Virginio Rognoni

Who is Virginio Rognoni?

Virginio Rognoni is an Italian politician, who was a prominent member of Christian Democracy. He was several times Interior Minister, Minister of Defense and Minister of Justice. From 2002 to 2006 he was vice-president of the Consiglio Superiore della Magistratura.

As a student at the historic Collegio Ghislieri, in November 1947 he obtained a degree in law from the University of Pavia. He studied at Yale University between 1949 and 1950 and also worked as a lawyer.

He began his political career in local government, serving as a city councillor in Pavia from 1960 to 1964, and from 1964 to 1967 as deputy mayor and as assessore all’urbanistica. He then entered national politics, and was elected member of the Chamber of Deputies for seven consecutive terms.

He was Minister of the Interior from 1978 to 1983, of Justice and of Defence: he was criticized by the Italian Communist Party while Minister of the Interior for failing to protect General Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa, who was killed on the same day in which he asked Rognoni to meet him.