Horst Köhler was the president of Germany from 2004 through 2010, after serving as managing director of the International Monetary Fund.
- Died: February 1, 2025 (Who else died on February 1?)
- Details of death: Died in Berlin after a short illness at the age of 81.
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Horst Köhler’s legacy
Köhler served as Germany’s president alongside Chancellor Angela Merkel, the country’s first woman leader. In Germany, the position of president is largely ceremonial, as the chancellor leads the government, but the president also has the right to act politically, especially in the case of political instability. Köhler didn’t have a large following in Germany when he was nominated for the presidency; his career had gone largely under the radar of the average citizen. However, his influence on the country’s financial life was large.
Born in Nazi-occupied Poland during World War II, Köhler spent much of his young life as a refugee as his family first fled Soviet troops and then an East German uprising. He studied economics, and his early career included negotiating the monetary ramifications of the reunification of East and West Germany while he served as secretary of state in the Federal Ministry of Finance. He went on to help negotiate the Maastricht Treaty, which created the euro currency in 1992.
Köhler went on to head the International Monetary Fund from 2000 to 2004, during which time he was especially known as an advocate for developing nations. He left the position to serve as president. Though not well known at the time of his nomination, he became a popular president with an unusually high approval rating. His time in the presidency was known in part for his commentary on foreign policy, with a particular focus on maintaining a friendly relationship with Africa. Köhler was elected to a second term, then unexpectedly resigned amid a controversy over statements he made about Germany’s need to deploy soldiers abroad to protect the country’s economic interests.
Tributes to Horst Köhler
Full obituary: The New York Times
