Wilhelm Boden

Wilhelm Boden (5 March 1890 – 18 October 1961) was a German lawyer, civil servant and politician (Centre Party & CDU). From 1946 to 1947 he was the first Minister President of Rhineland-Palatinate.

He contributed substantially to the rebuilding of the administration and to the formation of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, where he continued former Prussian administrative traditions. On 1 December 1946, Boden was appointed by the French military government as prime minister of the "Provisional Government" of Rheinland-Pfalz with the mission to prepare a draft constitution and conduct elections. After the election on 18 May 1947 he became minister president of a "transitional Cabinet" but failed to form a government; the SPD denied him the coalition as he was considered controversial even within the party, so the leadership of the affairs of the newly created state passed to Peter Altmeier.

Early life Boden was born on 5 March 1890 in Grumbach in the district Birkenfeld. Wilhelm Boden was the fourth of the seven children of the notary Constantin Boden and his wife Emilie. In 1894 the family moved to the city of Trier, where William also attended the humanistic Gymnasium. Subsequently, he studied law and political science at the University of Bonn and University of Berlin.

Career After earning a doctorate, Boden began his career as a court assessor in Cologne and subsequently from 1917 he served as an assessor in multiple city administrations including Cologne, Düsseldorf and Essen.

By Regulation No. 57, the new state was created on 30 August 1946 and the name of Boden from the beginning was proposed for the position of Minister president.

Being an experienced and highly qualified jurist he had brought his knowledge and skills in various political bodies from before the Second World War. In this extensive experience, the occupying powers of Rhineland-Pfalz intervened after the war immediately so that Boden from the outset was instrumental in the reconstruction of the country. As the first appointed Minister president, Boden accompanied the elaboration of the Constitution and its adoption by referendum. On 8 July 1947, he announced his resignation.