Gianni Agnelli facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Senator for life
Giovanni Agnelli
OMRI OML OMCA CGVM CMG
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Gianni Agnelli in 1986
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| Member of the Senate of the Republic | |
| In office 1 June 1991 – 24 January 2003 for life |
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| Appointed by | Francesco Cossiga |
| President of Confindustria | |
| In office 30 May 1974 – 23 July 1976 |
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| Preceded by | Renato Lombardi |
| Succeeded by | Guido Carli |
| Mayor of Villar Perosa | |
| In office 6 May 1945 – 16 June 1980 |
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| Preceded by | Office established |
| Succeeded by | Alberto Castagna |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 12 March 1921 Turin, Italy |
| Died | 24 January 2003 (aged 81) Turin, Italy |
| Political party | None |
| Spouse | Princess Marella Caracciolo di Castagneto |
| Relations | Giovanni Agnelli (grandfather) John Elkann (grandson) |
| Children | Edoardo Agnelli III Countess Margherita Agnelli de Pahlen |
| Parents | Edoardo Agnelli II (father) Princess Virginia Bourbon del Monte (mother) |
| Alma mater | University of Turin |
| Occupation | Industrialist |
Giovanni "Gianni" Agnelli Cavaliere di Gran Croce OMRI OML OMCA CGVM CMG (born March 12, 1921 – died January 24, 2003) was a very important Italian businessman. People often called him L'Avvocato, which means "The Lawyer," because he had a law degree.
Gianni Agnelli was the main owner of Fiat, a huge Italian car company. Under his leadership, Fiat was so big that it controlled a large part of Italy's economy. He was known for his great sense of style, which even influenced fashion around the world. After he passed away in 2003, his grandson, John Elkann, slowly took over the family business.
Early Life and Family
Gianni Agnelli was born in Turin, Italy. He had strong connections to the village of Villar Perosa, where he served as mayor until 1980. His father, Edoardo Agnelli, was a well-known Italian industrialist. Gianni was named after his grandfather, Giovanni Agnelli, who founded the Fiat car company.
When Gianni was 14, his father died in a plane crash. His grandfather then raised him. Sadly, his grandfather died in 1945, just a few weeks after Gianni's mother also died in a car accident.
Gianni was known as "Gianni" to tell him apart from his grandfather, who had the same first name. He officially took charge of Fiat and the Agnelli family's businesses in 1966. Before that, another person, Vittorio Valletta, ran Fiat while Gianni learned how the company worked. Gianni helped Fiat become the most important company in Italy and one of Europe's biggest car makers during a time of great economic growth in Italy. He was seen as the "king" of Italian business from the 1960s to the 1980s.
Gianni studied law at the University of Turin, but he never worked as a lawyer. He joined the army in June 1940 when Italy entered World War II. He fought in different places and was wounded twice. He also served in an armored car division and received an award for his bravery. After the war, he worked as a contact person with the American troops because he spoke English very well.
In 1953, Gianni married Princess Marella Caracciolo dei Principi di Castagneto. She was a talented fabric designer. They had two children: a son named Edoardo and a daughter named Countess Margherita Agnelli de Pahlen. Gianni hoped his son Edoardo would take over Fiat, but Edoardo was more interested in studying religion. Edoardo passed away in 2000. Gianni's daughter, Margherita, has children, including John Elkann, who later became a leader in the family business.
Leading Fiat
Gianni Agnelli became the president of Fiat in 1966. He opened new factories in many countries, including the Soviet Union (in a city now called Tolyatti), Spain, and South America. He also created partnerships with other companies, like Iveco, which changed how industries worked.
During the energy crisis of the 1970s, he sold some of Fiat's shares to a Libyan company. Later, he bought these shares back. He was also very involved with Juventus, a famous Italian football club, which he loved and owned.
In 1969 and 1970, Fiat took over other car brands like Ferrari and Lancia. In the 1970s, Fiat continued to grow, making agreements with countries like Poland, Turkey, and Yugoslavia. In 1974, he became president of Confindustria, a group of Italian businesses. He worked with labor unions to reach important agreements.
The 1980s were a successful time for Fiat, with popular cars like the Fiat Uno and Lancia Thema. In 1986, Gianni bought Alfa Romeo from the Italian government. In the 1990s, Fiat struggled to sell cars outside Europe, so Gianni decided to partner with General Motors. This agreement allowed General Motors to buy a part of Fiat, with the chance to buy more later.
In 1991, Gianni Agnelli was given the special title of Italian senator for life. He joined the Senate's defense committee. In the early 2000s, Fiat faced financial difficulties. Gianni was also battling cancer at this time, so he couldn't be as involved in the company's daily operations. When he died in 2003, Fiat was worth billions of euros.
Gianni Agnelli was a very important person in the Italian economy and a symbol of business success in the second half of the 20th century. He was known for his intelligence and humor. He was also very famous outside Italy, especially in the United States, where he made strong connections with bankers and politicians. He was a member of the Bilderberg Group, a group that brings together important leaders from around the world. He was also friends with famous people like Henry Kissinger and John F. Kennedy.
Later Life and Legacy
Gianni Agnelli stepped down as Fiat's president in 1996 but remained its honorary chairman until his death. His nephew, Giovanni Alberto Agnelli, was being prepared to lead Fiat, but he sadly died of cancer in 1997 at age 33. After Gianni's death, his grandson, John Elkann, was expected to take over. However, Gianni's younger brother, Umberto Agnelli, became chairman first.
Umberto focused Fiat's business back on cars. He brought in Giuseppe Morchio to help save the company from its financial problems. When Umberto died, Ferrari chairman Luca Cordero di Montezemolo became Fiat chairman, with John Elkann as vice chairman. Later, Sergio Marchionne took over as CEO and played a key role in turning Fiat around.
Gianni Agnelli died in 2003 from prostate cancer in Turin at the age of 81. To honor him, Fiat-owned Scuderia Ferrari named their 2003 Formula One race car, the F2003-GA, after him. The Italian Football Federation and Juventus also mourned his death. In 2021, a special postage stamp was made to celebrate 100 years since his birth.
His Love for Sports
Juventus F.C.
A Long History with Juventus
Gianni Agnelli had a very close relationship with Juventus, the football team from Turin. He was the club's president from 1947 to 1954. Like his father, he helped the team by bringing in important players who helped Juventus win two Serie A championships in 1950 and 1952. These were the first championships the club had won in 15 years. He also helped Juventus become an independent company.
Even after he stopped being president, Agnelli remained involved with Juventus as an honorary president until 1994. He had a big influence on the club's success, leading Juventus to win many titles, including ten Italian football champion titles, four Italy Cups, and several European trophies. In total, Juventus won 23 official trophies in 48 years under his influence, making him one of the most important people in sports history. He would often call the team's managers and players early in the morning to check on them.
Agnelli admired many famous footballers like Pelé, Diego Armando Maradona, and Johan Cruijff. He even tried to sign Pelé for Juventus. He was also key in signing Michel Platini, a legendary player. Agnelli was known for giving clever nicknames to players, like calling Roberto Baggio "Raffaello" (after a famous Italian painter). His grandson, John Elkann, and nephew, Andrea Agnelli, have followed in his footsteps at Juventus.
Juventus After Agnelli
By the early 2000s, Juventus was one of the top football clubs in Europe. However, a few years after Gianni Agnelli's death, the club faced a big scandal called Calciopoli. Juventus was controversially sent down to Serie B (a lower league) for the first time in its history, even though the club was later found innocent of some charges. His nephew, Andrea Agnelli, later helped rebuild the club in the 2010s.
Many people believe that if Gianni Agnelli had still been alive, he would have defended the club better, and Juventus might not have been demoted. He was known for saying, "My men must be defended to the last degree of judgment." After his death, some observers felt that Juventus became weaker and easier to attack.
Ferrari
When Fiat bought Ferrari in 1969, Gianni Agnelli became involved with Formula One racing and Scuderia Ferrari, the racing team. Ferrari had great success in the 1970s with drivers like Niki Lauda. Agnelli once said about Ferrari, "Not all Italians support the national team, while all Italians and fifty percent of non-Italians support Ferrari."
He was very happy when Michael Schumacher joined Ferrari in 1996. He said, "Of course, if now they don't win with Schumacher it's their fault..." His grandson, Lapo Elkann, said that Gianni Agnelli "saved the Prancing Horse" (Ferrari's symbol) from being sold to American companies. He also chose the right people to lead Ferrari, like Luca di Montezemolo and Jean Todt. Agnelli loved Ferrari cars and all beautiful things in life. His favorite drivers were the ones who won, like Michael Schumacher, but he also admired drivers like Gilles Villeneuve and Ayrton Senna for their talent and courage.
Yacht Racing
Gianni Agnelli also loved yacht racing. He helped promote Azzurra, an Italian boat that competed in the famous America's Cup race. He often spent time on his own boats, like the G-Cinquanta.
Style and Influence
Gianni Agnelli was famous for his amazing sense of fashion. His style influenced men's clothing not only in Italy but around the world. A famous fashion designer, Nino Cerruti, even named Agnelli as one of his biggest inspirations. Esquire magazine called Agnelli one of the five best-dressed men in history.
Agnelli often wore classic, well-made suits. He was known for wearing his wristwatch over his shirt cuff, which was an unusual but stylish choice. He was seen as someone who had sprezzatura, an Italian idea of making difficult things look easy and effortless.
Politics and Public Service
Gianni Agnelli was an independent politician and did not officially join any political party. However, he was close to the Italian Republican Party. He had friendly relationships with leaders from different political groups, including Giuseppe Saragat, Sandro Pertini, Francesco Cossiga, and Carlo Azeglio Ciampi. He even had good relations with the Italian Communist Party leaders, like Enrico Berlinguer. Some famous Communist leaders were even supporters of his Juventus football team.
Like other members of his family, Agnelli wanted to create a political group that was not extreme. He believed in a modern, international way of doing business, different from both the far-left and the far-right. In 1961, he was made president of the Expo 61 celebration for Italy's 100th anniversary.
In 1991, Gianni Agnelli was given the special title of senator for life by the Italian president. This meant he would be a senator for the rest of his life. He joined the Senate's defense committee. In 1994, he was one of the few life senators who voted to support the government led by Silvio Berlusconi. This was important because their votes helped the government stay in power. When a left-wing government came to power in 1998, Agnelli also voted to support it, which surprised many people. He famously said that "today in Italy a left-wing government is the only one that can make right-wing policies."
Famous Sayings
Gianni Agnelli was known for many clever and memorable sayings. Many of them were about his beloved Juventus football team, which he called "the love of a lifetime." He said, "It happens when I see those shirts enter the field. I even get excited when I read the letter J in some headline in the newspaper. Immediately I think of Juve."
When asked if Juventus would win or if the best team would win, he jokingly replied, "I'm lucky, often the two things coincide." He also described Juventus as "a legend that started off in a high school in Turin and finished up by gaining nine or ten million fans in Italy and, of course, the same number abroad with a jersey and colors that are known throughout the world."
Honours
Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic, 1967.
Knight of the Order of Merit for Labour, 1977.
Italian Medal of Merit for Culture and Art, 1987.
War Cross of Military Valor, 1943.
War Merit Cross.
Grand Cross of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
See also
In Spanish: Gianni Agnelli para niños
