Gerhart Baum

German politician (1932–2025)

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Key Takeaways

Gerhart Rudolf Baum (28 October 1932 – 15 February 2025) was a German politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and a lawyer.
Early life and education Gerhart Baum was born on 28 October 1932 in Dresden to a German father and a Russian mother.
His mother was born in Moscow; her own mother was from Łódź and of Polish ethnicity and her Ukrainian-born father was originally from Kharkiv.
In his childhood Baum was a forced member of the Hitler Youth.
His father, who had fought on the Eastern Front during the war, was captured by the Soviets and later died in captivity.

Gerhart Rudolf Baum (28 October 1932 – 15 February 2025) was a German politician of the Free Democratic Party (FDP) and a lawyer. From 1978 to 1982, he served as Federal Minister of the Interior of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Early life and education

Gerhart Baum was born on 28 October 1932 in Dresden to a German father and a Russian mother. His paternal ancestors, whose roots lay in Plauen in the Saxon Vogtland, originally worked as craftsmen before later generations were able to pursue academic professions. His mother was born in Moscow; her own mother was from Łódź and of Polish ethnicity and her Ukrainian-born father was originally from Kharkiv. In 1917, her family had fled from Russia to Germany as a result of the October Revolution. In his childhood Baum was a forced member of the Hitler Youth. After the bombing of Dresden, his mother left the city in February 1945 and fled with her three children to Lake Tegernsee in Bavaria. His father, who had fought on the Eastern Front during the war, was captured by the Soviets and later died in captivity. In 1950, Baum's family moved to Cologne.

After graduating from school in 1953, Baum studied law at the University of Cologne and subsequently worked as a lawyer.