Wolfgang Schäuble

Wolfgang Schäuble ([ˈvɔlfɡaŋ ˈʃɔʏblə] born 18 September 1942) is a German politician of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) who has served as Germany's Federal Minister of Finance in the second and third Merkel cabinets since 2009.

From 1984 to 1991 he was a member of Helmut Kohl's cabinet, first as Federal Minister for Special Affairs and Chief of the Chancellery and then as Federal Minister of the Interior. Between 1991 and 2000, he was chairman of the CDU/CSU group in the parliament, and from 1998 to 2000 also CDU party chairman. He served again as Federal Minister of the Interior in the First Merkel cabinet from 2005 to 2009.

Early life and education

Schäuble was born in Freiburg im Breisgau, as the son of a tax finance advisor. He is the middle brother of three. After completing his Abitur in 1961, Schäuble studied law and economics at the University of Freiburg and the University of Hamburg, which he completed in 1966 and 1970 by passing the First and Second State Examinations respectively, becoming a fully qualified lawyer.

Wolfgang

Wolfgang is a German male given name traditionally popular in Germany and Austria. The name is a combination of the Old High German word wulf, meaning "wolf" and gang, meaning "path, journey". The Old High German "wulf" occurs in names as the prefixes "wulf" and "wolf", as well as the suffixes "ulf" and "olf". "Wulf" is a popular element of the common dithematic German names. This is likely due the ancient reverence of the wolf as a strong, predatorial animal, also revered for its beauty. Names that contain this word also reference to Odin's wolves, Geri and Freki, as well as the apocalyptic Fenrir, and occurs in hundreds of German names. This theme exists in other names such as Adolf, Aethelwulf, Beowulf, Cynewulf, Rudolph, Wulfstan, Ulfilas, and Wulf. "Gang" exists in such names as Gangperht, Gangulf, Bertegang, Druhtgang, Hildigang, Hrodegang, and Wiligang. The earliest recorded bearer of the name was a tenth-century Saint Wolfgang of Regensburg. Due to the lack of conflict with the pagan reference in the name with Catholicism, it is likely a much more ancient name whose meaning had already been lost by the tenth-century. Grimm (Teutonic Mythology p. 1093) interpreted the name as that of a hero in front of whom walks the "wolf of victory". A Latin gloss by Arnoldus Emmeramensis interprets the name as Lupambulus.