Giovanni Spadolini

Senator for Life
Giovanni Spadolini
Senator for Life Giovanni Spadolini
President of the Senate of the Republic
	In office; 2 July 1987 – 14 April 1994
Preceded by	Giovanni Malagodi
Succeeded by	Carlo Scognamiglio
Prime Minister of Italy
	In office; 28 June 1981 – 1 December 1982
President	Sandro Pertini
Preceded by	Arnaldo Forlani
Succeeded by	Amintore Fanfani
Acting President of Italy
	In office; 28 April 1992 – 28 May 1992
Prime Minister	Giulio Andreotti
Preceded by	Francesco Cossiga
Succeeded by	Oscar Luigi Scalfaro
Prime Minister
Ministerial offices
Minister of Defence
	In office; 4 August 1983 – 18 April 1987
Prime Minister	Bettino Craxi
Preceded by	Lelio Lagorio
Succeeded by	Remo Gaspari
Minister of Public Education
	In office; 21 March 1979 – 5 August 1979
Prime Minister	Giulio Andreotti
Preceded by	Mario Pedini
Succeeded by	Salvatore Valitutti
Minister for Cultural Heritage and the Environment
	In office; 21 December 1974 – 12 February 1976
Prime Minister	Aldo Moro
Preceded by	Office established
Succeeded by	Mario Pedini
Nominated by
Parliamentary offices
Member of the Senate of the Republic
	Life tenure; 2 May 1991 – 4 August 1994
Nominated by	Francesco Cossiga
	In office; 25 May 1972 – 1 May 1991
Constituency	Milan
Personal details
Born	21 June 1925; Florence, Kingdom of Italy
Died	4 August 1994 (aged 69); Rome, Italy
Political party	Italian Republican Party
Height	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Alma mater	University of Florence
Profession	Teacher, journalist, historian

Giovanni Spadolini (21 June 1925 – 4 August 1994) was an Italian politician and statesman, who served as the 44th prime minister of Italy. He had been a leading figure in the Republican Party and the first head of a government to not be a member of Christian Democrats since 1945. He was also a newspaper editor, journalist and historian. He is considered a highly respected intellectual for his literary works and his cultural dimension.

Professor of Contemporary History at the University of Florence, he was the author of numerous historical works. He was also a journalist and editor-in-chief of the Bolognese newspaper Il Resto del Carlino, then of the Milanese newspaper Il Corriere della Sera.

Spadolini was the first Italian Minister of Cultural Heritage and Environment from 1974 to 1976. He became Prime Minister in 1981 and he led two successive cabinets which were supported by a coalition of parties in Parliament but this only lasted a few months. He was Minister of Defence in the governments headed by Socialist leader Bettino Craxi from 1983 to 1987 before being elected President of the Senate. In 1991, Spadolini was appointed Lifetime Senator by President Francesco Cossiga.