List of German finance ministers

Minister of Finance
Finanzminister
Incumbent
Christian Lindner
since 8 December 2021
Federal Ministry of Finance
Member of Federal Cabinet
Appointer The Chancellor
Formation 1880
First holder Adolf 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)

Ministers of Finance (1918–1945)

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 1919 19 April 1919 65 days DDP Scheidemann
2
Bernhard Dernburg
Bernhard Dernburg
(1865–1937)
19 April 1919 20 June 1919 62 days DDP Scheidemann
3
Matthias Erzberger
Matthias Erzberger
(1875–1921)
21 June 1919 12 March 1920 265 days Centre Bauer
4
Joseph Wirth
Joseph Wirth
(1879–1956)
27 March 1920 22 October 1921 1 year, 209 days Centre Müller I
Fehrenbach
Wirth I
5
Andreas Hermes
Andreas Hermes
(1878–1964)
26 October 1921 13 August 1923 1 year, 291 days Centre Wirth II
Cuno
6
Rudolf Hilferding
Rudolf Hilferding
(1877–1941)
13 August 1923 1 October 1923 49 days SPD Stresemann I
7
Hans Luther
Hans Luther
(1879–1962)
6 October 1923 15 December 1924 1 year, 70 days Independent Stresemann II
Marx III
8
Otto von Schlieben [de]
Otto von Schlieben
(1875–1932)
19 January 1925 26 October 1925 280 days DNVP Luther I
Hans Luther
Hans Luther
(1879–1962)
Acting
26 October 1925 20 January 1926 86 days Independent Luther I
9
Peter Reinhold [de]
Peter Reinhold
(1887–1955)
20 January 1926 29 January 1927 1 year, 9 days DDP Luther II
Marx III
10
Heinrich Köhler
Heinrich Köhler
(1878–1949)
29 January 1927 29 June 1928 1 year, 152 days Centre Marx IV
(6)
Rudolf Hilferding
Rudolf Hilferding
(1877–1941)
29 June 1928 21 December 1929 1 year, 175 days SPD Müller II
11
Paul Moldenhauer
Paul Moldenhauer
(1876–1947)
23 December 1929 20 June 1930 179 days DVP Müller II
Brüning I
Heinrich Brüning
Heinrich Brüning
(1885–1970)
Acting
20 June 1930 26 June 1930 6 days Centre Brüning I
12
Hermann Dietrich
Hermann Dietrich
(1879–1954)
26 June 1930 1 June 1932 1 year, 341 days DStP Brüning III
13
Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
Lutz Graf Schwerin von Krosigk
(1887–1977)
(Independent until 1937)
1 June 1932 23 May 1945 12 years, 356 days NSDAP Papen
Schleicher
Hitler
Goebbels
von Krosigk

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

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 1949 26 November 1955 6 years, 46 days LDPD Provisional government
Council of Ministers
(1950–1954)
(1954–1958)
2
Willy Rumpf
Willy Rumpf
(1903–1982)
26 November 1955 12 December 1966 11 years, 16 days SED Council of Ministers
(1954–1958)
(1958–1963)
(1963–1967)
3
Siegfried Böhm
Siegfried Böhm
(1928–1980)
12 December 1966 5 May 1980 13 years, 145 days SED Council of Ministers
(1963–1967)
(1967–1971)
(1971–1976)
(1976–1981)
4
Werner Schmieder
Werner Schmieder
(born 1926)
5 May 1980 26 June 1981 1 year, 52 days SED Council of Ministers
(1976–1981)
5
Ernst Höfner
Ernst Höfner
(1929–2009)
26 June 1981 7 November 1989 8 years, 134 days SED Council of Ministers
(1981–1986)
(1986-1989)
6
Uta Nickel
Uta Nickel
(born 1941)
18 November 1989 12 April 1990 145 days SED Modrow
7
Walter Romberg
Walter Romberg
(1928–2014)
12 April 1990 16 August 1990 126 days SPD de Maizière
Werner Skowron [de]
Werner Skowron
(1943–2016)
Acting
16 August 1990 2 October 1990 47 days CDU de Maizière

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

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
(b. 1942)
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 Incumbent Scholz
(Scholz)

See also