Emilio Colombo
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Emilio Colombo (Template:IPA; 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.<ref>Profile of Emilio Colombo</ref>
During his long political career, Colombo held many offices in several governments. He served as Minister of Agriculture from 1955 to 1958; Template:Ill 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.<ref>Emilio Colombo – Multimedia Center, European Parliament</ref>
Early life and education
Colombo was born in Potenza, Basilicata, on 11 April 1920.<ref name=Sen>Page at Senate website Template:In lang</ref> 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.<ref>Emilio Colombo, Centenario Emilio Colombo</ref>
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.<ref name=mofabio>Template:Cite web</ref> 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.<ref name=lgdm25jun/><ref name=newsd>Template:Cite news</ref> 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.<ref>Elezioni 1946: Circoscrizione Potenza– Matera, Ministero dell'Interno</ref> He was elected for the constituency of Potenza–Matera, which would remain his stronghold for all his political career.<ref name=reu25jun/>
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.<ref>Elezioni 1948: Circoscrizione Potenza– Matera, Ministero dell'Interno</ref> 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.<ref>Governo De Gasperi V, governo.it</ref><ref>Governo De Gasperi VI, governo.it</ref>
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.<ref>Corrado Barberis, Teoria e storia della riforma agraria, Florence, Vallecchi, 1957</ref> 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.<ref>Riforma agraria e modernizzazione rurale in Italia nel ventesimo secolo</ref> 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.<ref>Alcide De Gasperi tra riforma agraria e guerra fredda (1948–1950)</ref>
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.<ref>Growth to Limits: The Western European Welfare States Since World War II Volume 4 edited by Peter Flora p. 500</ref>
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.<ref name=lgdm25jun/>
Later life
In 2003, then president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi bestowed Italy's highest political honour on him by nominating him senator for life.<ref name=lgdm25jun/> 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 2023 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.<ref name="lgdm25jun">Template:Cite news</ref>
Personal life
In November 2003, Colombo admitted to having used cocaine for therapeutic purposes over a 12- to 18-month period.<ref name=espresso>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=theage>Template:Cite news</ref> He died in Rome on 24 June 2013 at the age of 93.<ref name="reu25jun">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
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
References
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External links
- The Archives of Emilio Colombo are consultable at Fondazione Luigi Sturzo, Roma and at the Historical Archives of the European Union.
- Pages with broken file links
- 1920 births
- 2013 deaths
- People from Potenza
- Christian Democracy (Italy) politicians
- Italian Roman Catholics
- Prime ministers of Italy
- Ministers of finance of Italy
- Ministers of foreign affairs of Italy
- Members of the Constituent Assembly of Italy
- Deputies of Legislature I of Italy
- Deputies of Legislature II of Italy
- Deputies of Legislature III of Italy
- Deputies of Legislature IV of Italy
- Deputies of Legislature V of Italy
- Deputies of Legislature VI of Italy
- Deputies of Legislature VII of Italy
- Deputies of Legislature VIII of Italy
- Deputies of Legislature IX of Italy
- Deputies of Legislature X of Italy
- Deputies of Legislature XI of Italy
- Italian life senators
- Senators of Legislature XIV of Italy
- Senators of Legislature XV of Italy
- Senators of Legislature XVI of Italy
- Senators of Legislature XVII of Italy
- Christian Democracy (Italy) MEPs
- Presidents of the European Parliament
- MEPs for Italy 1958–1979
- MEPs for Italy 1979–1984
- Politicians from Basilicata
- Mayors of Potenza
- Grand Officers of the Legion of Honour
- Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Italian military personnel of World War II