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Johannes RauSpanish navigator, conquistador
Date of Birth: 16.01.1931
Country:  Germany |
Content:
Biography of Johannes Pay
Johannes Pay was born on January 16, 1931, in Wuppertal-Barmen, Germany, into the family of an evangelical priest and preacher. Despite leaving school before obtaining his diploma, he pursued a career as a bookseller after graduating from the Booksellers School in Cologne. In 1952, he passed the exam to become an apprentice. That same year, Pay joined the All-German People's Party, which was founded by future Federal President Gustav Heinemann. In 1957, following Heinemann's footsteps, he joined the SDPG. In 1958, he was elected to the state parliament of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Political Career
Starting from 1968, Pay served as a member of the board of the SDPG. In 1969/70, he held the position of the Lord Mayor of Wuppertal. In 1970, Pay was appointed as the Minister of Science for the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. In 1978, he became the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia and a member of the presidium of the SDPG. From 1982, Pay served as the Deputy Chairman of the SDPG.
In 1987, during the federal election, Pay ran as a candidate for the position of federal chancellor but was defeated by Helmut Kohl. In 1994, he once again ran for the post of Federal President but was unsuccessful. In 1998, Pay resigned from his position as the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia and the chairman of the state organization of the SDPG. He then became the Deputy Chairman of the Friedrich Ebert Foundation.
Presidency
On May 23, 1999, Pay was elected as the Federal President of Germany, defeating his non-partisan opponent Dagmar Schipanski, who was nominated by the CDU/CSU. Thus, Johannes Pay succeeded Roman Herzog, who had held the highest state office since 1994. Since 1982, Pay has been married to Christine Delius, the granddaughter of former Federal President Gustav Heinemann. They have three children. Pay is an avid lover of literature and art and is considered a brilliant skat player.
