Francesco Cossiga

Francesco Cossiga OMRI
President of Italy
In office 3 July 1985 – 28 April 1992 Acting: 29 June 1985 – 3 July 1985
Prime Minister	Bettino Craxi Amintore Fanfani Giovanni Goria Ciriaco De Mita Giulio Andreotti
Preceded by	Sandro Pertini
Succeeded by	Oscar Luigi Scalfaro
President of the Senate of the Republic
In office 12 July 1983 – 3 July 1985
Preceded by	Vittorino Colombo
Succeeded by	Amintore Fanfani
Prime Minister of Italy
In office 5 August 1979 – 18 October 1980
President	Sandro Pertini
Preceded by	Giulio Andreotti
Succeeded by	Arnaldo Forlani
Minister of the Interior
In office 12 February 1976 – 11 May 1978
Prime Minister	Aldo Moro Giulio Andreotti
Preceded by	Luigi Gui
Succeeded by	Virginio Rognoni
Minister for Public Administration
In office 23 November 1974 – 12 February 1976
Prime Minister	Aldo Moro
Preceded by	Luigi Gui
Succeeded by	Tommaso Morlino
Member of the Senate of the Republic
Ex officio
Life tenure 28 April 1992 – 17 August 2010
In office 12 July 1983 – 3 July 1985
Constituency	Sardinia
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office 12 June 1958 – 11 July 1983
Constituency	Cagliari–Sassari
Personal details
Born	Francesco Maurizio Cossiga (1928-07-26)26 July 1928 Sassari, Kingdom of Italy
Died	17 August 2010(2010-08-17) (aged 82) Rome, Italy
Political party	DC (1945–1992) UDR (1998–1999) UpR (1999–2001) Independent (2001–2010)
Height	1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)
Spouse	Giuseppa Sigurani ​ ​ (m. 1960; div. 1998)​
Children	2, including Giuseppe
Alma mater	University of Sassari
Occupation	Politician
Signature

Francesco Maurizio Cossiga OMRI (Italian pronunciation: [franˈtʃesko kosˈsiːɡa] ^ⓘ;^[a] Sardinian: Frantziscu Maurìtziu Còssiga, IPA: [ˈkosiɣa]; 26 July 1928 – 17 August 2010)^[1][2] was an Italian politician. A member of Christian Democracy, he was prime minister of Italy from 1979 to 1980 and the president of Italy from 1985 to 1992.^[3] Cossiga is widely considered one of the most prominent and influential politicians of the First Italian Republic.

Cossiga served as minister on several occasions, most notably as Italian Minister of the Interior. In that position he re-structured the Italian police, civil protection and secret services. Due to his repressive approach to public protests, he was described as a strongman and labeled "Iron Minister".^[4] He was in office at the time of the kidnapping and murder of Aldo Moro by the Red Brigades, and resigned as the interior minister when Aldo Moro was found dead in May 1978.^[5] Cossiga was the prime minister during the 1980 Bologna station massacre. Before his political career, he was also a professor of constitutional law at the University of Sassari.

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