Giovanni Leone

Infobox_President
name = Giovanni Leone


caption =
order = VI
President of the Italian Republic
primeminister = Emilio Colombo
Giulio Andreotti
Mariano Rumor
Aldo Moro
Giulio Andreotti
term_start = 29 December 1971
term_end = 15 June 1978
predecessor = Giuseppe Saragat
successor = "Amintore Fanfani" "acting"
Alessandro Pertini
order2 = 55th and 53rd
President of the Council of Ministers of Italy
term_start2 = 24 June 1968
term_end2 = 12 December 1968
nationality = Italian
predecessor2 = Aldo Moro
successor2 = Mariano Rumor
president2 = Giuseppe Saragat
term_start3 = 21 June 1963
term_end3 = 4 December 1963
predecessor3 = Amintore Fanfani
successor3 = Aldo Moro
president3 = Antonio Segni
order4 = President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies
term_start4 = 10 May 1955
term_end4 = 21 June 1963
predecessor4 = Giovanni Gronchi
successor4 = Brunetto Bucciarelli-Ducci
order5 = Lifetime Senator
constituency5 = "New Constituency"
term_start5 = 15 June 1978
term_end5 = 9 November 2001
birth_date = birth date|1908|11|3|df=y
birth_place = Naples, Italy
death_date = death date and age|2001|11|9|1908|11|3|df=y
death_place = Rome, Italy
spouse = Vittoria Micchitto
party = Christian Democracy
religion = Roman Catholic

Giovanni Leone (3 November 1908 – 9 November 2001) was an Italian politician. He was Prime Minister of Italy from 21 June 1963 to 5 November 1963 and again from 24 June 1968 to 19 November 1968. He also served as President of the Republic from 1971 to 1978.

Biography

Leone was born in Naples.

He graduated in law in 1929. His father was one of the founders of Democrazia Cristiana in his native city, and he was elected to the Italian Constituent Assembly in 1946. A member of the right wing faction of his party, he was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in 1948, being confirmed until 1963. In 1955-1963 he was also President of the Chamber, from which he resigned for a brief stint as Premier.

After having been unofficially several times candidate to the Presidency of the Republic, he was named Life Senator in 1968. In the same year he was again Premier for some months. In 1971 he succeeded Giuseppe Saragat as President of Italy, being elected with votes of a right-centre majority of the Parliament (518 out of 996 votes, including those of the post-fascist Italian Social Movement).

He became embroiled in controversy when, as President of Republic, visiting his native city during an outbreak of cholera, shook the hands of the patients with one hand, and with the other, behind the back, made the corna. This act was well documented, as all journalists and photographers were right behind him. The gesture was interpreted as offensive for the patients.

He was forced to resign from his position following his involvement in the Lockheed bribery scandal [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/obituaries/story/0,3604,591702,00.html Guardian obituary, November 12, 2001] ] on 15 June 1978.

References

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