11 Facts About Eugen Gerstenmaier

Eugen Karl Albrecht Gerstenmaier was a German Protestant theologian, resistance fighter in the Third Reich, and a CDU politician.

On 20 July 1944, the day of Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg's attempt on Adolf Hitler's life at the Wolf's Lair in East Prussia, Eugen Gerstenmaier was at his assigned place at the Bendlerblock in Berlin to support the attempted assassination and coup d'etat against the Nazi regime.

Eugen Gerstenmaier spent only a few months there as he was freed by US troops at the end of the war.

From 1949 to 1969, Eugen Gerstenmaier was a member of the Bundestag for the CDU.

From 1957 until 12 October 1959, Eugen Gerstenmaier was Chairman of the Subcommission for managing the Bundestag "household".

On 31 January 1969, Eugen Gerstenmaier resigned his post as Bundestag President after public controversy about claims of certain compensation benefits, to which he was legally entitled.

Eugen Gerstenmaier belonged to a CDU faction who internally criticized Konrad Adenauer's policy of engaging the West because that brought along with it a tendency to turn away from the goal of reuniting Germany.

Eugen Gerstenmaier belonged to the select committee of both "Union" parties which on 24 February 1959 put forward Ludwig Erhard as a candidate for Federal President, although Erhard declined the honour.

In 1980, Eugen Gerstenmaier was the CDU's delegate alongside Hermann Kunst, Alex Moller, Rudolf Hanauer and Bernhard Leverenz on the Arbitration Committee for Overseeing Compliance with the Election Campaigning Agreement in the Bundestag election campaign.

From 1977 until his death, Eugen Gerstenmaier was Chairman of the Association of Former Members of the German Bundestag.

In 1957, Eugen Gerstenmaier received the Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria.