Frank-Walter Steinmeier
A steady-handed diplomat who shaped Germany's global outreach for over a decade before becoming its moral anchor as president.
Born 1956 (age 70)·President of Germany since 2017·Birthday: January 5·Baby Boomers
Biography
Frank-Walter Steinmeier represents the calm, pragmatic center of German politics, a Social Democrat who spent his career in the often-unseen machinery of foreign policy before stepping into the ceremonial spotlight. As Germany's Foreign Minister for nearly nine years under Angela Merkel, he was the workhorse of European diplomacy, navigating crises from Ukraine to Syria with a belief in dialogue and 'step-by-step' progress. His tenure was marked by efforts to revive the Iran nuclear deal and a firm stance against Russian aggression, though he later faced criticism for his earlier support of trade ties with Moscow. Elected President in 2017, Steinmeier transformed the role, using it to speak directly to national conscience, warning against far-right extremism and pleading for social cohesion. His life story—from a working-class family in Detmold to the Bellevue Palace—mirrors Germany's own postwar journey of stability and reflection.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Frank-Walter was born in 1956, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Frank-Walter Was Born
The biggest hits of 1956
#1 Movie
The Ten Commandments
Best Picture
Around the World in 80 Days
#1 TV Show
I Love Lucy
Frank-Walter's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1956Born
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1961Started school
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1969Became a teenager
Apollo 11: humans walk on the Moon; Woodstock festival
Gas: $0.35/galHome: $15,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Sugar, Sugar" — The ArchiesBest Picture: Midnight Cowboy
1972Could drive
Watergate break-in; last Apollo Moon mission
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $19,550Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" — Roberta FlackBest Picture: The Godfather
1974Could vote
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1977Turned 21
Star Wars premieres; Elvis dies
Gas: $0.62/galHome: $31,800Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Tonight's the Night" — Rod StewartBest Picture: Annie Hall
1986Turned 30
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 40
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 50
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 60
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 70
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as Germany's Federal President since 2017, elected to a second term in 2022.
- Held the position of Foreign Minister twice (2005-2009, 2013-2017) and was Vice Chancellor from 2007 to 2009.
- Was a key architect of the Minsk agreements in 2014-15, aimed at ending the war in eastern Ukraine.
- Served as Chairman-in-Office of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in 2016.
Did You Know?
He received a kidney transplant from his wife, Elke Büdenbender, in 2010.
Before politics, he was a research assistant in public law at the University of Giessen.
As a young man, he considered becoming a Protestant pastor.
He is known to be an avid piano player.
“The art of politics is not to make a big noise at the beginning, but to be there at the end.”
