Johann Baptist Gradl (25 March 1904 – 2 July 1988), was a German politician and member of the Christian Democratic Union who was born and died in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

. During the

Weimar Republic The Weimar Republic, officially known as the German Reich, was the German Reich, German state from 1918 to 1933, during which it was a constitutional republic for the first time in history; hence it is also referred to, and unofficially proclai ...

Gradl was a member of the

Zentrumspartei The Centre Party (, Z), officially the German Centre Party (, DZP) and also known in English as the Catholic Centre Party, is a Christian democracy, Christian democratic political party in Germany. It was most influential in the German Empire a ...

and he was its president in

Berlin-Kreuzberg Kreuzberg () is a district of Berlin, Germany. It is part of the Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte. During the Cold War era, it was one of the poorest areas of West Berlin, but since German reunification in 1990, it has ...

from 1930 to 1933. In 1945 Gradl was among the founders and the leaders of the East German Christian Democratic Union in Berlin and the

Soviet occupation zone The Soviet occupation zone in Germany ( or , ; ) was an area of Germany that was occupied by the Soviet Union as a communist area, established as a result of the Potsdam Agreement on 2 August 1945. On 7 October 1949 the German Democratic Republ ...

. At the end of 1947 he was dismissed by the Soviet occupation forces and he joined the CDU in

West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...

. From 1957 to 1980, he was a member of the German

Bundestag The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet (assembly), Diet") is the lower house of the Germany, German Federalism in Germany, federal parliament. It is the only constitutional body of the federation directly elected by the German people. The Bundestag wa ...

. Between 1965 and 1966 he was federal government minister for displaced and war-damaged persons. In 1966 he became federal minister for all-German issues in the second cabinet of

chancellor Chancellor () is a title of various official positions in the governments of many countries. The original chancellors were the of Roman courts of justice—ushers, who sat at the (lattice work screens) of a basilica (court hall), which separa ...

Ludwig Erhard Ludwig Wilhelm Erhard (; 4 February 1897 – 5 May 1977) was a German politician and economist affiliated with the Christian Democratic Union of Germany, Christian Democratic Union (CDU), and Chancellor of Germany (1949–), chancellor of West Ge ...

. After Erhard's death he became

father of the house Father of the House is a title that has been traditionally bestowed, unofficially, on certain members of some legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In some legislatures the title refers to the longest continuously ...

of the Bundestag. He was the first father of the house born in the 20th century. Gradl was married to Marianne Brecour, and they had four children. He was a member of the Catholic parish of Mater Dolorosa in Berlin-Lankwitz and he is buried in a tomb of honour in Berlin-Tempelhof.Klaus Gotto: Johann Baptist Gradl (1904–1988). Zeitgeschichte in Lebensbildern aus dem Deutschen Katholizismus des 19. und 20. Jahrhunderts, Bd. 8, Aschendorff-Verlag

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Gradl, Johann Baptist 1904 births 1988 deaths Leaders of political parties in Germany Members of the Bundestag for Berlin Federal government ministers of Germany Alterspräsidents of the Bundestag Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Members of the Bundestag for the Christian Democratic Union of Germany