Sergio Berlinguer (; 6 May 1934 – 17 October 2021) was an Italian diplomat who served as state minister in the first cabinet of

Silvio Berlusconi Silvio Berlusconi ( ; ; born 29 September 1936) is an Italian media tycoon and politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy in four governments from 1994 to 1995, 2001 to 2006 and 2008 to 2011. He was a member of the Chamber of Deputies ...

Biography

Early life and education

Berlinguer was born in

Sassari Sassari (, ; sdc, Sàssari ; sc, Tàtari, ) is an Italian city and the second-largest of Sardinia in terms of population with 127,525 inhabitants, and a Functional Urban Area of about 260,000 inhabitants. One of the oldest cities on the island, ...

on 6 May 1934, younger brother of

Luigi Berlinguer Luigi Berlinguer (; born 25 July 1932) is an Italian politician who served in the government of Italy as minister of education from 1996 to 2000. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Early life and education Berlinguer was born in Sassari on ...

and cousin of

Enrico Berlinguer Enrico Berlinguer (; 25 May 1922 – 11 June 1984) was an Italian politician, considered the most popular leader of the Italian Communist Party (PCI), which he led as the national secretary from 1972 until his death during a tense period in Ital ...

. He held a law degree from

Sapienza University of Rome The Sapienza University of Rome ( it, Sapienza – Università di Roma), also called simply Sapienza or the University of Rome, and formally the Università degli Studi di Roma "La Sapienza", is a Public university, public research university l ...

Career

Berlinguer began his career at the

ministry of foreign affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

in 1959. He headed its press office. He was the Italian ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1966 to 1983. He served as the general manager of the emigration department of the foreign ministry from 1983 to 1985 and was appointed diplomatic advisor to the

Italian President The president of Italy, officially denoted as president of the Italian Republic ( it, Presidente della Repubblica Italiana) is the head of state of Italy. In that role, the president represents national unity, and guarantees that Italian poli ...

Francesco Cossiga Francesco Maurizio Cossiga (; sc, Frantziscu Maurìtziu Còssiga, ; 1928 – 2010)
. was an Italian pol ...

in 1985. Then he became the secretary general and spokesman for the Italian presidency and served in the post until 1992. He was appointed state minister to the first cabinet of Silvio Berlusconi in 1994 and remained in office until 1995. He was also the member of the council of state. In 1996, Berlinguer's movement, Movimento Italiano Democratico (MID), joined Rinnovamento Italiano which in turn was part of the Ulivo coalition for the

general elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

in 1996.

Other roles and death

A member of the Italian

Aspen Institute The Aspen Institute is an international nonprofit organization founded in 1949 as the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. The institute's stated aim is the realization of "a free, just, and equitable society" through seminars, policy programs ...

, Berlinguer died in Rome on 17 October 2021, at the age of 87.

Awards and honors

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic 1st Class / Knight Grand Cross – 16 January 1988 Order of Pope Sylvester BAR

Order of Pope Saint Sylvester Pontifical Equestrian Order of Saint Sylvester Pope and Martyr ( la, Ordo Sancti Silvestri Papae, it, Ordine di San Silvestro Papa), sometimes referred to as the Sylvestrine Order, or the Pontifical Order of Pope Saint Sylvester, is one of five P ...

Vatican Vatican may refer to: Vatican City, the city-state ruled by the pope in Rome, including St. Peter's Basilica, Sistine Chapel, Vatican Museum The Holy See * The Holy See, the governing body of the Catholic Church and sovereign entity recognized ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berlinguer, Sergio 20th-century diplomats 1934 births 2021 deaths Ambassadors of Italy to the United Kingdom Government ministers of Italy Italian Renewal politicians People from Sassari Sapienza University of Rome alumni Italian political party founders Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic