Gerhard Schröder

:This article discusses the Social Democratic German Chancellor Gerhard Schröder. For the 1950s/1960s CDU politician with the same name, see Gerhard Schröder (CDU).

Personal life

Schröder's career, starting from a working-class background, has spanned a period as a successful lawyer, as well as politics.

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Schröder was born in Mossenberg, in the Free State (and former Principality) of Lippe(-Detmold) (today North Rhine-Westphalia). His father, Fritz Schröder, died fighting in Romania during World War II weeks after young Gerhard's birth. His father's place of death was not known even to him until 2001, when his father's final resting place was revealed to be a cemetery in the village of Ceanu Mare, 375 km northwest of Bucharest. He visited this area on August 12, 2004. His mother Erika worked on farms to feed the family, consisting of herself and her two sons. Later she married again (Paul Vosseler), but continued to work hard — as a cleaning woman — to feed the five children of the family, then living in Bexten.

Related Topics:
Mossenberg - Lippe(-Detmold) - North Rhine-Westphalia - Romania - World War II - 2001 - Ceanu Mare - Bucharest - August 12 - 2004 - Bexten

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Schröder initially worked as a sales clerk in Göttingen, meanwhile studying at night school to gain a Mittlere Reife (high school) diploma. Still trying to learn more and to gain the possibility to attend university, in 1966 Schröder passed the Abitur test at Westfalen-Kolleg, Bielefeld. From 1966 to 1971 he studied law at the University of Göttingen. During the summer vacation he worked to earn his living. From 1972 onwards, Schröder served as an assistant at Göttingen University. In 1976 he passed his second law examination; he worked as a lawyer until 1990.

Related Topics:
Göttingen - 1966 - Abitur - Bielefeld - 1971 - University of Göttingen - 1972 - 1976 - 1990

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Schröder has been married four times, to:

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• Eva Schubach, married 1968, divorced 1972
• Anne Taschenmacher, married 1972, divorced 1984
• Hiltrud Hampel, aka Hillu, married 1984, divorced 1997
• Doris Köpf, married 1997

Doris has a daughter Klara (born 1991), from a previous relationship with a TV journalist (Klara lives with the couple). When not in Berlin, he lives in Hannover. In July 2004 he and his wife adopted a child named Viktoria from St. Petersburg in Russia.

Related Topics:
1991 - Hannover - St. Petersburg

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Schröder identifies himself as a Protestant, but does not appear particularly religious; for example he did not add the optional So wahr mir Gott helfe formula (so help me God) when sworn in as chancellor for his first term in 1998.

Related Topics:
Protestant - God - 1998

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