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 (born April 11, 1920 – died June 24, 2013) was an important Italian politician. He was part of the Christian Democracy party. He even served as the Prime Minister of Italy from August 1970 to February 1972.

During his long career, Colombo held many important jobs in the Italian government. He was the Minister of Agriculture from 1955 to 1958. He also served as Minister of Foreign Trade, Justice, Treasury, Budget, Finance, and Foreign Affairs at different times. Emilio Colombo was a strong supporter of European unity. He was also the President of the European Parliament from 1977 to 1979.

In 2003, he was named a Senator for life. This meant he held a seat in the Italian Senate until he passed away.

Emilio Colombo's Early Life and Education
Emilio Colombo's Political Journey
Emilio Colombo as Prime Minister
Honors and Awards for Emilio Colombo
See also

Emilio Colombo's Early Life and Education

Emilio Colombo was born in Potenza, Basilicata, Italy, on April 11, 1920. He grew up in a middle-class family with six brothers. His father, Angelo Colombo, worked for the government. His mother, Rosa Tordella, was a housewife.

In 1935, Emilio helped start a local group of Catholic Action (AC). This was a Catholic organization that was allowed to exist even under Benito Mussolini's rule. By 1937, Colombo became the president of Potenza's Catholic Action. He also joined the National Council of Catholic Action's Youth. In the same year, he finished high school at "Quintus Horatius Flaccus" in Potenza.

In 1941, Colombo earned a law degree from the Sapienza University of Rome. His studies focused on canon law, which is church law. On August 1, 1942, he joined the army and took part in World War II. After the war ended in September 1943, Colombo went back to Basilicata. He began his political work, focusing on anti-fascist and Christian democratic ideas. From 1944 to 1947, he was the general secretary for Catholic Action's Youth.

Emilio Colombo's Political Journey

Colombo officially joined the Christian Democracy (DC) party in 1943. In the 1946 election, he was elected to the Constituent Assembly of Italy. He received almost 21,000 votes. This made him one of the youngest members of parliament. He was elected from the Potenza–Matera area. This region remained his main political base throughout his career.

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

Two years later, in 1948, Colombo was elected again. He joined the Chamber of Deputies for his home area. He received over 43,000 votes this time. From May 1948 to July 1951, he worked as an undersecretary. This was for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forests. He served in the governments led by Alcide De Gasperi.

During these years, Colombo helped solve problems in Calabria in 1949. There were conflicts over land being taken by farmers. He also worked with Minister Antonio Segni to pass a new law about farming. This land reform law was approved in October 1950. It received some money from the Marshall Plan, which was a program from the United States. This reform aimed to give land to farm workers. It helped them become small business owners instead of just working for large landowners.

Emilio Colombo as Prime Minister

Emilio Colombo with Ronald Reagan (1981)

When Emilio Colombo was Prime Minister, several important new laws were passed. In October 1971, a housing reform law was introduced. This law changed how land could be taken for public use. It also included plans for improving cities.

A law passed in December 1971 made state money available. This money was used to build kindergartens in every local area. Another law from December 1971 brought in new rules. These rules protected female workers and provided maternity insurance.

Maternity leave was made longer for all female employees. They could take two months off before and two months after giving birth. They also received 80% of their earnings during this time. This included women working in agriculture. Women could also take an extra six months of leave during their child's first year. They kept their jobs and received 30% of their earnings. They could also take paid time off if their child was sick during the first three years. A special allowance was also created for self-employed women in farming and business.

Emilio Colombo in 2003

Later, Emilio Colombo became the president of the European Parliament. He held this job from 1977 to 1979. He also served as Italy's foreign minister from 1980 to 1983, and again from 1992 to 1993. In February 2003, President Carlo Azeglio Ciampi gave him Italy's highest political honor. He named Colombo a Senator for life.

For the first five years as a lifetime senator, he was an independent politician. From 2008 until his death in June 2013, Colombo was part of the Autonomies group. This group was mostly made up of elected officials from Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol.

After the elections in February 2013, it was hard for the Senate to choose a leader. Emilio Colombo became the temporary President of the Senate. He served until Pietro Grasso was elected on March 16, 2013. The oldest senator, former Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti, was supposed to lead the new parliament. But he was not available, so Colombo took on the role.

After Giulio Andreotti died on May 6, 2013, Emilio Colombo became the last living member of the Italian Constituent Assembly. This assembly wrote Italy's constitution after World War II.