Born on 23 October 1927 in Oberhausen, Germany

• Studied law at the University of Cologne, Würzburg and Bonn
• Doctor of Law of the University of Bonn, 1950
• Graduate of the Academy of International Law in the Hague
• Staff of the Bonn Faculty of Law, 1950-1951
• Junior magistrate in German Courts, 1951-1954
• Appointed to the Council of Europe and Secretary in the Directorate of Human Right, 1954
• Secretary of the Legal Committee of the Consultative Assembly, 1956-1960
• Deputy Registrar of the European Court of Human Rights, 1960-1963
• Registrar of the European Court of Human Rights, 1963-1968.