Konrad Adenauer was born (1876-1967) in Cologne, Germany in 1876. After studying at the Universities of Freiburg, Munich and Bonn, he became a lawyer. In 1917, he was elected as a Mayor for Cologne, a position he held until 1933. He also became President of the Prussian State Council, making him one of the most powerful voices in Germany. He was a staunch Catholic and his ideology put him at odds with the Nazi party. His opposition to Hitler and the Nazi Party led to his removal from office in 1933 when the Nazi’s were elected. During the 1930s and early 1940s, Konrad Adenauer kept a low profile trying to escape persecution from the Nazi’s. After the failed bomb plot of 1944, he was arrested and interned at a concentration camp near Bonn. He survived the war and in 1945 was temporarily placed as mayor of Cologne again.
