Gustav Heinemann was born in Schwelm on July 23, 1899. After studying law, economics and history, he initially worked as a lawyer in Essen before being employed as in-house counsel at Rheinische Stahlwerke in 1929. After his marriage, he became involved in the Protestant Church, serving as the first President of the Council of the Protestant Church of Germany after the Second World War until 1955.

Between 1946 and 1949, he was politically active as Lord Mayor of Essen. After the founding of the Federal Republic of Germany, he became Minister of the Interior in Konrad Adenauer's first government. Due to his opposition to rearmament, he resigned as early as 1950 and founded the All-German People's Party, an alternative to the major people's parties. After this organization failed to establish itself and was dissolved, he joined the SPD in 1957.

From 1958 to 1969, Dr. Dr. Heinemann was a member of the SPD Federal Executive Committee. In the Grand Coalition under Chancellor Kiesinger, he served as Federal Minister of Justice from 1966 to 1969. He was then elected for a term as the third Federal President.

In this capacity, he paid a two-day state visit to Hesse in September 1969. During his visit to the state capital, Lord Mayor Schmitt welcomed him in the ballroom of the town hall. He congratulated him on his election and wished him all the best for the highest office in the state. Dr. Dr. Heinemann thanked him in a short speech for his warm welcome and described the beauty of Wiesbaden. He then signed the city's Golden Book. He later visited a retirement home run by the Erbacher Fransecky Foundation in the Rheingau and then continued his journey through Hesse.

After Dr. Dr. Heinemann decided not to seek re-election in 1974 for reasons of health and age, he retired to his home in Essen. He died on July 7, 1976.