List of German finance ministers

Minister of Finance
Finanzminister
Incumbent
Jörg Kukies
since 7 November 2024
Federal Ministry of Finance
Member ofFederal Cabinet
AppointerThe Chancellor
Formation1880
First holderAdolf von Scholz

The Minister of Finance of Germany (German: Finanzminister) is the head of the Federal Ministry of Finance and a member of the Federal Cabinet.

State Secretaries for Finance of the German Empire (1880–1918)

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Ministers of Finance (1918–1945)

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No. Portrait Name
(born and died)
Term Political party Government
Took office Left office Time in office
1
Eugen Schiffer
Eugen Schiffer
(1860–1954)
13 February 191919 April 191965 daysDDPScheidemann
2
Bernhard Dernburg
Bernhard Dernburg
(1865–1937)
19 April 191920 June 191962 daysDDPScheidemann
3
Matthias Erzberger
Matthias Erzberger
(1875–1921)
21 June 191912 March 1920265 daysCentreBauer
4
Joseph Wirth
Joseph Wirth
(1879–1956)
27 March 192022 October 19211 year, 209 daysCentreMüller I
Fehrenbach
Wirth I
5
Andreas Hermes
Andreas Hermes
(1878–1964)
26 October 192113 August 19231 year, 291 daysCentreWirth II
Cuno
6
Rudolf Hilferding
Rudolf Hilferding
(1877–1941)
13 August 19231 October 192349 daysSPDStresemann I
7
Hans Luther
Hans Luther
(1879–1962)
6 October 192315 December 19241 year, 70 daysIndependentStresemann II
Marx III
8
Otto von Schlieben [de]
Otto von Schlieben [de]
(1875–1932)
19 January 192526 October 1925280 daysDNVPLuther I
Hans Luther
Hans Luther
(1879–1962)
Acting
26 October 192520 January 192686 daysIndependentLuther I
9
Peter Reinhold [de]
Peter Reinhold [de]
(1887–1955)
20 January 192629 January 19271 year, 9 daysDDPLuther II
Marx III
10
Heinrich Köhler
Heinrich Köhler
(1878–1949)
29 January 192729 June 19281 year, 152 daysCentreMarx IV
(6)
Rudolf Hilferding
Rudolf Hilferding
(1877–1941)
29 June 192821 December 19291 year, 175 daysSPDMüller II
11
Paul Moldenhauer
Paul Moldenhauer
(1876–1947)
23 December 192920 June 1930179 daysDVPMüller II
Brüning I
Heinrich Brüning
Heinrich Brüning
(1885–1970)
Acting
20 June 193026 June 19306 daysCentreBrüning I
12
Hermann Dietrich
Hermann Dietrich
(1879–1954)
26 June 19301 June 19321 year, 341 daysDStPBrüning III
13
Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
(1887–1977)
(Independent until 1937)
1 June 193223 May 194512 years, 356 daysNSDAPPapen
Schleicher
Hitler
Goebbels
Schwerin von Krosigk

Ministers of Finance of the German Democratic Republic (1949–1990)

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No. Portrait Name
(born and died)
Term Political party Government
Took office Left office Time in office
1
Hans Loch
Hans Loch
(1898–1960)
11 October 194926 November 19556 years, 46 daysLDPDProvisional government
Council of Ministers
(1950–1954)
(1954–1958)
2
Willy Rumpf
Willy Rumpf
(1903–1982)
26 November 195512 December 196611 years, 16 daysSEDCouncil of Ministers
(1954–1958)
(1958–1963)
(1963–1967)
3
Siegfried Böhm
Siegfried Böhm
(1928–1980)
12 December 19665 May 198013 years, 145 daysSEDCouncil of Ministers
(1963–1967)
(1967–1971)
(1971–1976)
(1976–1981)
4
Werner Schmieder
Werner Schmieder
(born 1926)
5 May 198026 June 19811 year, 52 daysSEDCouncil of Ministers
(1976–1981)
5
Ernst Höfner
Ernst Höfner
(1929–2009)
26 June 19817 November 19898 years, 134 daysSEDCouncil of Ministers
(1981–1986)
(1986-1989)
6
Uta Nickel
Uta Nickel
(born 1941)
18 November 198912 April 1990145 daysSEDModrow
7
Walter Romberg
Walter Romberg
(1928–2014)
12 April 199016 August 1990126 daysSPDde Maizière
Werner Skowron [de]
Werner Skowron [de]
(1943–2016)
Acting
16 August 19902 October 199047 daysCDUde Maizière

Ministers of Finance of the Federal Republic of Germany (1949–present)

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Political party:   CSU   CDU   FDP   SPD

Name
(born and died)
Party Term of office Chancellor
(Cabinet)
1 Fritz Schäffer
(1888–1967)
CSU 20 September 1949 29 October 1957 Adenauer
(I • II)
2 Franz Etzel
(1902–1970)
CDU 29 October 1957 14 November 1961 Adenauer
(III)
3 Heinz Starke
(1911–2001)
FDP 14 November 1961 19 November 1962 Adenauer
(IV)
4 Rolf Dahlgrün
(1908–1969)
FDP 14 December 1962 28 October 1966 Adenauer (V)
Erhard (I • II)
5 Kurt Schmücker
(1919–1996)
CDU 8 November 1966 30 November 1966 Erhard
(II)
6 Franz Josef Strauß
(1915–1988)
CSU 1 December 1966 21 October 1969 Kiesinger
(I)
7 Alex Möller
(1903–1985)
SPD 22 October 1969 13 May 1971 Brandt
(I)
8 Karl Schiller
(1911–1994)
SPD 13 May 1971 7 July 1972
9 Helmut Schmidt
(1918–2015)
SPD 7 July 1972 1 May 1974 Brandt
(III)
10 Hans Apel
(1932–2011)
SPD 16 May 1974 15 February 1978 Schmidt
(I • II)
11 Hans Matthöfer
(1925–2009)
SPD 16 February 1978 28 April 1982 Schmidt
(II • III)
12 Manfred Lahnstein
(b. 1937)
SPD 28 April 1982 1 October 1982 Schmidt
(III)
13 Gerhard Stoltenberg
(1928–2001)
CDU 4 October 1982 21 April 1989 Kohl
(IIIIII)
14 Theodor Waigel
(b. 1939)
CSU 21 April 1989 27 October 1998 Kohl
(IIIIVV)
15 Oskar Lafontaine
(b. 1943)
SPD 27 October 1998 18 March 1999 Schröder
(I)
16 Hans Eichel
(b. 1941)
SPD 12 April 1999 22 November 2005 Schröder
(III)
17 Peer Steinbrück
(b. 1947)
SPD 22 November 2005 28 October 2009 Merkel
(I)
18 Wolfgang Schäuble
(1942–2023)
CDU 28 October 2009 24 October 2017 Merkel
(IIIII)
Peter Altmaier (acting)
(b. 1958)
CDU 24 October 2017 14 March 2018 Merkel
(III)
19 Olaf Scholz
(b. 1958)
SPD 14 March 2018 8 December 2021 Merkel
(IV)
20 Christian Lindner
(b. 1979)
FDP 8 December 2021 7 November 2024 Scholz
(I)
21 Jörg Kukies
(b. 1968)
SPD 7 November 2024 Scholz
(I)

See also

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