Giovanni Goria

Goria was born in Asti (Piedmont).

Goria joined the Christian Democracy in 1960 and entered local politics. He was elected to the chamber of deputies in 1976. He was undersecretary of the budget from 1981 until 1983 and then became treasury minister. He became known for his easygoing style and his adeptness at television appearances.

Following the elections of 1987, in which his party did well, Goria became Prime Minister (the youngest his country had seen since World War II), as a protégé of party chairman (and prime ministerial successor) Ciriaco de Mita. He was forced to resign in 1988 after the Parliament refused to pass his budget.

Goria was elected to the European Parliament in 1989. He resigned in 1991 to become Italian minister of agriculture. He remained in that position until 1992 when he became finance minister.

He resigned in 1993 during a corruption scandal which ruined his party. Goria himself was charged with corruption. His trial began in early 1994. He was acquitted of one charge, but his trial was still in progress when he died suddenly of lung cancer in his native Asti.[2]