Emilio Colombo
| Senator for life Emilio Colombo | |
|---|---|
| |
| Prime Minister of Italy | |
| In office 6 August 1970 – 18 February 1972 | |
| President | Giuseppe Saragat Giovanni Leone |
| Deputy | Francesco De Martino |
| Preceded by | Mariano Rumor |
| Succeeded by | Giulio Andreotti |
| 12th President of the European Parliament | |
| In office 8 March 1977 – 17 July 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Georges Spénale |
| Succeeded by | Simone Veil |
| Ministerial offices Minister of Foreign Affairs In office 1 August 1992 – 28 April 1993 Prime Minister Giuliano Amato Preceded by Vincenzo Scotti Succeeded by Beniamino Andreatta In office 4 April 1980 – 4 August 1983 Prime Minister Arnaldo Forlani Giovanni Spadolini Amintore Fanfani Preceded by Attilio Ruffini Succeeded by Giulio Andreotti Minister of Finance In office 13 April 1988 – 23 July 1989 Prime Minister Ciriaco De Mita Preceded by Antonio Gava Succeeded by Rino Formica Minister of the Budget In office 29 July 1987 – 13 April 1988 Prime Minister Giovanni Goria Preceded by Giovanni Goria Succeeded by Amintore Fanfani In office 25 June 1968 – 13 December 1968 Prime Minister Giovanni Leone Preceded by Giovanni Pieraccini Succeeded by Luigi Preti Minister of the Treasury In office 15 March 1974 – 30 July 1976 Prime Minister Mariano Rumor Aldo Moro Preceded by Ugo La Malfa Succeeded by Gaetano Stammati In office 18 February 1972 – 26 June 1972 Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti Preceded by Mario Ferrari Aggradi Succeeded by Giovanni Malagodi In office 22 June 1963 – 6 August 1970 Prime Minister Giovanni Leone Aldo Moro Mariano Rumor Preceded by Roberto Tremelloni Succeeded by Mario Ferrari Aggradi Minister of Grace and Justice In office 6 March 1971 – 17 February 1972 Prime Minister Himself Preceded by Oronzo Reale Succeeded by Guido Gonella Minister of Foreign Trade In office 2 July 1958 – 16 February 1959 Prime Minister Amintore Fanfani Preceded by Guido Carli Succeeded by Rinaldo Del Bo Minister of Agriculture In office 6 July 1955 – 2 July 1958 Prime Minister Antonio Segni Adone Zoli Preceded by Giuseppe Medici Succeeded by Mario Ferrari Aggradi Mayor of Potenza In office 14 June 1952 – 14 January 1955 Preceded by Pietro Scognamiglio Succeeded by Vincenzo Solimena | |
| Member of the Parliament Member of the Senate Life tenure 14 January 2003 – 24 June 2013 Appointed by Carlo Azeglio Ciampi Member of the European Parliament In office 25 July 1989 – 19 July 1994 Constituency Southern Italy In office 17 July 1979 – 24 July 1984 Constituency Southern Italy Member of the Chamber of Deputies In office 8 May 1948 – 9 September 1992 Constituency Potenza–Matera Member of the Constituent Assembly In office 25 June 1946 – 31 January 1948 Constituency Potenza–Matera | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 11 April 1920 Potenza, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | 24 June 2013 (aged 93) Rome, Italy |
| Party | Christian Democracy |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Alma mater | Sapienza University |
Emilio Colombo (Italian: [eˈmiːljo koˈlombo]; 11 April 1920 – 24 June 2013) was an Italian politician. A member of the Christian Democracy party, he served as Prime Minister of Italy from August 1970 to February 1972. In 2003, he was appointed senator for life, a seat he held until his death.[1]
During his long political career, Colombo held many offices in several governments. He served as Minister of Agriculture from 1955 to 1958; Minister of Foreign Trade from 1958 to 1959; Minister of Grace and Justice from 1970 to 1972; Minister of Treasury from 1963 to 1970, in 1962 and from 1974 to 1976; Minister of Budget in 1968 and from 1987 to 1988; Minister of Finance from 1988 to 1989; and Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1980 to 1983 and from 1992 to 1993. A fervent Europeanist, he also served as president of the European Parliament from 1977 to 1979.[2]
Early life and education
Colombo was born in Potenza, Basilicata, on 11 April 1920.[3] He grew up, along with his six brothers, in a middle-class family; his father, Angelo Colombo, was a public administration official, while his mother, Rosa Tordella, was a housewife.[4]
In 1935, he founded the first local section of Catholic Action (AC), a widespread Catholic association and one of the few non-fascist organizations, admitted by the regime of Benito Mussolini. In 1937, Colombo became the president of Potenza's Catholic Action and a member of the National Council of Catholic Action's Youth. In the same year, he obtained the classical lyceum diploma at the high school entitled to Quintus Horatius Flaccus in Potenza.
In 1941, Colombo graduated in law at the Sapienza University of Rome, with a thesis on canon law.[5] On 1 August 1942, he was enrolled and took part in the World War II. In September 1943, after the armistice, Colombo returned to Basilicata, starting his political commitment based on anti-fascist and Christian democratic principles. From 1944 to 1947, he was appointed general secretary of Azione Cattolica's youth wing.
Political career
Colombo entered politics as a member of the Christian Democracy (DC) party in 1943.[6][7] In the 1946 Italian general election, Colombo was elected to the Constituent Assembly of Italy with nearly 21,000 votes, becoming one of the youngest members of the Italian Parliament.[8] He was elected for the constituency of Potenza–Matera, which would remain his stronghold for all his political career.[9]
After two years, in the 1948 Italian general election, Colombo was re-elected in the country's Chamber of Deputies for his constituency with more than 43,000 votes.[10] From May 1948 to July 1951, he was appointed undersecretary to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests in the 5th and 6th governments of Alcide De Gasperi.[11][12]
During these years, Colombo was involved in a successful mediation in Calabria in 1949 during clashes for the occupation of the lands by peasants. He also collaborated with Minister Antonio Segni in the approval of the agrarian reform. The land reform, approved by the parliament in October 1950, was financed in part by the funds of the Marshall Plan launched by the United States in 1947 and considered by some scholars as the most important reform of the entire post-war period.[13] The reform proposed, through forced expropriation, the distribution of land to agricultural laborers, thus making them small entrepreneurs and no longer subject to the large landowner.[14] If in some ways the reform had this beneficial result, for others it significantly reduced the size of farms, effectively removing any possibility of transforming them into advanced businesses. This negative element was mitigated and in some cases eliminated by forms of cooperatives.[15]
Prime Minister of Italy
A number of progressive reforms were introduced during Colombo's time as prime minister. A housing reform law began on 22 October 1971.[16]
Between 1977 and 1979, Colombo was the president of the European Parliament. From 1980 to 1983 and again from 1992 to 1993, he was the foreign minister of Italy.[6]
Later life
In 2003, then president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi bestowed Italy's highest political honour on him by nominating him senator for life.[6] In the first five years as a lifetime senator, he was an independent politician. From 2008 until his death in June 2013, Colombo was a member of the For the Autonomies group, formed mainly by elects in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. After the inconclusive 2013 Italian general election and the following difficulties of the Senate of the Republic in electing a presiding officer, Colombo became its provisional president until the election of Pietro Grasso on 16 March 2013. The oldest senator, former prime minister Giulio Andreotti, was due to inaugurate the new legislature, but his unavailability benefited Colombo. After the death of Andreotti on 6 May 2013, Colombo became the last surviving member of the Italian Constituent Assembly.[6]
Personal life
In November 2003, Colombo admitted to having used cocaine for therapeutic purposes over a 12- to 18-month period.[17][18] He died in Rome on 24 June 2013 at the age of 93.[9][19]
Honours and awards
- France: Grand Officier of the Legion of Honour
- Iran: Commemorative Medal of the 2,500 year celebration of the Persian Empire
- Italy: Knight of Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
- Italy: Grand Cross of the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George
- EU: Gold Medal of the Jean Monnet Foundation for Europe, 2011
Electoral history
| Election | House | Constituency | Party | Votes | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946 | Constituent Assembly | Potenza–Matera | DC | 20,922 | Elected | |
| 1948 | Chamber of Deputies | Potenza–Matera | DC | 43,691 | Elected | |
| 1953 | Chamber of Deputies | Potenza–Matera | DC | 54,288 | Elected | |
| 1958 | Chamber of Deputies | Potenza–Matera | DC | 88,411 | Elected | |
| 1963 | Chamber of Deputies | Potenza–Matera | DC | 79,194 | Elected | |
| 1968 | Chamber of Deputies | Potenza–Matera | DC | 103,345 | Elected | |
| 1972 | Chamber of Deputies | Potenza–Matera | DC | 117,902 | Elected | |
| 1976 | Chamber of Deputies | Potenza–Matera | DC | 90,420 | Elected | |
| 1979 | Chamber of Deputies | Potenza–Matera | DC | 90,818 | Elected | |
| 1979 | European Parliament | Southern Italy | DC | 860,147 | Elected | |
| 1983 | Chamber of Deputies | Potenza–Matera | DC | 105,345 | Elected | |
| 1987 | Chamber of Deputies | Potenza–Matera | DC | 105,047 | Elected | |
| 1989 | European Parliament | Southern Italy | DC | 364,541 | Elected | |
| 1992 | Chamber of Deputies | Potenza–Matera | DC | 31,850 | Elected | |
| 2001 | Senate of the Republic | Basilicata – Potenza | DE | 11,298 | Not elected | |
References
- Back to citation Profile of Emilio Colombo
- Back to citation Emilio Colombo – Multimedia Center, European Parliament
- Back to citation Page at Senate website (in Italian)
- Back to citation Emilio Colombo, Centenario Emilio Colombo
- Back to citation "Emilio Colombo". Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
- Back to citation occurrence 6.0 Back to citation occurrence 6.1 Back to citation occurrence 6.2 Back to citation occurrence 6.3 "Senator-for-life, framer of Italian Constitution, dies at 94". La Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno. Rome. ANSA. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- Back to citation "Former Italian prime minister Emilio Colombo dead at 93". NewsDaily. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- Back to citation Elezioni 1946: Circoscrizione Potenza– Matera, Ministero dell'Interno
- Back to citation occurrence 9.0 Back to citation occurrence 9.1 "Former Italian prime minister Emilio Colombo dead at 93". Reuters. 25 June 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
- Back to citation Elezioni 1948: Circoscrizione Potenza– Matera, Ministero dell'Interno
- Back to citation Governo De Gasperi V, governo.it
- Back to citation Governo De Gasperi VI, governo.it
- Back to citation Corrado Barberis, Teoria e storia della riforma agraria, Florence, Vallecchi, 1957
- Back to citation Riforma agraria e modernizzazione rurale in Italia nel ventesimo secolo
- Back to citation Alcide De Gasperi tra riforma agraria e guerra fredda (1948–1950)
- Back to citation Growth to Limits: The Western European Welfare States Since World War II Volume 4 edited by Peter Flora p. 500
- Back to citation Scalfari, Eugenio (27 February 2007). "Casini dica Dico". L'Espresso (in Italian). Archived from the original on 16 June 2010. Retrieved 20 July 2007.
- Back to citation Hooper, John (27 November 2003). "Former PM tells of regular cocaine use". The Age. Melbourne. Retrieved 20 July 2007.
- Back to citation "È morto Emilio Colombo: aveva 93 anni L'Italia dice addio all'ultimo padre costituente". la Repubblica (in Italian). 24 June 2013. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
External links
- The Archives of Emilio Colombo are consultable at Fondazione Luigi Sturzo, Roma and at the Historical Archives of the European Union.
- Media related to Emilio Colombo at Wikimedia Commons