born Feb. 6, 1908, Pieve Santo Stefano, Italy
died Nov. 20, 1999, Rome
Italian premier who formed and led the centre-left coalition that dominated Italian politics in the late 1950s and '60s.
Elected to Italy's constituent assembly (1946), he became secretary-general of the Christian Democratic Party (1954) after serving briefly as premier. With his party's victory in 1958, he became premier (195859) and stressed social reforms. Buoyed by widespread public reaction against rising neofascist activity, he was returned to the premiership (196063) and again promoted a reformist program. He gained Italy's election to the UN Security Council (1958) and served as president of the UN General Assembly in 1965. He again served as premier in 198283 and in 1987.