Enrico De Nicola

Enrico De Nicola (1877 to 1959) was an Italian jurist, journalist and statesman who became the first president of Italy. Born in Naples, he made his name as a penal lawyer after graduating in law from the University of Naples in 1896. A Liberal, he was first elected deputy in 1909, served as Under-Secretary of State for the Colonies and for the Treasury, and was Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies from 1920 to 1924. Under fascism he withdrew from political life and refused to take the Senate seat to which the king appointed him in 1929. After the fall of Mussolini he was an influential mediator in the transition away from the monarchy, and the Constituent Assembly elected him Provisional Head of State in June 1946; he was formally named President of the Italian Republic on 1 January 1948. He later became a senator for life and was elected President of the Senate and of the Constitutional Court.