Franz Blücher

{{Short description|German politician; first vice-chancellor of the FRG (1896–1959)}}

{{Infobox Politician

| name = Franz Blücher

| birth_date = 24 March 1896

| birth_place = Essen, Kingdom of Prussia, German Empire

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1959|3|26|1896|3|24|df=y}}

| death_place = Bad Godesberg, West Germany

| office = Vice Chancellor of Germany
West Germany

| status =

| president = Theodor Heuss

| chancellor = Konrad Adenauer

| term_start = 20 September 1949

| term_end = 29 October 1957

| predecessor = office established

| successor = Ludwig Erhard

| office2 = Federal Minister for Matters of the Marshall Plan
later renamed
Minister for Economic Cooperation

| term_start2 = 20 September 1949

| term_end2 = 29 October 1957

| predecessor2 = new office

| successor2 = Hermann Lindrath
as Minister for Federal Patrimony

| party = FDP
Free People's Party (FVP)
DP

| image = Bundesarchiv B 145 Bild-P001512, Franz Blücher 2.jpg

| caption = Blücher in 1950

}}

Franz Blücher (24 March 1896 – 26 March 1959) was a German politician and member of the German Parliament (Bundestag).

Biography

Blücher was born in Essen, Kingdom of Prussia.{{cite book |last1=Dittberner |first1=Jürgen |title=Die FDP: Geschichte, Personen, Organisation, Perspektiven. Eine Einführung |date=6 December 2012 |publisher=Springer-Verlag |isbn=978-3-322-93533-5 |page=374 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Die_FDP/eNV8BwAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=Franz+Bl%C3%BCcher+essen+%2224+marz+1896%22&pg=PA374&printsec=frontcover |access-date=24 December 2024 |language=de}}

After the end of World War II, he was one of the founders of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and served as chairman in the British occupation zone (1946-1949) and as Federal Chairman (1949-1954).{{cite web |title=Landtag NRW: Abgeordnetendetail |url=https://www.landtag.nrw.de/home/der-landtag/abgeordnete-und--fraktionen/die-abgeordneten/ehemalige-abgeordnete/abgeordnetendetail.html?k=00269 |website=www.landtag.nrw.de |access-date=24 December 2024}}

From 1949 to 1957, Blücher was a member of Chancellor Konrad Adenauer's cabinet.{{cite web |title=Franz Blücher |url=https://www.rheinische-geschichte.lvr.de/Persoenlichkeiten/franz-bluecher/DE-2086/lido/57c583d5305093.76416104 |website=www.rheinische-geschichte.lvr.de |access-date=24 December 2024}} As representative of the second-largest government party, he was the first vice chancellor of Germany and also held the Ministry for Matters of the Marshall Plan, which in 1953 was renamed Ministry for Economic Cooperation.{{cite web |title=Blücher, Franz - Deutsche Biographie |url=https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/119507234.html#dbocontent |website=www.deutsche-biographie.de |access-date=24 December 2024 |language=de}}

In 1956, Blücher – along with other fifteen ministers and parliamentarians – sided with Chancellor Adenauer against his party and formed the Free People's Party (FVP), which early in 1957 merged with the German Party (DP).

Blücher died on 26 March 1959 in Bad Godesberg, Bonn, West Germany.{{cite book |title=Bulletin des Presse- und Informationsamtes der Bundesregierung |date=1959 |publisher=Deutscher Bundes-Verlag |page=559 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Bulletin_des_Presse_und_Informationsamte/XzLjAAAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=Bl%C3%BCcher%20%22Bad%20Godesberg%22 |access-date=24 December 2024 |language=de}}

Honours and awards

Blücher was awarded honorary doctorates from the University of Berlin (1954) and the University of the Punjab in Lahore (1957).{{cite web |title=Detailseite |url=https://geschichte.essen.de/historischesportal_namen/friedhof/friedhofsfuehrer/friedhofsfuehrer_detailseite_876828.de.html |website=geschichte.essen.de |access-date=24 December 2024}} In 1954, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit and the Grand Cross of the Greek Order of George I. In 1955, he received the Grand Cross of Merit of the Italian Republic.

In 1956, Blücher received the Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria.{{cite web | url = http://www.parlament.gv.at/PAKT/VHG/XXIV/AB/AB_10542/imfname_251156.pdf | title = Reply to a parliamentary question | language = de | page=21 | access-date = 2 October 2012}}