Riverbed of Franz Josef Glacier running into Postcard

AssetID: 122138148 / picturegarden / Riverbed of Franz Josef Glacier running into Tasman Sea Franz Josef Strauss (German : Franz Josef Strauß , IPA: ; 6 September 1915 – 3 October 1988) was a German politician . He was the chairman of the Christian Social Union , member of the federal cabinet in different positions and long-time minister-president of the state of Bavaria . During his political career Strauss was something of a divisive figure. As a younger man he served in several positions in the federal cabinet , and had some brushes with scandal during this time. After the 1969 federal elections , West Germany's conservative alliance found itself out of power for the first time since the founding of the Federal Republic. At this time, Strauss became more identified with the regional politics of Bavaria. While he ran for the chancellorship as the candidate of the CDU/CSU in 1980 , for the rest of his life Strauss never again held federal office. From 1978 until his death in 1988, he was the head of the Bavarian government. His last two decades were also marked by a fierce rivalry with CDU chairman Helmut Kohl . This page is not affiliated with, or endorsed by, anyone associated with the topic.