Guido Cortese (1908–1964) was an Italian lawyer and politician. He was a member of the

Italian Liberal Party The Italian Liberal Party (, PLI) was a liberal political party in Italy. The PLI, which was heir to the liberal currents of both the Historical Right and the Historical Left, was a minor party after World War II, but also a frequent junio ...

. He served at 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 ...

after the end of Fascist rule and was a member of the

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

for three terms. He was also minister of industry and commerce in the

first Segni Government The Segni I Cabinet was the 11th cabinet of the Italian government which held office from 6 July 1955 until 20 May 1957, for a total of 683 days, or 1 year, 10 months and 13 days. Following the resignation of the previous government, chaired by M ...

between 1955 and 1957.

Early life and education

Cortese was born in

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

on 3 August 1908. He received a degree in law in 1930.

Career

Following his graduation Cortese formed a law company and worked as a lawyer specializing in criminal law. He started his political career after the end of Fascist rule. He worked for a Naples-based weekly publication ''Libertà'' in 1944. The same year he began to wrote for ''

Il Giornale (), known from its founding in 1974 until 1983 as (), is an Italian-language daily newspaper published in Milan with an average circulation of 28,933 in May 2023. In 2006, it was considered one of Italy's main national newspapers. History an ...

'' and was its deputy director until 1957. Cortese was a member of the Italian Liberal Party and was elected as a deputy to the Constituent Assembly on the list of the National Democratic Union on 2 June 1946. He became a deputy in June 1953, from the constituency of Naples. He was re-elected as a deputy in the 1958 and 1963 elections. His term at the Parliament lasted until his death in September 1964. Cortese was appointed minister of industry and commerce on 6 July 1955 to the cabinet of

Antonio Segni Antonio Segni (; 2 February 1891 – 1 December 1972) was an Italian politician and statesman who served as President of Italy from 1962 to 1964, and as Prime Minister of Italy from 1955 to 1957 and again from 1959 to 1960. A member of the Chris ...

which he held until 19 May 1957. He was elected as a councilor of Naples in 1960 and 1962.

Personal life, death and legacy

Cortese married Amelia Ardias in Naples in 1943. They had four children. He died in

Cortina d'Ampezzo Cortina d'Ampezzo (; , ; historical ) sometimes abbreviated to simply Cortina, is a town and ''comune'' in the heart of the southern (Dolomites, Dolomitic) Alps in the province of Belluno, in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. Situated on the ...

at the age of 54 on 3 September 1964 after a brief illness. A foundation, Guido and Roberto Cortese Foundation, was established in memory of him and his son in Naples in 1990.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cortese, Guido 20th-century Italian journalists 20th-century Italian lawyers 1908 births 1964 deaths Government ministers of Italy Italian Liberal Party politicians Members of the Constituent Assembly of Italy Deputies of Legislature II of Italy Deputies of Legislature III of Italy Deputies of Legislature IV of Italy Politicians from Naples