Torsten Albig , Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein (2012-2017)
Katarina Barley , Federal Minister for Family, Seniors, Women and Youth (2017–2018), Acting Federal Minister for Labor and Social Affairs (2017–2018), Federal Minister of Justice and Consumer Protection (2018–2019)
Kurt Beck , Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate (1994–2013), SPD chairman (2006–2008)
Hans Eichel , Prime Minister of Hesse (1991–1999), Federal Minister of Finance (1999–2005)
Björn Engholm , Federal Minister (1981–1982), Prime Minister of Schleswig-Holstein (1988–1993), SPD Chairman (1991–1993)
Sigmar Gabriel , SPD Chairman (2009–2017), Federal Vice Chancellor (2013–2018), Federal Minister of Economics (2013–2017), Federal Foreign Minister (2017–2018)
Gerhard Glogowski , MdL (1978–2003), Minister of the Interior (1990–1998), then Prime Minister of Lower Saxony (1998–1999), Lord Mayor of Braunschweig (1976–1981, 1986–1990), honorary chairman of the SPD district of Braunschweig
Wolfgang Jüttner , chairman of the Lower Saxony state parliamentary group (2005–2010), SPD top candidate for the 2008 state election in Lower Saxony
Christina Kampmann , candidate for party chairmanship 2019 , Minister for Family, Children, Youth, Culture and Sport of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (2015-2017), Member of the State Parliament (since 2017), Member of the German Bundestag (2013-2015)
Susanne Kastner , Vice-President of the Bundestag (2002–2009)
Reinhard Klektiven , Prime Minister of Saarland (1998–1999), Federal Minister of Transport (1999–2000), long-time member of the Media Commission
Hans-Ulrich Klose , Chairman of the SPD parliamentary group (1991-1994), Bundestag Vice-President (1994-1998), First Mayor of the City of Hamburg (1974-19981)
Walter Momper , Governing Mayor of Berlin (1989–1991), President of the Berlin House of Representatives (2001–2011)
Franz Müntefering , Vice Chancellor and Federal Minister for Labor and Social Affairs (2005–2007), SPD Chairman (2004/2005, 2008/2009)
Andrea Nahles , Federal Minister for Labor and Social Affairs (2013–2017), first female SPD chairperson (2018/2019), first female chairperson of the Bundestag parliamentary group (2017–2019), SPD general secretary (2009–2013), Federal Juso chairperson (1995 -1999)
Rudolf Scharping , Prime Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate (1991–1994), Federal Minister of Defense (1998–2002), Chairman of the Bundestag parliamentary group (1994–1998), SPD Chairman (1993–1995), Chairman of the European Social Democratic Party (1995–2001)
Frank-Walter Steinmeier , Head of the Chancellery (1999–2005), Chairman of the SPD parliamentary group (2009–2013), Federal Foreign Minister (2005–2009 and 2013–2017), Federal President (since 2017)
Ludwig Stiegler , state chairman of the Bavarian SPD (2004–2009), chairman of the SPD parliamentary group (2002)
Manfred Stolpe , Prime Minister of Brandenburg (1990–2002), Federal Minister for Transport, Building and Housing (2002–2005)
Wolfgang Thierse , President of the Bundestag (1998-2005), Vice-President of the Bundestag (since 2005), last chairman of the SPD in the GDR (June to September 1990), deputy chairman of the SPD (1990-2005)
Wolfgang Tiefensee , Federal Ministry of Transport, Building and Housing (2005–2009)
Günter Verheugen , Vice President of the EU Commission and Commissioner for Industry and Companies (since 2004), previously Commissioner for Enlargement (1999–2004)
Barbara Voge l, Prof. Dr., historian at the University of Hamburg (retired)
Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul , Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development (1998–2009), Federal Juso Chairwoman (1974–1977)
Brigitte Zypries , Federal Minister of Justice (2002–2009), Federal Minister of Economics (since 2017)
Other prominent social democrats in the past (excluded)
Klaus Uwe Benneter , politician , Juso federal chairman (1977), general secretary of the SPD (2004–2005), legal advisor of the SPD parliamentary group (2005–2009), re-entry 1983
Sigrid Leuschner , MdL (1994–2013), member of the Hanover District Executive, deputy. Chairwoman of the Hanover Region sub-district, Chairwoman of the Board of Directors of the Lower Saxony Consumer Center. V.
Ulrich Maurer , lawyer and politician, Member of the Bundestag (2005–2013), Member of the Bundestag (1980–2005), chairman of the SPD parliamentary group in the Baden-Württemberg state parliament (1992–2001), chairman of the SPD Baden-Württemberg (1987–1999), resigned 2005 because of Agenda 2010 , today a member of Die Linke
Wolfgang Nešković , Member of the Bundestag (2005–2013), former judge at the Federal Court of Justice , member of the state executive committee of the SPD Schleswig-Holstein, resigned in 1994, since 2005 independent
Norman Paech , Member of the Bundestag (2005–2009), legal scholar, chairman of the Association of Democratic Jurists (1976–1985), member of the scientific advisory boards of attac , IALANA and IPPNW , resigned in 2001 because of the war in Afghanistan, now a member of Die Linke
Fritz Vilmar , member of the SPD Fundamental Values Commission (1977–1984), political scientist, member of the Attac Scientific Advisory Board, resigned in 2003 after 52 years of membership, because the SPD was increasingly "dependent on capital" and showed a "severe loss of social substance"
Other prominent social democrats of the past (deceased)
Hans Apel , Federal Minister of Defense (1978–1982), Federal Minister of Finance (1974–1978), Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs (1972–1974)
Walter Arendt , Member of the Bundestag (1961–1980), former Federal Minister. D. (1969–1976), member of the party executive (1968–1979), member of the presidium (1973–1979), deputy chairman of the SPD parliamentary group (1976–1980), chairman of the IG Bergbau und Energie (1964–1969)
Egon Bahr , Member of the Bundestag (1972–1990), Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation (1974–1976), Federal Minister for Special Tasks (1972–1974), pioneer and “architect” of the New Ostpolitik under Federal Chancellor Willy Brandt, member of the Palme Commission
Karl Barth , theologian, founder of dialectical theology
Fritz Bauer , judge and public prosecutor, played a key role in bringing about the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials , founder of the civil rights organization Humanist Union
Willy Brandt , Federal Chancellor (1969–1974), SPD Federal Chairman (1964–1987), Governing Mayor of (West) Berlin (1957–1966), Federal Foreign Minister (1966–1969), President of the Socialist International (1976–1992), Nobel Peace Prize Laureate
Max Brauer , First Mayor of Hamburg (1946–1953 and 1957–1960)
Horst Ehmke , Federal Minister for Research and Technology and Federal Post Minister (1972–1974), Federal Minister for Special Tasks and Head of the Chancellery (1969–1972), Federal Minister of Justice (1969)
Willi Eichler , Member of the Bundestag (1949–1953), chairman of the International Socialist League (1927–1945), chairman of the commission for the preparation of the Godesberg program
Erhard Eppler , Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation (1968–1974)
Fritz Erler , Member of the Bundestag (1949–1967), chairman of the SPD parliamentary group (1964–1967)
Josef Felder , last living SPD member of the Reichstag († 2000)
Günter Hellwing , MdL (1957–1958, 1961–1962), from 1958 member of the state and federal executive boards, head of the Gestapo in Marseille (1943–1944), member of the SS and SD
Horst Herold , former President of the Federal Criminal Police Office
Heinrich Jasper , MdL (1919–1933), Prime Minister of the Free State of Braunschweig (1919/1920, 1922–1924, 1927–1930), member of the Weimar National Assembly
Johanna Kirchner (1889–1944), SPD secretary and resistance fighter
Hans Koschnick , Member of the Bundestag (1987–1994), Mayor of Bremen (1965–1985)
Alfred Kubel , MdL (1946–1976), Prime Minister of Lower Saxony (1970–1976), State Minister (1946–1955, 1957–1970), Prime Minister of the Free State of Braunschweig (1946), member of the International Socialist League
Annette Kuhn (1934–2019), Prof. Dr., historian at the University of Bonn, women and peace researcher
Heinz Kühn , Member of the Bundestag (1953–1963), Member of the Bundestag (1948–1954, 1962–1978), Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia (1966–1978)
Paul Levi , lawyer, MdR (1920–1930), co-founder and chairman (1919–1921) of the KPD , after his exclusion in 1922, a member of the Marxist wing of the SPD
Karl Liebknecht , lawyer, MdR (1912–1916), co-founder of the KPD
Hans Matthöfer , Member of the Bundestag (1961–1987), Federal Minister (1974–1982), Treasurer of the SPD (1985–1987), Chairman of the board of the trade union holding BGAG (1987–1997)
Carlo Mierendorff , MdR (1930–1933), resistance fighter against National Socialism
Hermann Müller , Reich Chancellor (1920, 1928–1930), Chairman of the SPD parliamentary group (1920–1928)
Fritz Naphtali , business journalist, trade unionist, coined the term economic democracy , after emigrating to Israel minister there (1951–1959)
Otto Nerz , first Reich coach of the German Football Association
Franz Neumann , Member of the Bundestag (1949–1969), Chairman of the Berlin SPD (1946–1958), Chairman of the Workers' Welfare Association (1970–1974)
Erik Nölting , Member of the Bundestag (1949–1953), Member of the Bundestag (1928–1933, 1946–1953), Minister of Economics of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia (1946–1950)
Gustav Radbruch , lawyer, important legal philosopher ( Radbruch formula ), Member of the Parliament (1920–1924), Reich Minister of Justice (1921/1922, 1923)
Johannes Rau , Federal President (1999–2004), Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia (1978–1998), member of the SPD party executive , chairman of the NRWSPD (1977–1998)
Ernst Reuter (1889–1953), KPD functionary (1919–1922), after expulsion from the KPD in 1922, again a member of the SPD, resistance fighter, governing mayor of Berlin (1948–1953)
Annemarie Renger , Member of the Bundestag (1953–1990), President of the Bundestag (1972–1976)
Philipp Scheidemann , MP (1903–1933), Prime Minister of the German Reich (1919), member of the party executive (1911–1918), Lord Mayor of Kassel (1919–1925)
Hermann Scheer , MP (1980–2010) and member of the SPD party executive (1993–2009), important environmental politician of the party
Karl Schiller , Member of the Bundestag (1965–1972), Federal Minister (1966–1972)
Marie Schlei , Member of the Bundestag (1969–1981), Federal Minister (1976–1978)
Carlo Schmid , Member of the Parliamentary Council (1948/49), Member of the Bundestag (1949–1972), Federal Minister (1966–1969), Vice President of the Bundestag (1949–1966, 1969–1972), Member of the Party Executive (1947–1970), Member of the Presidium (1958–1970)
Helmut Schmidt , Federal Chancellor (1974–1982), Federal Minister (1969–1974), Chairman of the Bundestag parliamentary group (1966–1969)
Louise Schroeder , Member of the Bundestag (1920–1933), Member of the Bundestag (1949–1957), Mayor of Berlin (1947/48)
Kurt Schumacher , Member of the Bundestag (1930–1933), Member of the Bundestag (1949–1952), party chairman (1946–1952), chairman of the SPD parliamentary group (1949–1952)
Jochen Steffen , MdL (1958–1977) and elected chairman of the SPD in Schleswig-Holstein in 1965. Steffen was also known for his cabaret monologues performed under the alias Kuddl Schnööf .
Käte Strobel , Member of the Bundestag (1949–1972), Federal Minister (1966–1972), member of the party executive (1958–1971)
Peter Struck , leader of the SPD parliamentary group (1998–2002, 2005–2009), Federal Minister of Defense (2002–2005)
Otto Suhr , President of the Berlin House of Representatives (1951–1954), Governing Mayor of Berlin (1955–1957)
Herbert Wehner , Member of the Bundestag (1949–1983), Federal Minister (1966–1969), Chairman of the SPD parliamentary group (1969–1983)
Otto Wels (1873–1939), MdR (1912–1933), party chairman from 1919, resistance fighter
Hans-Jürgen Wischnewski , Member of the Bundestag (1957–1990), Federal Minister (1966–1968), SPD Federal Managing Director (1968–1972), Federal Chairman of the Jusos (1959–1961)
Clara Zetkin , peace activist and women's rights activist, MdR (1920–1933), initiator of International Women's Day , women's secretary in the central party executive of the SPD (until 1917), editor-in-chief of the journal Die Gleichheit (1892–1917), from 1917 member of the USPD, then of the KPD
Luise Zietz , MdR (1920–1922), women's rights activist, member of the SPD party executive (1908–1917), was considered a “female Bebel”, a founding member of the USPD
Georg-August Zinn , member of the Parliamentary Council (1948/1949), Prime Minister of Hesse (1950–1969), Chairman of the SPD Hessen (1947–1969)
Social democratic candidate for chancellor since 1949
Wilhelm Bender , former CEO of Fraport AG and Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Eintracht Frankfurt
Heinrich Bedford-Strohm , Regional Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria and Chairman of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany.
Verena Bentele , biathlete, cross-country skier, four-time World Cup and twelve-time Paralympic winner.
Sylvia Schenk , former athlete, lawyer, former president of the Association of German Cyclists, former chairwoman of Transparency International Germany