Guess This First Husband

***SCROLL DOWN FOR THE ANSWER***

It's Joachim Sauer, German Chancellor Angela Merkel's husband. Sauer is a quantum chemist who married Merkel in 1998. According to his Wikipedia entry, Sauer isn't a big fan of the limelight. He even skipped his wife's inauguration.

Due to the political career of his wife Sauer has gained far more public visibility than usual for a research scientist. On several occasions he said he is not fond of this publicity.

During the 2005 election campaign Joachim Sauer kept a very low profile, declining to give any interviews not related to his scientific work. After attending the Bayreuth Festival (an opera festival and a highly visible social event in Germany) with his wife, he was nicknamed "the Phantom of the Opera" by the German press. Prof. Sauer is known as a great lover of Wagner's music.

Even during his wife's election in the Bundestag, her inauguration and later her taking the oath of office Sauer was not present but, reportedly, sitting at home watching the event on TV.[citation needed] This caused something of an uproar among the German press. The next day Germany's premier tabloid "Bild-Zeitung" displayed the headline "Merkel - wo war ihr Mann?" ("Merkel - where was her husband?")

Comments

[adriana07]

06:50 PM on 04/05/2009

I don't think is ashamed of his wife. Everybody is different. He may be a bit of a shy guy. That is why he prefers to stay away from the spotlights. Plus, he is not the type of willing to be a trophy husband to be paraded all oer the media. He's got his own life and he loves his wife. Period.

[TheStudentPundit]

10:57 PM on 04/04/2009

If a wife is called "First Lady", wouldn't the husband be "First Gentleman"? Kinda like the whole "ladies and gentlemen" thing?

[Yamunation]

06:39 PM on 04/05/2009

Yes, i agree. First gentleman sounds so appropriate.

I don't understand why there is so much confusion as to what to call the husband of a female leader. When Hillary was running for prez, all the debate about what Bill would be called, and I'm thinking how obvious the title 'first gentleman' is! Well, there's always "first dude' as Todd Palin is so appropriately named.

[Damaven]

06:57 PM on 04/04/2009

Ha! He showed up for the Obamas!

[isis]

04:06 PM on 04/04/2009

Jochen Sauer is one sexy man.

[sammyscout]

04:05 PM on 04/05/2009

Followed by W. the hunk

[kirssstens]

03:41 PM on 04/04/2009

If this man is anything like my son, there is nothing uncomfortable about it. He couldn't be happier than to be the only man in a room full of women...in his true element. More power to him.

[peterg76]

01:09 PM on 04/04/2009

Sauer is not "First Husband." Germany's head of state is President Köhler, not Chancellor Merkel.

[proudandtrue]

11:11 AM on 04/04/2009

Joachim is getting plenty of cougar action.

[jenesaispas]

10:40 PM on 04/04/2009

Newsflash proudandtrue--cougar is now a pejorative term--your sexism is no longer acceptable in 2009!

[winningticket]

09:19 AM on 04/05/2009

Oh the political correctness!

[LMPE]

09:30 AM on 04/04/2009

Nestor Kirchner and Joachim Sauer. The only first husbands in the world (at least the only famous ones). I would hate to see Todd Palin in this role.

[Active]

03:27 PM on 04/04/2009

I'm sure Nestor Kirchner prefers, the title former President, and not "First Husband"

[jannike]

09:05 AM on 04/04/2009

It's so interesting to see all these guys, how much love and support they get from their wives, and how happy the couples seems. When you are a woman, the husband is invisible and the support doesn't show. It is so much harder and lonelier to be a woman on top than a man.

[CR46]

10:55 AM on 04/04/2009

I think it's fun to be on top, not lonely at all.

[shakennotstirred]

07:05 AM on 04/04/2009

I really admire the Obamas and I am especially impressed by their performance in Europe. They are just being themselves. And by just being themselves they are having an impact on everybody.

Here is a slideshow video I put together on the Obamas:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP4qd8inYRE&feature=channel_page

Enjoy!

[goodgravy]

11:52 AM on 04/04/2009

take a deep deep breath and relax. say to yourself, "i will stay on topic. i will not fixate on the obamas".

[DannyEastVillage]

03:35 PM on 04/04/2009

look man. after the rubbish we had to live with that passed for a presidency for the last 8 years--incompetence of every kind in every area, unimaginable, shameless ignorance and intellectual aridity, it is so refreshing to see the Obamas representing this country on the world stage that there is more than ample good reason to take pleasure and pride in this new image for America. At last, highly intelligent, urbane and humane people in the White House. It's been a long, long time.

[CUL8R]

11:26 PM on 04/04/2009

I did! Thanks!!

[ArtsyJane]

05:42 AM on 04/04/2009

That is so ridiculous! Men can be so ridiculous sometimes. His wife is the Chancellor of Germany and he won't give an interview if it doesn't pertain to his work as a chemist??? Really? And he won't go to her inauguration? Get a grip!

Presidents' wives are expected to be near their husbands at every moment, they're expected to be present, to be supportive, to be appropriate, look good, be smart and bring something to the ticket- and their every gesture, word, smile, outfit and body feature is examined under a microscope by the world. They're also expected to not have a career of their own, or if they do, to tone it down and offer another side of themselves to the public.

Among 20 or so countries, there's only one female head of state - Angela Merkel - and therefore only one male first spouse. Not surprisngly, he's the one who won't play the game. He'd rather accomodate his own self-pitty and self-consciousness, rather than publicly embrace his wife's position and the achievement. The sad thing is, I know many men like this. They just can't stand their wives' successes. They'd rather hide, or even die, before ackowledging them.

It's pathetic and pittyful. Men have a long road ahead of them before they achieve self-confidence and begin to be able to live normally with a highly achieving woman, or even simply a better achieving woman.

[netzwerg]

05:55 AM on 04/04/2009

LOL, we Europeans leave the fashion stuff (who has the fanciest dress...) to your Fox News Network and concentrate on real politics, not just showbusiness.

[Merckx]

06:28 AM on 04/04/2009

Good for him.

[Jan Falk]

06:05 AM on 04/04/2009

He is doing his job (and he is quite successful as a scientist), she is doing her job. He doesn't like to be a public figure. Whats wrong with that?

[vegasobserver]

02:01 AM on 04/04/2009

Is he what they call her "beard"?

[Diogenis]

12:32 AM on 04/04/2009

His name is Joachim. Next question?

[hoobit]

11:26 PM on 04/03/2009

Well, his haircut is unflattering to his head shape -- should be either shorter or longer; the "in between" look went out with Don Johnson's Miami Vice in the mid-80s. Could do with a bit of a dye job, too.
Secondly, his suit pants do not fit him well. . . legs need to be shortened by at least an inch! And his shirt collar in the second pic is also out-of-date. The points should be longer. Doesn't he have a stylist to advise him? If he does, that stylish should be fired.
His choice of ties (color-wise) is good, though. They are good-looking in both pics. He has a kind smile.

[Written with comments posted on Huffpo (and elsewhere) on the *female* spouses of G20 leaders, in mind. The *female* spouses were all scrutinized six-ways-from-Sunday on their attire (see multiple threads in “Style” section of the site); he has been left out of that scrutiny. Terribly unfair to the poor lad, I felt . . . so I remedy it here.
OTOH, the *female* spouses were all microscoped on their attire ONLY . . . he, at least, had mention of his (gasp) intellectual capabilities (/gasp). None of the female spouses did.
I suppose it's true, then . . . the *male* spouse of a G20 leader can do and/or be anything he wants to be; a *female* spouse of a G20 leader can ONLY be what she wears. Anyone else see a major problem with this picture?]

[GomezAdams]

01:35 AM on 04/04/2009

I agree. It is all so stupid.
What difference does it make, who looked great in what dress
If I wanted all the beauty, fashion garbage, I'd watch Fox.

I like the guy though, he doesn't care.

[baseballmom]

11:16 PM on 04/03/2009

I'd kick my husband's behind if I got inaugurated for something and he didn't show up!

Bless Sauer's heart though for posing with the first ladies.