Guido Westerwelle
A trailblazing German politician who broke barriers as the country's first openly gay vice-chancellor and foreign minister.
1961–2016 (age 55)·German politician·Birthday: December 27·Baby Boomers
Biography
Guido Westerwelle was a figure of both ambition and symbolism in German politics. A lawyer by training, he rose through the ranks of the pro-business Free Democratic Party (FDP), becoming its leader and modernizing its image. His political zenith came in 2009 when the FDP's strong electoral performance propelled him into the roles of Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister in Angela Merkel's coalition. In these offices, he was a visible and sometimes controversial advocate for a value-based foreign policy and fiscal restraint. Westerwelle's public relationship with his partner, Michael Mronz, normalized the presence of an openly gay man at the highest levels of German government. His tenure was cut short by the FDP's electoral collapse and his own diagnosis with leukemia, but his legacy is indelibly tied to advancing LGBTQ+ visibility in European politics.
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.
Guido was born in 1961, 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 Guido Was Born
The biggest hits of 1961
#1 Movie
101 Dalmatians
Best Picture
West Side Story
#1 TV Show
Wagon Train
Guido's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1961Born
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
1966Started school
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1974Became a teenager
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
1977Could drive
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
1979Could vote
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Turned 21
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1991Turned 30
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
2001Turned 40
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2011Turned 50
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
Gas: $3.53/galHome: $138,400Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Rolling in the Deep" — AdeleBest Picture: The Artist
2016Died at 55
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
Key Achievements
- Served as Germany's Foreign Minister and Vice-Chancellor from 2009 to 2011.
- Led the Free Democratic Party (FDP) as its chairman from 2001 to 2011.
- Was the first openly gay person to hold the offices of vice-chancellor or foreign minister in Germany.
- Advocated for a 'foreign policy of values' emphasizing human rights in international relations.
Did You Know?
He entered the Bundestag in 1996 as one of its youngest members at the time.
Westerwelle was an avid fan of the football club 1. FC Köln.
He publicly introduced his partner at a party convention in 2004, a significant moment in German politics.
After politics, he worked as a lawyer and published a book about his illness and recovery hopes.
“Freedom is not something that can be given as a gift. Freedom is something you have to fight for every day.”
