Vittorio (Vito) Lattanzio (31 October 1926 – 31 October 2010) was an Italian

Christian Democrat Christian democracy (sometimes named Centrist democracy) is a political ideology that emerged in 19th-century Europe under the influence of Catholic social teaching and neo-Calvinism. It was conceived as a combination of modern democratic ...

politician and physician.

Biography

Lattanzio was born on 31 October 1926 in

Bari Bari ( , ; nap, label= Barese, Bare ; lat, Barium) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia region, on the Adriatic Sea, southern Italy. It is the second most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy a ...

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. He would get a degree in

medicine Medicine is the science and practice of caring for a patient, managing the diagnosis, prognosis, prevention, treatment, palliation of their injury or disease, and promoting their health. Medicine encompasses a variety of health care pract ...

and begin working as a

physician A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

before entering politics, where he would become a prominent member of the

Christian Democrats __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social tea ...

; making a name for himself in the field of

foreign policy A State (polity), state's foreign policy or external policy (as opposed to internal or domestic policy) is its objectives and activities in relation to its interactions with other states, unions, and other political entities, whether bilaterall ...

Political career

He would first take the national stage by becoming the undersecretary of defence in the

Andreotti II Cabinet The Andreotti II Cabinet was the 28th cabinet of the Italian Republic. It held office from 26 June 1972 to 8 July 1973, for a total of 377 days (1 year, 13 days). It was also known as Andreotti-Malagodi Cabinet. He obtained the confidence of th ...

. Lattanzio served as

minister of defence A defence minister or minister of defence is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from coun ...

(1976–1977) in the

Andreotti III Cabinet The Andreotti III Cabinet was the 33rd cabinet of the Italian Republic. It held office from 1976 to 1978. It was the first government in the history of the Italian Republic to count among its members a woman, Tina Anselmi (as Minister of Labour) ...

. He would face harsh criticism for his role as minister of defence after convicted Nazi

Herbert Kappler Herbert Kappler (23 September 1907 – 9 February 1978) was a key German SS functionary and war criminal during the Nazi era. He served as head of German police and security services (''Sicherheitspolizei'' and SD) in Rome during the Second W ...

escaped from Italian custody in 1977 to find sanctuary in West Germany. He would ultimately resign from this position due to the scandal, but go on to take different cabinet level positions. Following the kidnapping and death of fellow

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

native

Aldo Moro Aldo Romeo Luigi Moro (; 23 September 1916 – 9 May 1978) was an Italian statesman and a prominent member of the Christian Democracy (DC). He served as prime minister of Italy from December 1963 to June 1968 and then from November 1974 to July ...

, Lattanzio effectively inherited the 'Apulian electoral fortune.' He would go on to serve the cabinets of

Prime Ministers A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

Andreotti (1976–1978, 1989–1992) and De Mita (1988–89) as

minister of transport A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government agen ...

, then minister of civil protection, and lastly as minister of foreign trade. While serving as Minister of Civil protection he would be criticized for inefficient handling of the department during the 1990 Augusta Earthquake. Lattanzio would actively participate in increasing trade with

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

while Minister of Foreign Trade. He also served in the

Chamber of Deputies of Italy The Chamber of Deputies ( it, Camera dei deputati) is the lower house of the bicameral Italian Parliament (the other being the Senate of the Republic). The two houses together form a perfect bicameral system, meaning they perform identical funct ...

in Legislature III, Legislature IV, Legislature V, Legislature VI, Legislature VII, Legislature VIII, Legislature IX and Legislature X. Lattanzio would be placed under

house arrest In justice and law, house arrest (also called home confinement, home detention, or, in modern times, electronic monitoring) is a measure by which a person is confined by the authorities to their residence. Travel is usually restricted, if all ...

while being investigated on allegations of corruption and illicit party financing. He died in his hometown of Bari on his 84th birthday, and was survived by his daughter.

Works

* Wrote ''Italian Security Policy and the North Atlantic Alliance'' for the

Nato Review ''NATO Review'' is a free online magazine offering expert opinion, analysis and debate on a broad range of security issues. It is owned and edited by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and has been published for over 70 years. The curre ...

References

External links