the father of neurologist Ferdinand Adalbert Kehrer (1883–1966).

  79. Hermann von Ihering

    Hermann von Ihering
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1850-1930 (aged 80)
    Occupations
    zoologistphysicianornithologistentomologistteacher
    Biography

    Hermann Friedrich Albert von Ihering was a German-Brazilian zoologist. He was the oldest son of Rudolf von Jhering.

  80. Henry Bence Jones

    Henry Bence Jones
    Born in
    United Kingdom Flag United Kingdom
    Years
    1813-1873 (aged 60)
    Occupations
    chemistphysician
    Biography

    Henry Bence Jones FRS was an English physician and chemist.

  81. Alexander von Brill

    Alexander von Brill
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1842-1935 (aged 93)
    Occupations
    mathematicianuniversity teacher
    Biography

    Alexander Wilhelm von Brill was a German mathematician.

  82. Ulrich K. Preuss

    Ulrich K. Preuss
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1939-.. (age 86)
    Occupations
    university teacherjuristpolitical scientistjudge
    Biography

    Ulrich K. Preuß teaches Theories of the State at the Hertie School of Governance.

  83. Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker

    Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1784-1868 (aged 84)
    Occupations
    art historianlibrarianclassical archaeologistlinguistuniversity teacher
    Biography

    Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker was a German classical philologist and archaeologist.

  84. Karl Engisch

    Karl Engisch
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1899-1990 (aged 91)
    Occupations
    juristuniversity teacher
    Biography

    Karl Engisch was a German jurist and a Philosopher of Law. He was described by Hans Joachim Hirsch as one of the "outstanding theorists of criminal justice of the century" ("herausragenden Strafrechtstheoretiker des vergangenen Jahrhunderts").

  85. Angela D. Friederici

    Angela D. Friederici
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1952-.. (age 73)
    Occupations
    psychologistneuroscientistprofessor
    Biography

    Angela Friederici is a director at the Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences in Leipzig, Germany, and is an internationally recognized expert in neuropsychology and linguistics. She is the author of over 400 academic articles and book chapters, and has edited 15 books on linguistics, neuroscience, language and psychology.

  86. Friedrich Balduin von Gagern

    Friedrich Balduin von Gagern
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1794-1848 (aged 54)
    Occupations
    military personnel
    Biography

    Friedrich Balduin, Baron von Gagern was a German soldier.

  87. Max von Forckenbeck

    Max von Forckenbeck
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1821-1892 (aged 71)
    Enrolled in the University of Giessen
    Studied in 1838
    Occupations
    lawyerpolitician
    Biography

    Maximilian Franz August von Forckenbeck (23 October 1821 – 26 May 1892) was a German lawyer and liberal politician who served as Mayor of Berlin from 1878 until his death. His is considered one of the most important mayors of the city because of his prudent governing style during Berlin's rise as the capital of a unified Germany.

  88. Milda Vainiutė

    Milda Vainiutė
    Born in
    Lithuania Flag Lithuania
    Years
    1962-2024 (aged 62)
    Occupations
    politicianuniversity teacherjurist
    Biography

    Milda Vainiutė was a Lithuanian legal scholar and politician.

  89. Karl Christian von Langsdorf

    Karl Christian von Langsdorf
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1757-1834 (aged 77)
    Occupations
    engineeruniversity teachermathematician
    Biography

    Karl Christian von Langsdorf, also known as Carl Christian von Langsdorff, was a German mathematician, geologist, natural scientist and engineer.

  90. Karl von Abel

    Karl von Abel
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1788-1859 (aged 71)
    Occupations
    politician
    Biography

    Karl von Abel was a Bavarian statesman.

  91. Ernst Ludwig Alfred Hegar

    Ernst Ludwig Alfred Hegar
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1830-1914 (aged 84)
    Occupations
    surgeonphysiciangynecologist
    Biography

    Ernst Ludwig Alfred Hegar, aka Alfred Hegar, was a German gynecologist famous for developing new medical tools and techniques. He was born on 6 January 1830 in Darmstadt, Germany and died on 5 August 1914. He was buried in Breisgau.

  92. Ralf Reski

    Ralf Reski
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1958-.. (age 67)
    Occupations
    university teacherbiotechnologistgeneticistbotanist
    Biography

    Ralf Reski is a German professor of plant biotechnology and former dean of the Faculty of Biology of the University of Freiburg. He is also affiliated to the French École supérieure de biotechnologie Strasbourg (ESBS) and Senior Fellow at the Freiburg Institute for Advanced Studies.

  93. Ernst Dieffenbach

    Ernst Dieffenbach
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1811-1855 (aged 44)
    Occupations
    physicianmineralogistexplorerbotanistuniversity teacher
    Biography

    Johann Karl Ernst Dieffenbach, also known as Ernest Dieffenbach, was a German physician, geologist and naturalist, the first trained scientist to live and work in New Zealand, where he travelled widely under the auspices of the New Zealand Company, returning in 1841–42 and publishing in English his Travels in New Zealand in 1843.

  94. Johann Jacob Dillenius

    Johann Jacob Dillenius
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1687-1747 (aged 60)
    Occupations
    botanistpteridologistuniversity teacherbryologistmycologist
    Biography

    Johann Jacob Dillen Dillenius was a German botanist. He is known for his Hortus Elthamensis ("Eltham Garden") on the rare plants around Eltham, London, and for his Historia muscorum ("History of Mosses"), a natural history of lower plants including mosses, liverworts, hornworts, lycopods, algae, lichens and fungi.

  95. Julius Stinde

    Julius Stinde
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1841-1905 (aged 64)
    Occupations
    writerjournalistchemist
    Biography

    Julius Stinde, was a German author born at Kirchnüchel in Holstein, the son of a clergyman.

  96. Andreas Reinicke

    Andreas Reinicke
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1955-.. (age 70)
    Occupations
    diplomatjurist
    Biography

    Andreas Reinicke is a German diplomat and a former Ambassador to Tunisia. He has been the European Union Special Representative for the Middle East Peace Process. Alberto Oggero, an Italian diplomat, served as his deputy until 31 December 2013. Reinicke was appointed by the Council of the European Union on 23 January 2012, and his mandate was repealed on 1 January 2014, following proposals to the Political and Security Committee by High Representative of EU for Common Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Catherine Ashton.

  97. John Stenhouse

    John Stenhouse
    Born in
    United Kingdom Flag United Kingdom
    Years
    1809-1880 (aged 71)
    Occupations
    chemist
    Biography

    John Stenhouse FRS FRSE FIC FCS was a British chemist. In 1854, he invented one of the first practical respirators.

  98. Ferdinand Fellmann

    Ferdinand Fellmann
    Born in
    Poland Flag Poland
    Years
    1939-2019 (aged 80)
    Occupations
    philosopher
    Biography

    Ferdinand Fellmann was a German philosopher. After the expulsion of his family in 1946 out of Hirschberg (now Jelenia Góra, Poland) Fellmann grew up in Hameln/Weser (Germany).

  99. Dieter Enders

    Dieter Enders
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1946-2019 (aged 73)
    Occupations
    non-fiction writeruniversity teacherchemist
    Biography

    Dieter Enders was a German organic chemist who did work developing asymmetric synthesis, in particular using modified prolines as chiral auxiliaries. The most widely applied of his chiral auxiliaries are the complementary SAMP and RAMP auxiliaries, which allow for asymmetric alpha-alkylation of aldehydes and ketones. In 1974 he obtained his doctorate from the University of Gießen studying under Dieter Seebach and followed this with a postdoc at Harvard University studying with Elias James Corey. He then moved back to Gießen to obtain his Habilitation in 1979, whereupon he became a lecturer, soon obtaining Professorship in 1980 as Professor of Organic Chemistry at Bonn. In 1985 he moved to Aachen, where he was Full Professor of Organic Chemistry and Director. He was editor-in-chief of Synthesis and was on the advisory boards of many other journals including Letters in Organic Chemistry and SynLett.

  100. Johann Ludwig Wilhelm Thudichum

    Johann Ludwig Wilhelm Thudichum
    Born in
    Germany Flag Germany
    Years
    1829-1901 (aged 72)
    Occupations
    biochemistphysician
    Biography

    Johann Ludwig Wilhelm Thudichum, also known as John Louis William Thudichum was a German-born physician and biochemist.