Francesco Cossiga | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, c. 1985 | |
| 8th President of Italy | |
| In office 3 July 1985 – 28 April 1992[a] | |
| Prime Minister | Bettino Craxi Amintore Fanfani Giovanni Goria Ciriaco De Mita Giulio Andreotti |
| Preceded by | Sandro Pertini |
| Succeeded by | Oscar Luigi Scalfaro |
| President of the Senate of the Republic | |
| In office 12 July 1983 – 3 July 1985 | |
| Preceded by | Vittorino Colombo |
| Succeeded by | Amintore Fanfani |
| Prime Minister of Italy | |
| In office 5 August 1979 – 18 October 1980 | |
| President | Sandro Pertini |
| Preceded by | Giulio Andreotti |
| Succeeded by | Arnaldo Forlani |
| Minister of the Interior | |
| In office 12 February 1976 – 11 May 1978 | |
| Prime Minister | Aldo Moro Giulio Andreotti |
| Preceded by | Luigi Gui |
| Succeeded by | Virginio Rognoni |
| Minister for Public Administration | |
| In office 23 November 1974 – 12 February 1976 | |
| Prime Minister | Aldo Moro |
| Preceded by | Luigi Gui |
| Succeeded by | Tommaso Morlino |
| Member of the Senate of the Republic | |
| Life tenure 28 April 1992 – 17 August 2010 | |
| In office 12 July 1983 – 3 July 1985 | |
| Constituency | Sardinia |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 12 June 1958 – 11 July 1983 | |
| Constituency | Cagliari–Sassari |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Francesco Maurizio Cossiga 26 July 1928 Sassari, Kingdom of Italy |
| Died | 17 August 2010 (aged 82) Rome, Italy |
| Political party | DC (1945–1992) UDR (1998–1999) UpR (1999–2001) Independent (2001–2010) |
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Spouse |
Giuseppa Sigurani
(m. 1960; div. 1998) |
| Children | 2, including Giuseppe |
| Alma mater | University of Sassari |
| Occupation | Politician |
| Signature |  |
Francesco Maurizio Cossiga OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [franˈtʃesko kosˈsiːɡa] ; Sardinian: Frantziscu Maurìtziu Còssiga, IPA: [ˈkosiɣa]; 26 July 1928 – 17 August 2010)[1][2] was an Italian politician. A member of Christian Democracy, he was prime minister of Italy from 1979 to 1980 and the president of Italy from 1985 to 1992.[3] Cossiga is widely considered one of the most prominent and influential politicians of the First Italian Republic.
Cossiga served as a minister on several occasions, most notably as Italian Minister of the Interior. In that position, he re-structured the Italian police, civil protection and secret services. Due to his repressive approach to public protests, he was described as a strongman and labelled "Iron Minister".[4] He was in office at the time of the kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro by the Red Brigades, and resigned as the interior minister when Aldo Moro was found dead in May 1978.[5] Cossiga was the prime minister during the 1980 Bologna station massacre. Before his political career, he was also a professor of constitutional law at the University of Sassari.
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- ^ Page at Senate website (in Italian).
- ^ Profile of Francesco Cossiga
- ^ Biografia – Francesco Cossiga
- ^ I consigli di Cossiga alla Polizia "Prima una vittima, poi mano dura"
- ^ Sassoon, Donald (18 August 2010). "Francesco Cossiga obituary". The Guardian.