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 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 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
In office 4 February 2003 – 24 June 2013 For life
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 – 22 April 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, Basilicata, Kingdom of Italy

Died

24 June 2013 (aged 93)
Rome, Lazio, Italy

Political party

Christian Democracy

Alma mater

Sapienza University

Emilio Colombo (11 April 1920 – 24 June 2013) was an Italian politician, member of the Christian Democracy, who served as Prime Minister of Italy from August 1970 to February 1972.

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; Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1980 to 1993 and from 1992 to 1993. Colombo, a fervent Europeanist, served also as President of the European Parliament from 1977 to 1979.

In 2003, he was appointed Senator for life, a seat which he held until his death.

Early life and education
Political career
Prime Minister of Italy
Personal life
Honours and awards
See also

Early life and education

Colombo was born in Potenza, Basilicata on 11 April 1920. He grew up, along with his six brothers, in a middle-class family; his father, Angelo Colombo, was a public administration's official, while her mother, Rosa Tordella, was a housewife.

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 member of the National Council of Catholic Action's Youth. In the same year, he obtained the classical lyceum diploma at the "Quintus Horatius Flaccus" high school in Potenza.

In 1941, Colombo graduated in law at the Sapienza University of Rome, with a thesis on canon law. 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 Catholic Action's Youth.

Political career

Colombo entered politics as a member of the Christian Democracy (DC) in 1943. In the 1946 election, Colombo was elected to Constituent Assembly of Italy with nearly 21,000 votes, becoming one of the youngest members of the parliament. He was elected for the constituency of Potenza–Matera, which will remain his stronghold for all his political career.

Colombo with Alcide De Gasperi and Antonio Segni in the early 1950s

After two years, in 1948, Colombo was re-elected in the Chamber of Deputies for his constituency, with more than 43,000 votes. 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. During these years, Colombo was carried on a successful mediation in Calabria, in 1949, during clashes for the occupations of the lands by peasants. He also collaborated with minister Antonio Segni in the approving 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. 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. 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. However, this negative element was mitigated and in some cases eliminated by forms of cooperation.

Prime Minister of Italy

Emilio Colombo with Ronald Reagan (1981)

A number of progressive reforms were introduced during Colombo's time as prime minister. A housing reform law of 22 October 1971 introduced new criteria for land expropriations and provisions for urban renewals. Under a law of 6 December 1971, state funds were made available for the construction of a kindergarten in every local authority. A law of 30 December 1971 introduced new regulations covering protection of female workers and maternity insurance. The duration of maternity leave was extended two months prior to, and two months after confinement for all employees, and all female workers were entitled to an earnings-related indemnity, equal to 80% of earnings (including agricultural workers and tenant farmers). Also introduced was an entitlement to voluntary extra period of leave for six months during the first year of the child's life, with job security and an indemnity equal to 30% of earnings, together with an entitlement to paid absences due to the child's sickness during the first three years if the child's life. In addition, a special natality allowance was introduced for self-employed women in the agricultural, artisan, and commercial sectors.

Emilio Colombo in 2003

Later he became president of the European Parliament (occupying that office from 1977 until 1979) and foreign minister of Italy (from 1980 until 1983, and again from 1992 until 1993). In February 2003 then president Carlo Azeglio Ciampi bestowed Italy's highest political honour on him, by nominating him Senator for life.

In the first five years as lifetime senator, he was an independent. From 2008 until his death in June 2013, Colombo was a member of the Autonomies group, formed mainly by elects in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol.

After the inconclusive elections on 24–25 February 2013 and the following difficulties of the hung Senate in electing a presiding officer, Colombo became Provisional President of the Senate until the election of Pietro Grasso on 16 March 2013. The most oldest Senator, Former Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, was due to inaugurate the new legislature but his unavailability benefited Colombo.

After the death of Giulio Andreotti on 6 May 2013, Colombo became the last surviving member of the Italian Constituent Assembly.