Enrico De Nicola

Enrico De Nicola
I President of the Italian Republic
In office 1 July 1946 – 12 May 1948
Prime Minister	Alcide De Gasperi
Preceded by	Position established Umberto II as King of Italy Alcide De Gasperi (Temporary Head of State)
Succeeded by	Luigi Einaudi
President of the Italian Chamber of Deputies
In office 26 June 1920 – 25 January 1924
Preceded by	Vittorio Emanuele Orlando
Succeeded by	Alfredo Rocco
President of the Italian Senate
In office 28 April, 1951 – 24 June, 1952
Preceded by	Ivanoe Bonomi
Succeeded by	Giuseppe Paratore
Lifetime Senator
In office 12 May 1948 – 1 October 1959
Constituency	New Constituency
Personal details
Born	(1877-11-09)9 November 1877 Naples, Italy
Died	1 October 1959(1959-10-01) (aged 81) Torre del Greco, Italy
Political party	Italian Liberal Party
Spouse	Celibate

Enrico Roberto De Nicola (9 November 1877 – 1 October 1959) was an Italian jurist, journalist, politician, and the first provisional Head of State of the newborn republic of Italy from 1946 to 1948.

Biography

Enrico De Nicola was born in Naples and became famous as one of the most esteemed penal lawyers in Italy. He was elected a deputy for the first time in 1909 and he filled minor governmental posts until the advent of fascism, when he retired from political life. He was appointed senator by King Victor Emmanuel III in 1926, but he never took part in the workings of the Assembly.

After 1943, when fascism ended, De Nicola was perhaps the most influential mediator for the creation of the title "Lieutenant-General of the Realm", by which the king's son Prince Umberto took over most of the functions of the sovereign. Once the monarchy had ended, the Constituent Assembly elected De Nicola Provisional Head of State on 28 June 1946, with 80% of the votes, at the first round of voting. Giulio Andreotti later recalled that De Nicola — mainly because of his unique modesty — was not sure whether to accept the nomination, and underwent frequent changes of mind in the face of repeated importuning by all the major political leaders. Andreotti had then to write to him: "Your Excellency, please, decide to decide if you can accept to accept..."

On 25 June 1947, De Nicola resigned from the post, citing health reasons, but the Constituent Assembly immediately re-elected him again the following day, having recognised in his act signs of nobility and humility. The value of the man was indeed so great that he is still considered as perhaps the most serious Italian politician of the 20th century. After the Italian Constitution took effect, he was formally named the "President of the Italian Republic" on 1 January 1948. He finally refused to be a candidate for the first constitutional election the following May, in which Luigi Einaudi was elected to the Quirinale.

De Nicola became a senator for life (as a former Head of State), and later was elected the President of the Senate, and of the Constitutional Court.

He died at Torre del Greco, in the province of Naples, in 1959.

His lifestyle was as honest as it was extremely austere, and in times of general economic crisis, he lived in increased poverty, but was always memorably dignified. De Nicola remains in the Italian history as one of the most striking figures ever.