He studied law and political science at the Universities of Kiel and Marburg from 1948 until 1957 and followed the subsequent legal preparatory service.
[1] In 1981, Konow took up political office: after the Berlin Senate under the leadership of Dietrich Stobbe announced its resignation due to a failed senate reshuffle, the previous Federal Minister of Justice Hans-Jochen Vogel took over the formation of a new state government.
At his suggestion, Gerhard Konow was elected Senator for Federal Affairs by the Abgeordnetenhaus of Berlin on 23 January 1981.
[2] Due to a cabinet reshuffle in which the head of the German Chancellery, Manfred Lahnstein, was appointed Federal Minister of Finance, Konow took over his previous office just 28 days later.
Although Gerhard Konow was exclusively employed in SPD-led governments during his career, he remained non-party throughout his life.