Peer Steinbrück
A sharp-witted and combative German finance minister who steered Europe's largest economy through the 2008 global financial crisis.
Born 1947 (age 79)·German politician·Birthday: January 10·Baby Boomers
Biography
Peer Steinbrück emerged from the pragmatic wing of Germany's Social Democrats, a man whose career was defined by economic stewardship and political combat. Born in Hamburg in 1947, he rose through state politics in North Rhine-Westphalia before becoming its minister-president. His defining moment came in 2005 when Chancellor Angela Merkel, heading a grand coalition, appointed him Federal Minister of Finance. Steinbrück, with his direct, sometimes brusque manner, became the face of Germany's cautious fiscal policy. He was at the helm during the seismic 2008 crisis, orchestrating bank bailouts and a stimulus package while fiercely defending German economic orthodoxy against more expansive international proposals. After leaving the finance ministry, he became his party's chancellor candidate in 2013, leading a campaign marked by his characteristic bluntness, which ultimately fell short against Merkel's enduring popularity. His post-political life has been one of a critical elder statesman, authoring books and offering unvarnished commentary on European affairs.
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.
Peer was born in 1947, 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 Peer Was Born
The biggest hits of 1947
#1 Movie
The Egg and I
Best Picture
Gentleman's Agreement
Peer's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1947Born
India gains independence; the Dead Sea Scrolls found
Gas: $0.23/galHome: $6,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Near You" — Francis CraigBest Picture: Gentleman's Agreement
1952Started school
Queen Elizabeth II ascends the throne
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,350Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Blue Tango" — Leroy AndersonBest Picture: The Greatest Show on Earth
1960Became a teenager
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1963Could drive
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1965Could vote
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1968Turned 21
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1977Turned 30
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
1987Turned 40
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 50
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 60
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 70
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 79 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as Germany's Federal Minister of Finance from 2005 to 2009, managing the government's response to the global financial crisis.
- Authored the German bank rescue package in 2008, which became a model for other European nations.
- Was the Social Democratic Party's candidate for Chancellor in the 2013 federal election.
- Served as the Minister-President of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, from 2002 to 2005.
Did You Know?
He is a trained economist and former research assistant at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
Steinbrück famously posed for a magazine photo giving the middle finger, a gesture he later said was directed at the banking industry.
He published a memoir in 2010 titled 'Unterm Strich' (Bottom Line), a play on his finance background.
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