Georg Michaelis, German academic and politician, 6th Chancellor of Germany (died 1936)

Georg Michaelis was the imperial chancellor of the German Empire for a few months in 1917. He was the first commoner to hold the post. With an economic background in business, Michaelis' main achievement was to encourage the ruling classes to open peace talks with Russia. Contemplating that the end of the war was near, he encouraged infrastructure development to facilitate recovery at war's end through the media of Mitteleuropa. A somewhat humourless character, known for process engineering, Michaelis was faced with insurmountable problems of logistics and supply in his brief period as chancellor.

The chancellor of Germany, officially the federal chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, is the head of the federal government of Germany. The chancellor is the chief executive of the Federal Cabinet and heads the executive branch. The chancellor is elected by the Bundestag on the proposal of the federal president and without debate. During a state of defence declared by the Bundestag the chancellor also assumes the position of commander-in-chief of the Bundeswehr.