Mario Martinelli (12 May 1906 – 21 May 2001) was an Italian resistance member during the

Fascist Italy Fascism is a far-right, authoritarian, ultra-nationalist political ideology and movement,: "extreme militaristic nationalism, contempt for electoral democracy and political and cultural liberalism, a belief in natural social hierarchy and the ...

and a conservative politician who was a member of

Christian Democracy 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 ...

. He was the undisputed leader of the party in the Como region. He held several government posts and was a long-term member of the

Italian Parliament The Italian Parliament ( it, Parlamento italiano) is the national parliament of the Italian Republic. It is the representative body of Italian citizens and is the successor to the Parliament of the Kingdom of Italy (1861–1943), the transitio ...

Italian Senate The Senate of the Republic ( it, Senato della Repubblica), or simply the Senate ( it, Senato), is the upper house of the bicameral Italian Parliament (the other being the Chamber of Deputies). The two houses together form a perfect bicameral sy ...

and the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adop ...

Biography

Martinelli was born in

Como Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como. Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps has m ...

on 12 May 1906. His father, Abbondio, was a dyer worker and trade unionist and was among the founders of Italian People's Party which was established in 1919. Mario Martinelli was an

accountant An accountant is a practitioner of accounting or accountancy. Accountants who have demonstrated competency through their professional associations' certification exams are certified to use titles such as Chartered Accountant, Chartered Certi ...

by profession. He was a member of the

resistance movement A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objective ...

during the Fascist Italy. Martinelli was arrested by the political police at his home in Como in August 1944 due to his resistance activities and released in April 1945. Following the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

he joined the Christian Democrat Party and founded its Como branch. He served as the party secretary for the Como region between 1945 and 1946. Then he elected to the Italian parliament in 1946 and became a member of the national council of the Christian Democrat Party in 1948. His tenure at the parliament lasted for three consecutive terms, and the last and fourth one was at the end of the 1970s. After serving as undersecretary of state for treasury and for foreign trade and minister of finance he was appointed minister of foreign trade which he held from 1954 to 1955. He served in the same post between 1960 and 1962. From 1958 Martinelli served in the European Parliament as part of the Christian Democrat group and was the head of the transport committee. He was also a member of the committee on the internal market of the community at the European Parliament. Martinelli also served at the Italian Senate from 1963 for three consecutive terms representing Lombardy. Martinelli was married and had nine children. He died on 21 May 2001.

Legacy

In Como a square was named after him, Mario Martinelli Square. In 2004 Giovanni Di Capua published a biography of Mario Martinelli entitled ''Mario Martinelli nel secolo delle contraddizioni'' (meaning Mario Martinelli in the century of contradictions in English).

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Martinelli, Mario 1906 births 2001 deaths Christian Democracy (Italy) politicians Deputies of Legislature I of Italy Deputies of Legislature II of Italy Deputies of Legislature III of Italy Deputies of Legislature VII of Italy Finance ministers of Italy Italian resistance movement members Members of the Italian Senate from Lombardy MEPs for Italy 1958–1979 People from Como Senators of Legislature IV of Italy Senators of Legislature V of Italy Senators of Legislature VI of Italy