The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany is the highest federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first Pre
Insignia of the Grand Cross 1st class
Badge and riband of the class "Grand Cross" (without showing the star)
Helmut Schmidt
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Helmut Heinrich Waldemar Schmidt was a German politician and member of the Social Democratic Party of Germany, who served as the chancellor of West Germany from 1974 to 1982. He was the longest lived
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
…citizens, particularly former or present senators, will refuse any decoration in the form of an order, the most famous example being former Chancellor Helmut Schmidt). The order was established on 7 September 1951 by the decree of Federal President Theodor Heuss. Signed by Heuss, German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer…
Schmidt in 1977
Schmidt's official Bundestag portrait, 1953
Schmidt, Erich Honecker, Gerald Ford and Bruno Kreisky in 1975 in Helsinki
U.S. president Jimmy Carter and Schmidt in July 1977