Alberto Simonini (19 February 1896 – 6 July 1960) was an Italian trade unionist and socialist politician. Being a member of the

Italian Parliament The Italian Parliament ( it, Parlamento italiano) is the national parliament of the Italian Republic. It is the representative body of Italian citizens and is the successor to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1943), the transitiona ...

he held several cabinet posts. He was one of the early Italian members of the

European Council The European Council (informally EUCO) is a collegiate body that defines the overall political direction and priorities of the European Union. It is composed of the heads of state or government of the EU member states, the President of the E ...

Biography

Simonini was born in

Reggio Emilia Reggio nell'Emilia ( egl, Rèz; la, Regium Lepidi), usually referred to as Reggio Emilia, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, and known until 1861 as Reggio di Lombardia, is a city in northern Italy, in the Emilia-Romagna region. It has abou ...

in on 19 February 1896. After graduating from primary school he began to work as a mechanic. In 1912 he joined the Socialist Youth Federation of which he was secretary between 1913 and 1915. He also worked for some newspapers during this period. In 1919 he was arrested and imprisoned until 1920. In August 1922 Simonini became a member of the Unitary Socialist Party (PSU). He moved to

Turin Turin ( , Piedmontese language, Piedmontese: ; it, Torino ) is a city and an important business and cultural centre in Northern Italy. It is the capital city of Piedmont and of the Metropolitan City of Turin, and was the first Italian capital ...

to direct the regional secretariat of the Construction Workers' Federation and the confederal secretariat of the Province of Turin. He retired from politics during the Fascist rule. However, he was again arrested in 1932. In 1943 he resumed his political activity and joined the

Italian Socialist Party The Italian Socialist Party (, PSI) was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy, whose history stretched for longer than a century, making it one of the longest-living parties of the country. Founded in Genoa in 1892, ...

(PSI). Then he became a member of the

Italian Democratic Socialist Party The Italian Democratic Socialist Party (, PSDI), also known as Italian Social Democratic Party, was a minor social-democratic political party in Italy. The longest serving partner in government for Christian Democracy, the PSDI had been an ...

(PSDI), of which he was the second secretary in 1948 (after

Giuseppe Saragat Giuseppe Saragat (; 19 September 1898 – 11 June 1988) was an Italian politician who served as the president of Italy from 1964 to 1971. Early life Born to Sardinian parents, he was a member of the Unitary Socialist Party (Italy, 1922), Unita ...

). He was elected as a deputy in 1946 and was a member of the Parliament in the second and third legislatures. He was minister of the merchant navy for one year between 1950 and 1951. He also served as the minister of post and telecommunications from 1958 to 1959. He was elected as a member of the European Council. On 6 July 1960 Simonini died of a heart attack at the age of 64 in

Strasbourg Strasbourg (, , ; german: Straßburg ; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, Strossburi , gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, Strossburig ) is the prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est region of eastern France and the official seat of the Eu ...

, France, where he was to participate in the work of the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

Legacy

In 1967 the Italian presidency established a foundation, Fondazione Simonini, after him.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Simonini, Alberto 20th-century Italian journalists 1896 births 1960 deaths Italian Democratic Socialist Party politicians Government ministers of Italy Deputies of Legislature I of Italy Deputies of Legislature II of Italy Deputies of Legislature III of Italy Unitary Socialist Party (Italy, 1922) politicians Italian Socialist Party politicians People from Reggio Emilia MEPs for Italy 1958–1979