19 Facts About Roman Herzog

Roman Herzog was a German politician, judge and legal scholar, who served as the president of Germany from 1994 to 1999.

Roman Herzog was born in Landshut, Bavaria, Germany, in 1934 to a Protestant family.

Roman Herzog studied law in Munich and passed his state law examination.

Roman Herzog completed his doctoral studies in 1958 with a dissertation on Basic Law and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Roman Herzog worked as an assistant at the University of Munich until 1964, where he passed his second juristic state exam.

Roman Herzog then taught constitutional law and political science as a full professor at the Free University of Berlin.

Roman Herzog served as State Minister for Culture and Sports in the Baden-Wurttemberg State Government led by Minister-President Lothar Spath from 1978.

Roman Herzog was long active in the Evangelical Church in Germany.

In 1983 Roman Herzog was elected a judge at the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany in Karlsruhe, replacing Ernst Benda.

Roman Herzog was elected President of Germany by the Federal Assembly on 23 May 1994.

Roman Herzog took office as Federal President on 1 July 1994.

Roman Herzog participated in the commemorations of the 50th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising during the Nazi occupation of Poland in 1994.

In 1995, Roman Herzog was one of the few foreign dignitaries taking part in the observances on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp who chose to attend a Jewish service at the site of the camp rather than the official opening ceremony in Cracow sponsored by the Polish Government.

In January 1996, Roman Herzog declared 27 January, the anniversary of the 1945 liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, as Germany's official day of remembrance for the victims of Hitler's regime.

Roman Herzog retained his position until 30 June 1999 and did not seek reelection.

From December 1999 to October 2000, Roman Herzog chaired the European Convention which drafted the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union.

Roman Herzog died in the early hours of 10 January 2017 at the age of 82.

Roman Herzog was a member of the Evangelical Church in Germany.

Roman Herzog died on 10 January 2017 at the age of 82.