Are the highest politicians better qualified than their peers? We analyse differences between chancellors, vice chancellors and ministers of the inner or residual cabinets of the German federal governments between 1949 and 2009 with respect to their social backgrounds and educational, economic, as well as economic political human capital. Applications of different statistical methods reveal no clear primacy of chancellors or vice chancellors over other members of the government. Interestingly, inner cabinets show precedence over residual cabinets as well as partly over chancellors and vice chancellors.