Oscar Luigi Scalfaro facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Oscar Luigi Scalfaro
Official portrait, 1992
President of Italy
In office 28 May 1992 – 15 May 1999
Prime Minister	Giulio Andreotti Giuliano Amato Carlo Azeglio Ciampi Silvio Berlusconi Lamberto Dini Romano Prodi Massimo D'Alema
Preceded by	Francesco Cossiga
Succeeded by	Carlo Azeglio Ciampi
President of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 24 April 1992 – 25 May 1992
Preceded by	Nilde Iotti
Succeeded by	Giorgio Napolitano
Ministerial offices Minister of the Interior In office 4 August 1983 – 28 July 1987 Prime Minister Bettino Craxi Amintore Fanfani Preceded by Virginio Rognoni Succeeded by Amintore Fanfani Minister of Public Education In office 26 July 1972 – 7 July 1973 Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti Preceded by Riccardo Misasi Succeeded by Franco Maria Malfatti Minister of Transport and Civil Aviation In office 12 February 1972 – 26 July 1972 Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti Preceded by Italo Viglianesi Succeeded by Aldo Bozzi In office 23 February 1966 – 12 December 1968 Prime Minister Aldo Moro Giovanni Leone Preceded by Angelo Raffaele Jervolino Succeeded by Luigi Mariotti Secretary of the Council of Ministers In office 10 February 1954 – 6 July 1955 Prime Minister Mario Scelba Preceded by Mariano Rumor Succeeded by Carlo Russa
Parliamentary offices Member of the Senate of the Republic Ex officio For life 16 May 1999 – 29 January 2012 Member of the Chamber of Deputies In office 18 April 1948 – 25 May 1992 Constituency Turin Member of the Constituent Assembly In office 25 June 1946 – 31 January 1948 Constituency Turin
Personal details
Born	(1918-09-09)9 September 1918 Novara, Italy
Died	29 January 2012(2012-01-29) (aged 93) Rome, Italy
Political party	DC (1946–1992) Independent (from 1992)
Spouse	Maria Inzitari ​ ​ (m. 1943; died 1944)​
Children	1
Signature

Oscar Luigi Scalfaro (born September 9, 1918 – died January 29, 2012) was a very important Italian politician. He served as the President of Italy from 1992 to 1999. He was a member of the Christian Democracy party for many years. After this party ended in 1992, he became an independent politician. Later, he was close to the Democratic Party, a center-left group formed in 2007.

Biography of Oscar Luigi Scalfaro

Early Life and Education

Oscar Luigi Scalfaro was born in Novara, Italy, on September 9, 1918. His family was very religious. From the age of 12, he was part of a Catholic group called Azione Cattolica. He always wore its badge.

He studied law at the Università Cattolica in Milan. He finished his studies on July 30, 1941. In 1942, he became a judge.

Career as a Public Prosecutor

After World War II ended in 1945, Scalfaro became a public prosecutor. This means he worked for the government to bring criminals to justice. He handled important cases against people who had helped the German invaders during the war.

Entering Politics

In 1946, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro was chosen to be part of the Constituent Assembly. This group helped write Italy's new constitution after the war. In 1948, he became a deputy, representing the area of Turin. He was re-elected ten times in a row, serving in parliament until 1992. He was known for his conservative views within the Christian Democracy party.

President of Italy

On May 25, 1992, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro was elected as the President of the Italian Republic. His election happened after a difficult period of choosing a new leader. The murder of Giovanni Falcone, a judge who fought against the Mafia, played a role in his election.

His time as president ended in May 1999. After that, he automatically became a lifetime member of the Senate. This is a special honor for former presidents in Italy.

President Scalfaro with Pope John Paul II in November 1992. They discussed the relationship between the Church and the State.

In 1994, President Scalfaro took part in a special concert at the Vatican. He was there with Pope John Paul II and the Chief Rabbi of Rome. This event was held to remember the Shoah (Holocaust).

Later Political Role

In later years, Scalfaro continued to be active in politics. He led a group that wanted to stop a big change to Italy's constitution in 2006. He believed these changes were risky for the country. His side won the vote by a large margin.

Scalfaro was the oldest living former Italian president for some time. He was also one of only three politicians in Italian history to have led the three most important offices: President of the Republic, President of the Senate, and President of the Chamber of Deputies. The other two were Sandro Pertini and Enrico De Nicola.

He was a strong Catholic and had been a conservative politician. However, he did not trust many members of his old party who joined Silvio Berlusconi's new party. He often disagreed with Berlusconi. Scalfaro openly supported the center-left political group.

Personal Life

During the Second World War, in 1944, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro's wife, Maria Inzitari, passed away at the age of 20. They had one daughter, Marianna. He never married again after his wife's death.

Even in his later years, he remained involved in public life. After the 2008 election, he was asked to lead the Senate temporarily, but he chose not to.

Honors and Awards

As President of the Italian Republic, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro was the head of several important Italian Orders from 1992 to 1999. These included the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic and the Military Order of Italy. He also received the Gold Medal of Merit for School, Culture and Art in 1973.

He was also given many honors from other countries, showing his importance on the world stage. Some of these include:

• Knight of the Order of the Elephant from Denmark (1993)
• Companion of Honour with Collar of the National Order of Merit from Malta (1995)
• Knight of the Collar of the Order of Isabella the Catholic from Spain (1996)
• Grand Cross of the Order of the White Double Cross from Slovakia (1997)
• Knight Grand Cross of the Grand Order of King Tomislav from Croatia (1997)
• Collar of the Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana from Estonia
• Knight of the Order of the Three Stars, First Class, from Latvia
• Grand Cross of the Order of Vytautas the Great from Lithuania (1997)
• Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the White Eagle from Poland
• Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (1995)

See also

In Spanish: Oscar Luigi Scalfaro para niños