Raffaele De Caro (29 March 1883 – 3 June 1961) was an Italian politician. Started in

Freemasonry Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

in the Loggia Manfredi of

Benevento Benevento (, , ; la, Beneventum) is a city and ''comune'' of Campania, Italy, capital of the province of Benevento, northeast of Naples. It is situated on a hill above sea level at the confluence of the Calore Irpino (or Beneventano) and the ...

on 18 October 1911, he became Mason Master on 9 November 1912 and after his death he was named after a Masonic lodge of Benevento.

Biography

Raffaele De Caro fought as superior officer of the

Bersaglieri The Bersaglieri, singular Bersagliere, (, "sharpshooter") are a troop of marksmen in the Italian Army's infantry corps. They were originally created by General Alessandro La Marmora on 18 June 1836 to serve in the Royal Sardinian Army, which ...

Corps, in the war of

Libya Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to Egypt–Libya bo ...

in 1912 and in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, while in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he was called up for civil defense. He was elected deputy for the first time in 1919 and reconfirmed in subsequent elections until the dissolution of Parliament in 1925. In 1943 De Caro served, first as Undersecretary and then as Minister of Public Works, in the

Badoglio I Cabinet The Badoglio I government of Italy held office from 25 July 1943 until 24 April 1944, a total of 273 days, or 9 months and 3 days. Government parties The government was composed by the following parties: Composition References {{Governmen ...

, both in

Brindisi Brindisi ( , ) ; la, Brundisium; grc, Βρεντέσιον, translit=Brentésion; cms, Brunda), group=pron is a city in the region of Apulia in southern Italy, the capital of the province of Brindisi, on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Histo ...

and

Salerno Salerno (, , ; nap, label= Salernitano, Saliernë, ) is an ancient city and ''comune'' in Campania (southwestern Italy) and is the capital of the namesake province, being the second largest city in the region by number of inhabitants, after ...

. In 1943 he founded the Liberal Democratic Party, widespread especially in some provinces of the Southern Italy, which merged into the

Italian Liberal Party The Italian Liberal Party ( it, Partito Liberale Italiano, PLI) was a liberal and conservative political party in Italy. The PLI, which is the heir of the liberal currents of both the Historical Right and the Historical Left, was a minor party ...

in August 1944. In 1945 he was appointed a member of the National Council. On the occasion of the institutional referendum of 2 June 1946, he sided strongly with the Monarchy. De Caro was president of the Italian Liberal Party from 1947 until his death. He served also as Minister for Parliamentary relations from 1954 to 1957 in the

Scelba Cabinet The Scelba Cabinet was the 10th cabinet of the Italian Republic, that held office from 10 February 1954 to 6 July 1955, for a total of 511 days (or 1 year, 4 months and 26 days). After the election of Giovanni Gronchi as new President of Italy, S ...

and in the Segni I Cabinet; in this capacity he followed an investigationon the work of the police in the

Wilma Montesi Wilma Montesi (3 February 1932 – 9 April 1953) was an Italian woman whose body was discovered near Rome. The finding of her lifeless body on a public beach near Torvajanica, on Rome's littoral, led to prolonged investigations involving se ...

case. He was always elected with wide suffrage to the

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

and to the

Chamber of Deputies The chamber of deputies is the lower house in many bicameral legislatures and the sole house in some unicameral legislatures. Description Historically, French Chamber of Deputies was the lower house of the French Parliament during the Bourbon R ...

until the general election of 1958, renouncing his appointment as Senator by right in 1953. From the Liberation of Italy to his death, he was president of the Council of the Bar and Attorneys of Benevento. He died in

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 ...

, where he was for the celebrations of the centenary of Cavour's death, on the night of 3 June 1961.

References

External links

treccani.it

storia.camera.it
{{DEFAULTSORT:De Caro, Raffaele 1883 births 1961 deaths People from Benevento Italian Liberal Party politicians Government ministers of Italy Deputies of Legislature XXV of the Kingdom of Italy Deputies of Legislature XXVI of the Kingdom of Italy Deputies of Legislature XXVII of the Kingdom of Italy Members of the National Council (Italy) Members of the Constituent Assembly of Italy Deputies of Legislature I of Italy Deputies of Legislature II of Italy Deputies of Legislature III of Italy Politicians of Campania Italian military personnel of World War I Italian Aventinian secessionists