Pier Luigi Romita

Biography

Romita was born in Turin, the son of Giuseppe Romita, a long-time member of the Italian Socialist Party (Partito Socialista Italiano, PSI) and Minister of the Interior in 1946. During the Fascist period, he followed the father into confinement in the islands of Ustica and Ponza, and then at Veroli. In 1933 the family moved to Rome.

In 1942, aged 19, he entered PSI and later took part to Italian resistance movement, part of partisan bands operating in the Colli Albani. In 1947 he graduated in engineering and later taught Hydraulics in the Faculty of Agronomy of the University of Milan. In 1958, at the death of his father, he was elected to the Chamber of Deputies for the Italian Socialist Democratic Party (Partito Socialista Democratico Italiano, PSDI), being confirmed until the XI legislature (1992-1994)

His first government positions were as undersecretary for Public Works (1963-1966), Education (1966-1968 and 1970-72) and Interiors (1968-1969). Romita was subsequently three times Minister of Scientific Research in the Andreotti II (1972-1973), Forlani (1980-1981) and Fanfani V (1982-1983) Cabinets. In 1983-1984 he was also Minister of Regional Affairs (1983-1984) and Public Balance (1984-1987), respectively in the first and second Craxi governments.

Romita was national secretary of PSDI, succeeding Giuseppe Saragat, from 1976 to 1978. In 1989 he left the party and, together with Pietro Longo, he founded UDS (Moviment of Unity and e Socialist Democracy), later merged into PSI. He was Minister of Comunitary Policies in the Andreotti VII Cabinet Ministro. After the disbandment of PSI, he entered the newly formed Italian Socialists and then, from 1997, the Democratic Party of the Left.

Romita died at Milan in 2003.