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[
"Ashley Hamilton"
] |
easy
|
Who was the spouse of Shannen Doherty in Oct 1993?
|
/wiki/Shannen_Doherty#P26#0
|
Shannen Doherty Shannen Maria Doherty ( ; born April 12 , 1971 ) is an American actress , producer , and television director . She is known for her roles as Jenny Wilder in Little House on the Prairie ( 1982–1983 ) , Maggie Malene in Girls Just Want to Have Fun ( 1985 ) , Kris Witherspoon in Our House ( 1986–1988 ) , Heather Duke in Heathers ( 1989 ) , Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills , 90210 ( 1990–94 ) , 90210 ( 2008–2009 ) and again in BH90210 ( 2019 ) ; and Prue Halliwell in Charmed ( 1998–2001 ) . Early life . Doherty was born in Memphis , Tennessee , the daughter of Rosa , a beauty parlor owner , and Tom Doherty , a mortgage consultant . Doherty has Irish ancestry on her fathers side and English , Scottish , and Scots-Irish ancestry on her mothers side . She was raised in her mothers Southern Baptist faith . Career . Child actress . In 1982 , Doherty had guest spots on TV series including Voyagers ! and Father Murphy , which was created and produced by Michael Landon . The same year , 11-year-old Doherty won the recurring role of Jenny Wilder on Little House on the Prairie , which Landon starred in and produced . Doherty appeared in all but four episodes on the final season of the show , which was cancelled in 1983 . Doherty lent her voice to the animated film The Secret of NIMH in 1982 . She appeared in an episode of Magnum , P.I . ( A Sense of Debt ) , followed by an early episode of Airwolf for which she was nominated as Best Young Actress : Guest in a Series at the 6th Youth in Film Awards in 1984 . In 1985 , she starred as Maggie Malene in the teen movie comedy Girls Just Want to Have Fun alongside actresses Helen Hunt and Sarah Jessica Parker . Doherty was cast as the oldest Witherspoon sibling , Kris , on the family drama Our House , which ran from 1986 to 1988 , a role which garnered her several Young Artist Award nominations . Rise to fame : 1989–2001 . Dohertys first major motion picture role was in the dark comedy Heathers , released in 1989 . She garnered worldwide attention and fame for her breakout role as Brenda Walsh in the Aaron Spelling-produced TV series Beverly Hills , 90210 in 1990 . In 1991 and 1992 , her portrayal of Brenda earned her a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series . Doherty left the show after the fourth season in 1994 . She appeared nude in Playboy magazine , first in December 1993 , followed by a spread in March 1994 . She posed for the magazine again in December 2003 and has been featured in a 10-page pictorial . Dohertys career afterward consisted primarily of made-for-TV movies , though she also had a lead role in Kevin Smiths 1995 film Mallrats and later cameoed in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back . In 1998 , Spelling again cast her in another of his television series , Charmed , in which she played lead character Prue Halliwell , the oldest of three sisters who are witches . Doherty also directed a few episodes for the series during the second and third seasons . Doherty left the show in 2001 at the end of the third season , resulting in her characters death . Reportedly , the reason for her departure was because of on-set and off-set tensions between Doherty and co-star Alyssa Milano . Doherty was also twice nominated , in 1999 and 2000 , for the Saturn Award , Best Genre TV Actress , for her performance in Charmed . In 2004 , E ! placed Doherty at number 10 on their list of the 50 Most Wicked Women of Prime Time . In 2007 , AOL named Prue Halliwell the 10th greatest witch in television history . Later work : 2002–present . In 2003 , Doherty hosted the Sci Fi Channel candid-camera show Scare Tactics during its initial season . From 2004 to 2005 , in a return to her prime-time soap roots , Doherty starred as a regular on the short-lived TV series North Shore , where she starred as Alexandra Hudson . Later in 2005 , she was in the pilot for a comedy , Love Inc . In 2006 , Doherty produced and starred in her own reality show , Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty , which premiered on the Oxygen channel . In the show , Doherty carried out the dirty work for members of the public , including dumping boyfriends or telling people what their friends really think about them . The show was canceled after one season due to poor ratings . She also appeared in several episodes of the popular British sitcom Bo ! in the USA , a brain child of Leigh Francis . In the show , she played herself being randomly harassed by Avid Merrion ( Francis ) , who claimed they were lovers . The show aired in October 2006 on the British Channel 4 . During 2007 , Doherty appeared in two television projects . She first appeared in Kiss Me Deadly : A Jacob Keane Assignment for the Here TV network and followed up with a starring role in the holiday film Christmas Caper for ABC Family . That same year Doherty also set up a production company called No Apologies with which she planned to develop a TV drama for herself . Later in 2007 , Doherty was ranked number 96 on Entertainment Weeklys list of the 100 Greatest Television Icons . In 2008 , Doherty was featured on the Swedish television show High Chaparall , appearing in the second episode of the shows fourth season . Also in 2008 , 14 years since her last television appearance as Brenda Walsh , Doherty joined the cast of the Beverly Hills , 90210 spin off for The CW Television Network for a reported $40,000–50,000 an episode . She returned as a guest star in the new series , reprising her old role of Brenda in four of the initial six episodes . Her character , now a successful theater actress and stage director , returned as the guest director of the high school musical . After her initial guest spot was completed , Doherty stated she was open to returning to the series later in the season and eventually agreed to appear in three additional episodes , including an airing in May 2009 . The writers were eager to have her share scenes with Jennie Garth , who reprised her own 90210 role of Kelly Taylor . It was reported that Doherty and Garths characters would both have a romantic interest in the character Ryan Matthews ( Ryan Eggold ) reminiscent of their old rivalry for former bad-boy character Dylan McKay ( Luke Perry ) . Doherty and Garth later confirmed that the reports about the love triangle between their characters were false . In late 2008 , Doherty was announced to co-star alongside Dylan McDermott in the independent film Burning Palms , a satire based on Los Angeles stereotypes told through five intertwining storylines . ( The films world premiere was at the Newport Beach Film Festival in April 2010. ) Doherty played a lead role in the SciFi Channel adventure film The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon . The film premiered on the cable network on December 20 , 2008 . On March 1 , 2010 , it was announced that Doherty would be a celebrity contestant on Dancing with the Stars for the tenth season . The season premiered on Monday , March 22 , 2010 . Doherty was paired with two-time champion Mark Ballas in his sixth season on the show , but the pair was the first couple eliminated in the second week on March 30 . The judges said , Doherty wouldnt have left if we would have just done scores . She wanted to do Dancing with the Stars to make her ailing father proud . Doherty returned for the finale . Doherty starred in FEARnets animated web series Mari-Kari , which launched on June 3 , 2010 . Mari and Kari are identical twins , but Kari is already dead and is a ghost . Doherty voiced both Mari and Kari in the eight-episode show . On July 21 , 2011 , WE tv announced that Doherty would star in a one-hour reality series that would follow her and her fiancé , Kurt Iswarienko , as they planned their wedding . The show , Shannen Says , premiered on April 10 , 2012 . Later in 2012 , Doherty became a spokesperson for Education Connection , and appeared in an episode of The New Normal as her character Brenda Walsh from Beverly Hills , 90210 . On July 24 , 2014 , it was announced that Doherty and her former Charmed co-star Holly Marie Combs would star in their own road-trip reality show called Off the Map with Shannen & Holly , which premiered on Great American Country on January 2 , 2015 . The six-episode series followed the pair traveling across southeastern United States , with stops in Kentucky , Tennessee , Mississippi , Alabama , Georgia and Florida . Viewers were able to vote on activities in which Doherty and Combs engaged at each destination on Great American Countrys official website . In November 2016 , Doherty joined the cast of a Heathers television series , originally set to air on Paramount Network in March 2018 . She played the mother of one of the new generation of Heathers , different from the character of Heather Duke that she originated in the 1989 film . However , the Parkland school shooting affected the shows premiere , which was delayed because of its dark tone and themes of high school violence . In June 2018 , the network chose to pull the show altogether . Ultimately , the series aired over five nights in October 2018 . Doherty once more reprised her role of Brenda Walsh for the six-episode sequel BH90210 , which debuted August 7 , 2019 on FOX . Personal life . In early 1993 , Doherty was briefly engaged to Max Factor heir Dean Jay Factor before he filed for a restraining order on May 25 , 1993 . He alleged physical violence and threats on the part of Doherty , although Dohertys father claimed that the abuse came from Factor and not her . On October 11 , 1993 , Doherty married Ashley Hamilton , the son of actor George Hamilton . They filed for divorce in April 1994 . In 1996 , Doherty became the godmother to Cooper Smith London , the daughter of actor Jason London and actress Charlie Spradling . In 2002 , Doherty married Rick Salomon , but the marriage was annulled after nine months . On October 15 , 2011 , Doherty married photographer Kurt Iswarienko in Malibu , California . In November 2018 , Doherty lost her house to the Woolsey Fire . Bad-girl reputation . Beginning with her time working on Beverly Hills , 90210 , Doherty gained a reputation in the media for bad behavior that dominated her public image for many years . People Magazine has called her the iconic Hollywood bad girl of the nineties . Between 1992 and 1994 , coverage alleging fighting between Doherty and her co-stars dominated tabloid headlines , particularly concerning her heated feud with Jennie Garth , and further reports of heavy partying , on-set lateness , and physical fights . The zine Ben Is Dead , which published a newsletter called I Hate Brenda at the height of the shows popularity , even opened a hotline called the Shannen Snitch Line to which people could call in and report gossip about Doherty . This reputation gained further ground during her three seasons on Charmed , when tabloids fueled rumors of a feud with co-star Alyssa Milano . In both instances , Doherty departed the shows acrimoniously after a few seasons ; on Charmed she was allegedly fired by producer Aaron Spelling after an ultimatum from Milano . 90210 executive producers Darren Star and Charles Rosin have both confirmed that Doherty was difficult on-set ; Rosin commented that ...she had habitual lateness . Her lateness was appalling , and she had a callous attitude and an indifference . Jennie Garth has admitted that the two of them often wanted to claw each others eyes out , and at one point it escalated into physical violence ; nonetheless , she has said the feud was mutual and based more on immaturity than true animosity . Doherty , for her part , has admitted to making mistakes , blaming her behavior on the pressures of fame , her youth , and problems in her personal life . In 2010 , she stated : I have a rep . Did I earn it ? Yeah , I did . But , after a while you sort of try to shed that rep because youre kind of a different person . Youve evolved and all of the bad things youve done in your life have brought you to a much better place . Politics and activism . Doherty is a registered Republican . According to Complex magazine , she said : I realize that the majority of people in the entertainment business happen to be Democrats . I have no problem with that . And they should have no problem with the fact that Im a Republican . An avid animal rights activist , Doherty is a supporter of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society , and while performing the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014 she challenged founder Paul Watson and global supporters of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society . Health . In 1999 , Doherty revealed she had been diagnosed with Crohns disease . Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2015 , which had spread to her lymph nodes . In February 2016 , Doherty revealed that she was receiving anti-estrogen treatment to shrink the tumor and enable treatment by lumpectomy rather than mastectomy . Due to the presence of multiple tumors a lumpectomy was not possible , and a single mastectomy was performed in May 2016 . Surgery revealed that some of the cancer cells may have spread beyond the lymph nodes . Because the cancer was more advanced than previously thought , Doherty underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy following surgery . On April 29 , 2017 , Doherty announced that her cancer was in remission . On February 4 , 2020 , Doherty announced her cancer had returned a year prior , and that she is now stage four . Doherty said that her close friend , Anne Marie Kortright , has stood by her during her battle with cancer .
|
[
"Rick Salomon"
] |
easy
|
Who was the spouse of Shannen Doherty from 2002 to 2003?
|
/wiki/Shannen_Doherty#P26#1
|
Shannen Doherty Shannen Maria Doherty ( ; born April 12 , 1971 ) is an American actress , producer , and television director . She is known for her roles as Jenny Wilder in Little House on the Prairie ( 1982–1983 ) , Maggie Malene in Girls Just Want to Have Fun ( 1985 ) , Kris Witherspoon in Our House ( 1986–1988 ) , Heather Duke in Heathers ( 1989 ) , Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills , 90210 ( 1990–94 ) , 90210 ( 2008–2009 ) and again in BH90210 ( 2019 ) ; and Prue Halliwell in Charmed ( 1998–2001 ) . Early life . Doherty was born in Memphis , Tennessee , the daughter of Rosa , a beauty parlor owner , and Tom Doherty , a mortgage consultant . Doherty has Irish ancestry on her fathers side and English , Scottish , and Scots-Irish ancestry on her mothers side . She was raised in her mothers Southern Baptist faith . Career . Child actress . In 1982 , Doherty had guest spots on TV series including Voyagers ! and Father Murphy , which was created and produced by Michael Landon . The same year , 11-year-old Doherty won the recurring role of Jenny Wilder on Little House on the Prairie , which Landon starred in and produced . Doherty appeared in all but four episodes on the final season of the show , which was cancelled in 1983 . Doherty lent her voice to the animated film The Secret of NIMH in 1982 . She appeared in an episode of Magnum , P.I . ( A Sense of Debt ) , followed by an early episode of Airwolf for which she was nominated as Best Young Actress : Guest in a Series at the 6th Youth in Film Awards in 1984 . In 1985 , she starred as Maggie Malene in the teen movie comedy Girls Just Want to Have Fun alongside actresses Helen Hunt and Sarah Jessica Parker . Doherty was cast as the oldest Witherspoon sibling , Kris , on the family drama Our House , which ran from 1986 to 1988 , a role which garnered her several Young Artist Award nominations . Rise to fame : 1989–2001 . Dohertys first major motion picture role was in the dark comedy Heathers , released in 1989 . She garnered worldwide attention and fame for her breakout role as Brenda Walsh in the Aaron Spelling-produced TV series Beverly Hills , 90210 in 1990 . In 1991 and 1992 , her portrayal of Brenda earned her a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series . Doherty left the show after the fourth season in 1994 . She appeared nude in Playboy magazine , first in December 1993 , followed by a spread in March 1994 . She posed for the magazine again in December 2003 and has been featured in a 10-page pictorial . Dohertys career afterward consisted primarily of made-for-TV movies , though she also had a lead role in Kevin Smiths 1995 film Mallrats and later cameoed in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back . In 1998 , Spelling again cast her in another of his television series , Charmed , in which she played lead character Prue Halliwell , the oldest of three sisters who are witches . Doherty also directed a few episodes for the series during the second and third seasons . Doherty left the show in 2001 at the end of the third season , resulting in her characters death . Reportedly , the reason for her departure was because of on-set and off-set tensions between Doherty and co-star Alyssa Milano . Doherty was also twice nominated , in 1999 and 2000 , for the Saturn Award , Best Genre TV Actress , for her performance in Charmed . In 2004 , E ! placed Doherty at number 10 on their list of the 50 Most Wicked Women of Prime Time . In 2007 , AOL named Prue Halliwell the 10th greatest witch in television history . Later work : 2002–present . In 2003 , Doherty hosted the Sci Fi Channel candid-camera show Scare Tactics during its initial season . From 2004 to 2005 , in a return to her prime-time soap roots , Doherty starred as a regular on the short-lived TV series North Shore , where she starred as Alexandra Hudson . Later in 2005 , she was in the pilot for a comedy , Love Inc . In 2006 , Doherty produced and starred in her own reality show , Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty , which premiered on the Oxygen channel . In the show , Doherty carried out the dirty work for members of the public , including dumping boyfriends or telling people what their friends really think about them . The show was canceled after one season due to poor ratings . She also appeared in several episodes of the popular British sitcom Bo ! in the USA , a brain child of Leigh Francis . In the show , she played herself being randomly harassed by Avid Merrion ( Francis ) , who claimed they were lovers . The show aired in October 2006 on the British Channel 4 . During 2007 , Doherty appeared in two television projects . She first appeared in Kiss Me Deadly : A Jacob Keane Assignment for the Here TV network and followed up with a starring role in the holiday film Christmas Caper for ABC Family . That same year Doherty also set up a production company called No Apologies with which she planned to develop a TV drama for herself . Later in 2007 , Doherty was ranked number 96 on Entertainment Weeklys list of the 100 Greatest Television Icons . In 2008 , Doherty was featured on the Swedish television show High Chaparall , appearing in the second episode of the shows fourth season . Also in 2008 , 14 years since her last television appearance as Brenda Walsh , Doherty joined the cast of the Beverly Hills , 90210 spin off for The CW Television Network for a reported $40,000–50,000 an episode . She returned as a guest star in the new series , reprising her old role of Brenda in four of the initial six episodes . Her character , now a successful theater actress and stage director , returned as the guest director of the high school musical . After her initial guest spot was completed , Doherty stated she was open to returning to the series later in the season and eventually agreed to appear in three additional episodes , including an airing in May 2009 . The writers were eager to have her share scenes with Jennie Garth , who reprised her own 90210 role of Kelly Taylor . It was reported that Doherty and Garths characters would both have a romantic interest in the character Ryan Matthews ( Ryan Eggold ) reminiscent of their old rivalry for former bad-boy character Dylan McKay ( Luke Perry ) . Doherty and Garth later confirmed that the reports about the love triangle between their characters were false . In late 2008 , Doherty was announced to co-star alongside Dylan McDermott in the independent film Burning Palms , a satire based on Los Angeles stereotypes told through five intertwining storylines . ( The films world premiere was at the Newport Beach Film Festival in April 2010. ) Doherty played a lead role in the SciFi Channel adventure film The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon . The film premiered on the cable network on December 20 , 2008 . On March 1 , 2010 , it was announced that Doherty would be a celebrity contestant on Dancing with the Stars for the tenth season . The season premiered on Monday , March 22 , 2010 . Doherty was paired with two-time champion Mark Ballas in his sixth season on the show , but the pair was the first couple eliminated in the second week on March 30 . The judges said , Doherty wouldnt have left if we would have just done scores . She wanted to do Dancing with the Stars to make her ailing father proud . Doherty returned for the finale . Doherty starred in FEARnets animated web series Mari-Kari , which launched on June 3 , 2010 . Mari and Kari are identical twins , but Kari is already dead and is a ghost . Doherty voiced both Mari and Kari in the eight-episode show . On July 21 , 2011 , WE tv announced that Doherty would star in a one-hour reality series that would follow her and her fiancé , Kurt Iswarienko , as they planned their wedding . The show , Shannen Says , premiered on April 10 , 2012 . Later in 2012 , Doherty became a spokesperson for Education Connection , and appeared in an episode of The New Normal as her character Brenda Walsh from Beverly Hills , 90210 . On July 24 , 2014 , it was announced that Doherty and her former Charmed co-star Holly Marie Combs would star in their own road-trip reality show called Off the Map with Shannen & Holly , which premiered on Great American Country on January 2 , 2015 . The six-episode series followed the pair traveling across southeastern United States , with stops in Kentucky , Tennessee , Mississippi , Alabama , Georgia and Florida . Viewers were able to vote on activities in which Doherty and Combs engaged at each destination on Great American Countrys official website . In November 2016 , Doherty joined the cast of a Heathers television series , originally set to air on Paramount Network in March 2018 . She played the mother of one of the new generation of Heathers , different from the character of Heather Duke that she originated in the 1989 film . However , the Parkland school shooting affected the shows premiere , which was delayed because of its dark tone and themes of high school violence . In June 2018 , the network chose to pull the show altogether . Ultimately , the series aired over five nights in October 2018 . Doherty once more reprised her role of Brenda Walsh for the six-episode sequel BH90210 , which debuted August 7 , 2019 on FOX . Personal life . In early 1993 , Doherty was briefly engaged to Max Factor heir Dean Jay Factor before he filed for a restraining order on May 25 , 1993 . He alleged physical violence and threats on the part of Doherty , although Dohertys father claimed that the abuse came from Factor and not her . On October 11 , 1993 , Doherty married Ashley Hamilton , the son of actor George Hamilton . They filed for divorce in April 1994 . In 1996 , Doherty became the godmother to Cooper Smith London , the daughter of actor Jason London and actress Charlie Spradling . In 2002 , Doherty married Rick Salomon , but the marriage was annulled after nine months . On October 15 , 2011 , Doherty married photographer Kurt Iswarienko in Malibu , California . In November 2018 , Doherty lost her house to the Woolsey Fire . Bad-girl reputation . Beginning with her time working on Beverly Hills , 90210 , Doherty gained a reputation in the media for bad behavior that dominated her public image for many years . People Magazine has called her the iconic Hollywood bad girl of the nineties . Between 1992 and 1994 , coverage alleging fighting between Doherty and her co-stars dominated tabloid headlines , particularly concerning her heated feud with Jennie Garth , and further reports of heavy partying , on-set lateness , and physical fights . The zine Ben Is Dead , which published a newsletter called I Hate Brenda at the height of the shows popularity , even opened a hotline called the Shannen Snitch Line to which people could call in and report gossip about Doherty . This reputation gained further ground during her three seasons on Charmed , when tabloids fueled rumors of a feud with co-star Alyssa Milano . In both instances , Doherty departed the shows acrimoniously after a few seasons ; on Charmed she was allegedly fired by producer Aaron Spelling after an ultimatum from Milano . 90210 executive producers Darren Star and Charles Rosin have both confirmed that Doherty was difficult on-set ; Rosin commented that ...she had habitual lateness . Her lateness was appalling , and she had a callous attitude and an indifference . Jennie Garth has admitted that the two of them often wanted to claw each others eyes out , and at one point it escalated into physical violence ; nonetheless , she has said the feud was mutual and based more on immaturity than true animosity . Doherty , for her part , has admitted to making mistakes , blaming her behavior on the pressures of fame , her youth , and problems in her personal life . In 2010 , she stated : I have a rep . Did I earn it ? Yeah , I did . But , after a while you sort of try to shed that rep because youre kind of a different person . Youve evolved and all of the bad things youve done in your life have brought you to a much better place . Politics and activism . Doherty is a registered Republican . According to Complex magazine , she said : I realize that the majority of people in the entertainment business happen to be Democrats . I have no problem with that . And they should have no problem with the fact that Im a Republican . An avid animal rights activist , Doherty is a supporter of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society , and while performing the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014 she challenged founder Paul Watson and global supporters of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society . Health . In 1999 , Doherty revealed she had been diagnosed with Crohns disease . Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2015 , which had spread to her lymph nodes . In February 2016 , Doherty revealed that she was receiving anti-estrogen treatment to shrink the tumor and enable treatment by lumpectomy rather than mastectomy . Due to the presence of multiple tumors a lumpectomy was not possible , and a single mastectomy was performed in May 2016 . Surgery revealed that some of the cancer cells may have spread beyond the lymph nodes . Because the cancer was more advanced than previously thought , Doherty underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy following surgery . On April 29 , 2017 , Doherty announced that her cancer was in remission . On February 4 , 2020 , Doherty announced her cancer had returned a year prior , and that she is now stage four . Doherty said that her close friend , Anne Marie Kortright , has stood by her during her battle with cancer .
|
[
"Kurt Iswarienko"
] |
easy
|
Who was Shannen Doherty 's spouse from 2011 to 2012?
|
/wiki/Shannen_Doherty#P26#2
|
Shannen Doherty Shannen Maria Doherty ( ; born April 12 , 1971 ) is an American actress , producer , and television director . She is known for her roles as Jenny Wilder in Little House on the Prairie ( 1982–1983 ) , Maggie Malene in Girls Just Want to Have Fun ( 1985 ) , Kris Witherspoon in Our House ( 1986–1988 ) , Heather Duke in Heathers ( 1989 ) , Brenda Walsh in Beverly Hills , 90210 ( 1990–94 ) , 90210 ( 2008–2009 ) and again in BH90210 ( 2019 ) ; and Prue Halliwell in Charmed ( 1998–2001 ) . Early life . Doherty was born in Memphis , Tennessee , the daughter of Rosa , a beauty parlor owner , and Tom Doherty , a mortgage consultant . Doherty has Irish ancestry on her fathers side and English , Scottish , and Scots-Irish ancestry on her mothers side . She was raised in her mothers Southern Baptist faith . Career . Child actress . In 1982 , Doherty had guest spots on TV series including Voyagers ! and Father Murphy , which was created and produced by Michael Landon . The same year , 11-year-old Doherty won the recurring role of Jenny Wilder on Little House on the Prairie , which Landon starred in and produced . Doherty appeared in all but four episodes on the final season of the show , which was cancelled in 1983 . Doherty lent her voice to the animated film The Secret of NIMH in 1982 . She appeared in an episode of Magnum , P.I . ( A Sense of Debt ) , followed by an early episode of Airwolf for which she was nominated as Best Young Actress : Guest in a Series at the 6th Youth in Film Awards in 1984 . In 1985 , she starred as Maggie Malene in the teen movie comedy Girls Just Want to Have Fun alongside actresses Helen Hunt and Sarah Jessica Parker . Doherty was cast as the oldest Witherspoon sibling , Kris , on the family drama Our House , which ran from 1986 to 1988 , a role which garnered her several Young Artist Award nominations . Rise to fame : 1989–2001 . Dohertys first major motion picture role was in the dark comedy Heathers , released in 1989 . She garnered worldwide attention and fame for her breakout role as Brenda Walsh in the Aaron Spelling-produced TV series Beverly Hills , 90210 in 1990 . In 1991 and 1992 , her portrayal of Brenda earned her a Young Artist Award nomination for Best Young Actress Starring in a Television Series . Doherty left the show after the fourth season in 1994 . She appeared nude in Playboy magazine , first in December 1993 , followed by a spread in March 1994 . She posed for the magazine again in December 2003 and has been featured in a 10-page pictorial . Dohertys career afterward consisted primarily of made-for-TV movies , though she also had a lead role in Kevin Smiths 1995 film Mallrats and later cameoed in Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back . In 1998 , Spelling again cast her in another of his television series , Charmed , in which she played lead character Prue Halliwell , the oldest of three sisters who are witches . Doherty also directed a few episodes for the series during the second and third seasons . Doherty left the show in 2001 at the end of the third season , resulting in her characters death . Reportedly , the reason for her departure was because of on-set and off-set tensions between Doherty and co-star Alyssa Milano . Doherty was also twice nominated , in 1999 and 2000 , for the Saturn Award , Best Genre TV Actress , for her performance in Charmed . In 2004 , E ! placed Doherty at number 10 on their list of the 50 Most Wicked Women of Prime Time . In 2007 , AOL named Prue Halliwell the 10th greatest witch in television history . Later work : 2002–present . In 2003 , Doherty hosted the Sci Fi Channel candid-camera show Scare Tactics during its initial season . From 2004 to 2005 , in a return to her prime-time soap roots , Doherty starred as a regular on the short-lived TV series North Shore , where she starred as Alexandra Hudson . Later in 2005 , she was in the pilot for a comedy , Love Inc . In 2006 , Doherty produced and starred in her own reality show , Breaking Up with Shannen Doherty , which premiered on the Oxygen channel . In the show , Doherty carried out the dirty work for members of the public , including dumping boyfriends or telling people what their friends really think about them . The show was canceled after one season due to poor ratings . She also appeared in several episodes of the popular British sitcom Bo ! in the USA , a brain child of Leigh Francis . In the show , she played herself being randomly harassed by Avid Merrion ( Francis ) , who claimed they were lovers . The show aired in October 2006 on the British Channel 4 . During 2007 , Doherty appeared in two television projects . She first appeared in Kiss Me Deadly : A Jacob Keane Assignment for the Here TV network and followed up with a starring role in the holiday film Christmas Caper for ABC Family . That same year Doherty also set up a production company called No Apologies with which she planned to develop a TV drama for herself . Later in 2007 , Doherty was ranked number 96 on Entertainment Weeklys list of the 100 Greatest Television Icons . In 2008 , Doherty was featured on the Swedish television show High Chaparall , appearing in the second episode of the shows fourth season . Also in 2008 , 14 years since her last television appearance as Brenda Walsh , Doherty joined the cast of the Beverly Hills , 90210 spin off for The CW Television Network for a reported $40,000–50,000 an episode . She returned as a guest star in the new series , reprising her old role of Brenda in four of the initial six episodes . Her character , now a successful theater actress and stage director , returned as the guest director of the high school musical . After her initial guest spot was completed , Doherty stated she was open to returning to the series later in the season and eventually agreed to appear in three additional episodes , including an airing in May 2009 . The writers were eager to have her share scenes with Jennie Garth , who reprised her own 90210 role of Kelly Taylor . It was reported that Doherty and Garths characters would both have a romantic interest in the character Ryan Matthews ( Ryan Eggold ) reminiscent of their old rivalry for former bad-boy character Dylan McKay ( Luke Perry ) . Doherty and Garth later confirmed that the reports about the love triangle between their characters were false . In late 2008 , Doherty was announced to co-star alongside Dylan McDermott in the independent film Burning Palms , a satire based on Los Angeles stereotypes told through five intertwining storylines . ( The films world premiere was at the Newport Beach Film Festival in April 2010. ) Doherty played a lead role in the SciFi Channel adventure film The Lost Treasure of the Grand Canyon . The film premiered on the cable network on December 20 , 2008 . On March 1 , 2010 , it was announced that Doherty would be a celebrity contestant on Dancing with the Stars for the tenth season . The season premiered on Monday , March 22 , 2010 . Doherty was paired with two-time champion Mark Ballas in his sixth season on the show , but the pair was the first couple eliminated in the second week on March 30 . The judges said , Doherty wouldnt have left if we would have just done scores . She wanted to do Dancing with the Stars to make her ailing father proud . Doherty returned for the finale . Doherty starred in FEARnets animated web series Mari-Kari , which launched on June 3 , 2010 . Mari and Kari are identical twins , but Kari is already dead and is a ghost . Doherty voiced both Mari and Kari in the eight-episode show . On July 21 , 2011 , WE tv announced that Doherty would star in a one-hour reality series that would follow her and her fiancé , Kurt Iswarienko , as they planned their wedding . The show , Shannen Says , premiered on April 10 , 2012 . Later in 2012 , Doherty became a spokesperson for Education Connection , and appeared in an episode of The New Normal as her character Brenda Walsh from Beverly Hills , 90210 . On July 24 , 2014 , it was announced that Doherty and her former Charmed co-star Holly Marie Combs would star in their own road-trip reality show called Off the Map with Shannen & Holly , which premiered on Great American Country on January 2 , 2015 . The six-episode series followed the pair traveling across southeastern United States , with stops in Kentucky , Tennessee , Mississippi , Alabama , Georgia and Florida . Viewers were able to vote on activities in which Doherty and Combs engaged at each destination on Great American Countrys official website . In November 2016 , Doherty joined the cast of a Heathers television series , originally set to air on Paramount Network in March 2018 . She played the mother of one of the new generation of Heathers , different from the character of Heather Duke that she originated in the 1989 film . However , the Parkland school shooting affected the shows premiere , which was delayed because of its dark tone and themes of high school violence . In June 2018 , the network chose to pull the show altogether . Ultimately , the series aired over five nights in October 2018 . Doherty once more reprised her role of Brenda Walsh for the six-episode sequel BH90210 , which debuted August 7 , 2019 on FOX . Personal life . In early 1993 , Doherty was briefly engaged to Max Factor heir Dean Jay Factor before he filed for a restraining order on May 25 , 1993 . He alleged physical violence and threats on the part of Doherty , although Dohertys father claimed that the abuse came from Factor and not her . On October 11 , 1993 , Doherty married Ashley Hamilton , the son of actor George Hamilton . They filed for divorce in April 1994 . In 1996 , Doherty became the godmother to Cooper Smith London , the daughter of actor Jason London and actress Charlie Spradling . In 2002 , Doherty married Rick Salomon , but the marriage was annulled after nine months . On October 15 , 2011 , Doherty married photographer Kurt Iswarienko in Malibu , California . In November 2018 , Doherty lost her house to the Woolsey Fire . Bad-girl reputation . Beginning with her time working on Beverly Hills , 90210 , Doherty gained a reputation in the media for bad behavior that dominated her public image for many years . People Magazine has called her the iconic Hollywood bad girl of the nineties . Between 1992 and 1994 , coverage alleging fighting between Doherty and her co-stars dominated tabloid headlines , particularly concerning her heated feud with Jennie Garth , and further reports of heavy partying , on-set lateness , and physical fights . The zine Ben Is Dead , which published a newsletter called I Hate Brenda at the height of the shows popularity , even opened a hotline called the Shannen Snitch Line to which people could call in and report gossip about Doherty . This reputation gained further ground during her three seasons on Charmed , when tabloids fueled rumors of a feud with co-star Alyssa Milano . In both instances , Doherty departed the shows acrimoniously after a few seasons ; on Charmed she was allegedly fired by producer Aaron Spelling after an ultimatum from Milano . 90210 executive producers Darren Star and Charles Rosin have both confirmed that Doherty was difficult on-set ; Rosin commented that ...she had habitual lateness . Her lateness was appalling , and she had a callous attitude and an indifference . Jennie Garth has admitted that the two of them often wanted to claw each others eyes out , and at one point it escalated into physical violence ; nonetheless , she has said the feud was mutual and based more on immaturity than true animosity . Doherty , for her part , has admitted to making mistakes , blaming her behavior on the pressures of fame , her youth , and problems in her personal life . In 2010 , she stated : I have a rep . Did I earn it ? Yeah , I did . But , after a while you sort of try to shed that rep because youre kind of a different person . Youve evolved and all of the bad things youve done in your life have brought you to a much better place . Politics and activism . Doherty is a registered Republican . According to Complex magazine , she said : I realize that the majority of people in the entertainment business happen to be Democrats . I have no problem with that . And they should have no problem with the fact that Im a Republican . An avid animal rights activist , Doherty is a supporter of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society , and while performing the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014 she challenged founder Paul Watson and global supporters of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society . Health . In 1999 , Doherty revealed she had been diagnosed with Crohns disease . Doherty was diagnosed with breast cancer in March 2015 , which had spread to her lymph nodes . In February 2016 , Doherty revealed that she was receiving anti-estrogen treatment to shrink the tumor and enable treatment by lumpectomy rather than mastectomy . Due to the presence of multiple tumors a lumpectomy was not possible , and a single mastectomy was performed in May 2016 . Surgery revealed that some of the cancer cells may have spread beyond the lymph nodes . Because the cancer was more advanced than previously thought , Doherty underwent chemotherapy and radiotherapy following surgery . On April 29 , 2017 , Doherty announced that her cancer was in remission . On February 4 , 2020 , Doherty announced her cancer had returned a year prior , and that she is now stage four . Doherty said that her close friend , Anne Marie Kortright , has stood by her during her battle with cancer .
|
[
""
] |
easy
|
Who occupied SeatGeek Stadium from 2006 to 2011?
|
/wiki/SeatGeek_Stadium#P466#0
|
SeatGeek Stadium SeatGeek Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium at 71st Street and Harlem Avenue in Bridgeview , Illinois , about twelve miles southwest of downtown Chicago . It is the home stadium of the Chicago Red Stars of the National Womens Soccer League ( NWSL ) , Chicago House AC of the National Independent Soccer Association ( NISA ) , and Chicago State Cougars mens and womens soccer teams of the NCAA Division I . The stadium has also hosted the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer , Chicago Machine of Major League Lacrosse , and Chicago Bliss of the Legends Football League ( LFL ) . Originally named Toyota Park when it opened on June 11 , 2006 , the facility has a capacity of 20,000 and was developed at a cost of around $100 million . The naming rights agreement with SeatGeek went into effect following the Fires 2018 season . Design . Incorporating traditional stadium features from American and European facilities , SeatGeek Stadium includes predominantly covered seating , a brick facade and stone entry archway , and first rows placed fewer than three yards from the field . It includes 42 executive suites , six larger party suites , the Illinois Soccer Hall of Fame , and the Fire club offices , as well as a large stadium club/banquet room measuring over . A practice facility with two fields ( one natural grass ; the other artificial turf ) for the Fire club and its youth programs lies next to the stadium . The stadiums design allows expansion of 50% more seating at negligible expense . Its natural grass fields $1.7 million turf management system comprises full heating , drainage , and aeration capabilities . A permanent stage allows the stadium to host concerts and quickly change configurations . A typical conversion from soccer to stage takes no more than 18 hours . The field accommodates 8,000 additional chairback seats for concerts and other stage events . SeatGeek Stadium is currently operated by Spectra . Naming rights . In 2006 , Toyota entered into a ten-year naming rights agreement and renamed the new stadium Toyota Park . In 2016 , it was reported that Toyota had opted against renewing their naming rights . Despite this , the stadium continued to be known as Toyota Park through the 2018 season . Afterwards , new sponsor SeatGeek assumed stadium naming rights starting with the 2019 Fire season . The naming rights agreement that was signed in 2018 is the first such agreement that SeatGeek has ever entered into . It has been reported that , as part of the deal , SeatGeek will also serve as the venues primary ticketing service , starting in 2019 . SeatGeek has reportedly promised that they will work to bring more live programming , including premier concerts , music festivals and international sporting events to the stadium . Public artwork . In July 2016 two large scale murals were designed and painted by artist Tony Passero on the east and west walls of the stadiums stage suites . The murals measure 14 feet high by 27 feet in length and are named Offense and Defense . History . The Chicago Fire entered Major League Soccer as an expansion team in 1998 , playing for its first four seasons at Soldier Field in Chicago . The club moved to Cardinal Stadium in Naperville for two seasons while Soldier Field was renovated , leading to calls for a soccer-specific venue . The Fire received several bids , announcing Bridgeview as the winner in 2003 . Construction on the Bridgeview venue began on November 30 , 2004 , and was completed on June 11 , 2006 . Future . The Fire and Bridgeview began negotiating a re-evaluation of the stadium lease in 2018 , shortly after Joe Mansueto acquired his stake in the team . In early April 2019 , several media reports emerged about a potential contract buyout that would allow the Fire to move back to the city of Chicago , playing temporarily at Soldier Field once again . On May 8 , 2019 , Chicago Fire president Nelson Rodriguez confirmed that the team was negotiating a tentative deal with the village to terminate their lease , which was slated to run through 2036 , at an estimated cost of $65 million . The terms of the deal were confirmed on July 9 , 2019 . In consideration for releasing the Fire and MLS from the lease , the Fire will put money toward a “multisport recreation and entertainment center” at the site . The Red Stars have no plans to move . Chicago House AC of the NISA announced on January 27 , 2021 that they had selected SeatGeek Stadium as their home . Major soccer events . On November 27 , 2010 , SeatGeek Stadium was the venue for the 2011 FIFA Womens World Cup qualification match between USA and Italy ; USA defeated Italy 1–0 and advanced to the World Cup . SeatGeek Stadium was the venue for the 2006 MLS All-Star Game in which the MLS side defeated Chelsea F.C . 1–0 . The stadium also hosted the 2006 Lamar Hunt U.S . Open Cups final in which Chicago Fire defeated Los Angeles Galaxy 3–1 . SeatGeek Stadium hosts annual friendly matches between Chicago Fire and the popular European and Mexican clubs , which in the past included A.C . Milan , Everton , C.D . Guadalajara , Club America , Santos Laguna and others . SeatGeek Stadium hosted four matches during the group stage of the 2014 CONCACAF Womens Championship . Rugby union . SeatGeek Stadium hosted its first international rugby match in 2006 , United States VS Munster . In June 2008 the stadium hosted three matches of the Churchill Cup , including United States VS Canada , England Saxons VS Scotland A , and Ireland Wolfhounds VS Argentina Jaguares . On June 6 , 2009 the stadium hosted a 2009 mid-year rugby test series match between United States and Wales in a warmup match for the USA in its campaign to qualify for the 2011 Rugby World Cup . Other sports events . SeatGeek Stadium served as the home site for Roosevelt University mens and womens soccer matches from 2010 until 2019 , when the team moved their matches to Illinois Institute of Technologys on-campus stadium . It was announced in December of 2019 that the Chicago Blitz of the Extreme Football League would play their inaugural season at SeatGeek Stadium . The first college football game at the stadium took place on September 7 , 2013 between DIII schools John Carroll and Saint Norbert , a game which John Carroll won 41-0 . For their 2021 season , the Chicago State Cougars mens and womens soccer teams are playing at the stadium . Music events . Since 2006 , SeatGeek Stadium has been the host venue for Chicago radio station B96s annual summer concert , The B96 Pepsi Summer Bash . The Crossroads Guitar Festival was held on July 28 , 2007 and again on June 26 , 2010 . A three-day , all-electronic music festival , Future Sound Dance Music Festival , was hosted at SeatGeek Stadium May 24–26 , 2013 . The Chicago Open Air festival , a 3-day rock festival put on by Danny Wimmer Presents , was held there July 15–17 , 2016 . Accessibility . Pace operates the #387 SeatGeek Stadium Express nonstop from the Midway Orange Line Station for Chicago Fire matches and special events . A $2.475 million transit center operated by Pace was constructed at the east end of the stadiums parking lot in 2014 . The Fire had also provided bus transportation from nine different bar locations in the city to and from the games . However upon moving back to Soldier Field that service is no longer offered for SeakGeek Stadium .
|
[
""
] |
easy
|
Who occupied SeatGeek Stadium from 2016 to 2017?
|
/wiki/SeatGeek_Stadium#P466#1
|
SeatGeek Stadium SeatGeek Stadium is a soccer-specific stadium at 71st Street and Harlem Avenue in Bridgeview , Illinois , about twelve miles southwest of downtown Chicago . It is the home stadium of the Chicago Red Stars of the National Womens Soccer League ( NWSL ) , Chicago House AC of the National Independent Soccer Association ( NISA ) , and Chicago State Cougars mens and womens soccer teams of the NCAA Division I . The stadium has also hosted the Chicago Fire of Major League Soccer , Chicago Machine of Major League Lacrosse , and Chicago Bliss of the Legends Football League ( LFL ) . Originally named Toyota Park when it opened on June 11 , 2006 , the facility has a capacity of 20,000 and was developed at a cost of around $100 million . The naming rights agreement with SeatGeek went into effect following the Fires 2018 season . Design . Incorporating traditional stadium features from American and European facilities , SeatGeek Stadium includes predominantly covered seating , a brick facade and stone entry archway , and first rows placed fewer than three yards from the field . It includes 42 executive suites , six larger party suites , the Illinois Soccer Hall of Fame , and the Fire club offices , as well as a large stadium club/banquet room measuring over . A practice facility with two fields ( one natural grass ; the other artificial turf ) for the Fire club and its youth programs lies next to the stadium . The stadiums design allows expansion of 50% more seating at negligible expense . Its natural grass fields $1.7 million turf management system comprises full heating , drainage , and aeration capabilities . A permanent stage allows the stadium to host concerts and quickly change configurations . A typical conversion from soccer to stage takes no more than 18 hours . The field accommodates 8,000 additional chairback seats for concerts and other stage events . SeatGeek Stadium is currently operated by Spectra . Naming rights . In 2006 , Toyota entered into a ten-year naming rights agreement and renamed the new stadium Toyota Park . In 2016 , it was reported that Toyota had opted against renewing their naming rights . Despite this , the stadium continued to be known as Toyota Park through the 2018 season . Afterwards , new sponsor SeatGeek assumed stadium naming rights starting with the 2019 Fire season . The naming rights agreement that was signed in 2018 is the first such agreement that SeatGeek has ever entered into . It has been reported that , as part of the deal , SeatGeek will also serve as the venues primary ticketing service , starting in 2019 . SeatGeek has reportedly promised that they will work to bring more live programming , including premier concerts , music festivals and international sporting events to the stadium . Public artwork . In July 2016 two large scale murals were designed and painted by artist Tony Passero on the east and west walls of the stadiums stage suites . The murals measure 14 feet high by 27 feet in length and are named Offense and Defense . History . The Chicago Fire entered Major League Soccer as an expansion team in 1998 , playing for its first four seasons at Soldier Field in Chicago . The club moved to Cardinal Stadium in Naperville for two seasons while Soldier Field was renovated , leading to calls for a soccer-specific venue . The Fire received several bids , announcing Bridgeview as the winner in 2003 . Construction on the Bridgeview venue began on November 30 , 2004 , and was completed on June 11 , 2006 . Future . The Fire and Bridgeview began negotiating a re-evaluation of the stadium lease in 2018 , shortly after Joe Mansueto acquired his stake in the team . In early April 2019 , several media reports emerged about a potential contract buyout that would allow the Fire to move back to the city of Chicago , playing temporarily at Soldier Field once again . On May 8 , 2019 , Chicago Fire president Nelson Rodriguez confirmed that the team was negotiating a tentative deal with the village to terminate their lease , which was slated to run through 2036 , at an estimated cost of $65 million . The terms of the deal were confirmed on July 9 , 2019 . In consideration for releasing the Fire and MLS from the lease , the Fire will put money toward a “multisport recreation and entertainment center” at the site . The Red Stars have no plans to move . Chicago House AC of the NISA announced on January 27 , 2021 that they had selected SeatGeek Stadium as their home . Major soccer events . On November 27 , 2010 , SeatGeek Stadium was the venue for the 2011 FIFA Womens World Cup qualification match between USA and Italy ; USA defeated Italy 1–0 and advanced to the World Cup . SeatGeek Stadium was the venue for the 2006 MLS All-Star Game in which the MLS side defeated Chelsea F.C . 1–0 . The stadium also hosted the 2006 Lamar Hunt U.S . Open Cups final in which Chicago Fire defeated Los Angeles Galaxy 3–1 . SeatGeek Stadium hosts annual friendly matches between Chicago Fire and the popular European and Mexican clubs , which in the past included A.C . Milan , Everton , C.D . Guadalajara , Club America , Santos Laguna and others . SeatGeek Stadium hosted four matches during the group stage of the 2014 CONCACAF Womens Championship . Rugby union . SeatGeek Stadium hosted its first international rugby match in 2006 , United States VS Munster . In June 2008 the stadium hosted three matches of the Churchill Cup , including United States VS Canada , England Saxons VS Scotland A , and Ireland Wolfhounds VS Argentina Jaguares . On June 6 , 2009 the stadium hosted a 2009 mid-year rugby test series match between United States and Wales in a warmup match for the USA in its campaign to qualify for the 2011 Rugby World Cup . Other sports events . SeatGeek Stadium served as the home site for Roosevelt University mens and womens soccer matches from 2010 until 2019 , when the team moved their matches to Illinois Institute of Technologys on-campus stadium . It was announced in December of 2019 that the Chicago Blitz of the Extreme Football League would play their inaugural season at SeatGeek Stadium . The first college football game at the stadium took place on September 7 , 2013 between DIII schools John Carroll and Saint Norbert , a game which John Carroll won 41-0 . For their 2021 season , the Chicago State Cougars mens and womens soccer teams are playing at the stadium . Music events . Since 2006 , SeatGeek Stadium has been the host venue for Chicago radio station B96s annual summer concert , The B96 Pepsi Summer Bash . The Crossroads Guitar Festival was held on July 28 , 2007 and again on June 26 , 2010 . A three-day , all-electronic music festival , Future Sound Dance Music Festival , was hosted at SeatGeek Stadium May 24–26 , 2013 . The Chicago Open Air festival , a 3-day rock festival put on by Danny Wimmer Presents , was held there July 15–17 , 2016 . Accessibility . Pace operates the #387 SeatGeek Stadium Express nonstop from the Midway Orange Line Station for Chicago Fire matches and special events . A $2.475 million transit center operated by Pace was constructed at the east end of the stadiums parking lot in 2014 . The Fire had also provided bus transportation from nine different bar locations in the city to and from the games . However upon moving back to Soldier Field that service is no longer offered for SeakGeek Stadium .
|
[
"Naoussa"
] |
easy
|
Christos Melissis played for which team from 2000 to 2001?
|
/wiki/Christos_Melissis#P54#0
|
Christos Melissis Christos Melissis , ( ; born 1 December 1982 ) is a Greek football player who played for Sudanese club Al-Hilal Omdurman . He has played in the past for Naoussa , Panserraikos , PAOK , Panathinaikos , Larissa , Panthrakikos , Marítimo in Portugal and the Greek national football team . He usually plays as a center back but when called upon he is used as a right back or a defensive midfielder . Playing career . He started his career in Naoussa , and then played for five years in Panserraikos before attracting the interesting of PAOK . He was signed by PAOK Thessaloniki FC in January 2006 and has become an important first team player ever since . He scored his first goal for PAOK in a home game versus Aris FC in 2007 . In the last games of the 2007–08 season he was named captain of the PAOK Thessaloniki FC squad , indicating his role for the years to come and rewarding his commitment . He is very good in air , with good technique . On 28 July 2008 he was transferred from PAOK to Panathinaikos for a fee of 2,000,000 € plus Filippos Darlas . He played in 11 games of the teams 2008–09 season but his appearances were not convincing and on 31 August 2009 he was loaned to AEL for one year , making a total of 29 appearances and scoring 1 goal . On 31 September 2010 , Melissis completed a loan move to the Portuguese Club Sport Marítimo , but failed to make a single appearance for the club . On 19 January 2011 , he rejoined his old club Larissa on loan . After having not appeared in a single league game for Panathinaikos during the 2011–12 season , Melissis left the club after his contract ran out in June 2012 . In summer 2013 , Melissis signed a contract with Olympiakos Volou 1937 F.C . He made his debut against Glyfada F.C . and he scored his first goal against Fostiras F.C . in a 5–1 home win . In January 2015 , he signed a 1,5-year contract with Panthrakikos returning to Super League after a year . On 11 January 2015 , he debuted with the club in a 1–1 home draw against Atromitos . On 28 November 2015 , he scored in a surprise away victory for Panthrakikos , its first at 2015-16 season against Atromitos helping his club to escape with a 2–1 win . On 24 June 2016 , Melissis signed a one-year contract with Superleague side Veria F.C . On 26 October 2017 , Melissis signed a two-years contract with Sudanese club Al-Hilal Omdurman International career . He was called to the Greek national football team for the first time on 1 February 2008 , and made his debut against the Czech Republic on 5 February . He was recalled to the national team for a friendly against Cyprus and so on 19 May 2008 , he earned his second cap coming on as a second-half substitute .
|
[
"Panserraikos"
] |
easy
|
Which team did Christos Melissis play for from 2001 to 2006?
|
/wiki/Christos_Melissis#P54#1
|
Christos Melissis Christos Melissis , ( ; born 1 December 1982 ) is a Greek football player who played for Sudanese club Al-Hilal Omdurman . He has played in the past for Naoussa , Panserraikos , PAOK , Panathinaikos , Larissa , Panthrakikos , Marítimo in Portugal and the Greek national football team . He usually plays as a center back but when called upon he is used as a right back or a defensive midfielder . Playing career . He started his career in Naoussa , and then played for five years in Panserraikos before attracting the interesting of PAOK . He was signed by PAOK Thessaloniki FC in January 2006 and has become an important first team player ever since . He scored his first goal for PAOK in a home game versus Aris FC in 2007 . In the last games of the 2007–08 season he was named captain of the PAOK Thessaloniki FC squad , indicating his role for the years to come and rewarding his commitment . He is very good in air , with good technique . On 28 July 2008 he was transferred from PAOK to Panathinaikos for a fee of 2,000,000 € plus Filippos Darlas . He played in 11 games of the teams 2008–09 season but his appearances were not convincing and on 31 August 2009 he was loaned to AEL for one year , making a total of 29 appearances and scoring 1 goal . On 31 September 2010 , Melissis completed a loan move to the Portuguese Club Sport Marítimo , but failed to make a single appearance for the club . On 19 January 2011 , he rejoined his old club Larissa on loan . After having not appeared in a single league game for Panathinaikos during the 2011–12 season , Melissis left the club after his contract ran out in June 2012 . In summer 2013 , Melissis signed a contract with Olympiakos Volou 1937 F.C . He made his debut against Glyfada F.C . and he scored his first goal against Fostiras F.C . in a 5–1 home win . In January 2015 , he signed a 1,5-year contract with Panthrakikos returning to Super League after a year . On 11 January 2015 , he debuted with the club in a 1–1 home draw against Atromitos . On 28 November 2015 , he scored in a surprise away victory for Panthrakikos , its first at 2015-16 season against Atromitos helping his club to escape with a 2–1 win . On 24 June 2016 , Melissis signed a one-year contract with Superleague side Veria F.C . On 26 October 2017 , Melissis signed a two-years contract with Sudanese club Al-Hilal Omdurman International career . He was called to the Greek national football team for the first time on 1 February 2008 , and made his debut against the Czech Republic on 5 February . He was recalled to the national team for a friendly against Cyprus and so on 19 May 2008 , he earned his second cap coming on as a second-half substitute .
|
[
"PAOK"
] |
easy
|
Which team did Christos Melissis play for from 2006 to 2008?
|
/wiki/Christos_Melissis#P54#2
|
Christos Melissis Christos Melissis , ( ; born 1 December 1982 ) is a Greek football player who played for Sudanese club Al-Hilal Omdurman . He has played in the past for Naoussa , Panserraikos , PAOK , Panathinaikos , Larissa , Panthrakikos , Marítimo in Portugal and the Greek national football team . He usually plays as a center back but when called upon he is used as a right back or a defensive midfielder . Playing career . He started his career in Naoussa , and then played for five years in Panserraikos before attracting the interesting of PAOK . He was signed by PAOK Thessaloniki FC in January 2006 and has become an important first team player ever since . He scored his first goal for PAOK in a home game versus Aris FC in 2007 . In the last games of the 2007–08 season he was named captain of the PAOK Thessaloniki FC squad , indicating his role for the years to come and rewarding his commitment . He is very good in air , with good technique . On 28 July 2008 he was transferred from PAOK to Panathinaikos for a fee of 2,000,000 € plus Filippos Darlas . He played in 11 games of the teams 2008–09 season but his appearances were not convincing and on 31 August 2009 he was loaned to AEL for one year , making a total of 29 appearances and scoring 1 goal . On 31 September 2010 , Melissis completed a loan move to the Portuguese Club Sport Marítimo , but failed to make a single appearance for the club . On 19 January 2011 , he rejoined his old club Larissa on loan . After having not appeared in a single league game for Panathinaikos during the 2011–12 season , Melissis left the club after his contract ran out in June 2012 . In summer 2013 , Melissis signed a contract with Olympiakos Volou 1937 F.C . He made his debut against Glyfada F.C . and he scored his first goal against Fostiras F.C . in a 5–1 home win . In January 2015 , he signed a 1,5-year contract with Panthrakikos returning to Super League after a year . On 11 January 2015 , he debuted with the club in a 1–1 home draw against Atromitos . On 28 November 2015 , he scored in a surprise away victory for Panthrakikos , its first at 2015-16 season against Atromitos helping his club to escape with a 2–1 win . On 24 June 2016 , Melissis signed a one-year contract with Superleague side Veria F.C . On 26 October 2017 , Melissis signed a two-years contract with Sudanese club Al-Hilal Omdurman International career . He was called to the Greek national football team for the first time on 1 February 2008 , and made his debut against the Czech Republic on 5 February . He was recalled to the national team for a friendly against Cyprus and so on 19 May 2008 , he earned his second cap coming on as a second-half substitute .
|
[
"Panathinaikos"
] |
easy
|
Christos Melissis played for which team from 2008 to 2009?
|
/wiki/Christos_Melissis#P54#3
|
Christos Melissis Christos Melissis , ( ; born 1 December 1982 ) is a Greek football player who played for Sudanese club Al-Hilal Omdurman . He has played in the past for Naoussa , Panserraikos , PAOK , Panathinaikos , Larissa , Panthrakikos , Marítimo in Portugal and the Greek national football team . He usually plays as a center back but when called upon he is used as a right back or a defensive midfielder . Playing career . He started his career in Naoussa , and then played for five years in Panserraikos before attracting the interesting of PAOK . He was signed by PAOK Thessaloniki FC in January 2006 and has become an important first team player ever since . He scored his first goal for PAOK in a home game versus Aris FC in 2007 . In the last games of the 2007–08 season he was named captain of the PAOK Thessaloniki FC squad , indicating his role for the years to come and rewarding his commitment . He is very good in air , with good technique . On 28 July 2008 he was transferred from PAOK to Panathinaikos for a fee of 2,000,000 € plus Filippos Darlas . He played in 11 games of the teams 2008–09 season but his appearances were not convincing and on 31 August 2009 he was loaned to AEL for one year , making a total of 29 appearances and scoring 1 goal . On 31 September 2010 , Melissis completed a loan move to the Portuguese Club Sport Marítimo , but failed to make a single appearance for the club . On 19 January 2011 , he rejoined his old club Larissa on loan . After having not appeared in a single league game for Panathinaikos during the 2011–12 season , Melissis left the club after his contract ran out in June 2012 . In summer 2013 , Melissis signed a contract with Olympiakos Volou 1937 F.C . He made his debut against Glyfada F.C . and he scored his first goal against Fostiras F.C . in a 5–1 home win . In January 2015 , he signed a 1,5-year contract with Panthrakikos returning to Super League after a year . On 11 January 2015 , he debuted with the club in a 1–1 home draw against Atromitos . On 28 November 2015 , he scored in a surprise away victory for Panthrakikos , its first at 2015-16 season against Atromitos helping his club to escape with a 2–1 win . On 24 June 2016 , Melissis signed a one-year contract with Superleague side Veria F.C . On 26 October 2017 , Melissis signed a two-years contract with Sudanese club Al-Hilal Omdurman International career . He was called to the Greek national football team for the first time on 1 February 2008 , and made his debut against the Czech Republic on 5 February . He was recalled to the national team for a friendly against Cyprus and so on 19 May 2008 , he earned his second cap coming on as a second-half substitute .
|
[
"Larissa"
] |
easy
|
Christos Melissis played for which team from 2009 to 2010?
|
/wiki/Christos_Melissis#P54#4
|
Christos Melissis Christos Melissis , ( ; born 1 December 1982 ) is a Greek football player who played for Sudanese club Al-Hilal Omdurman . He has played in the past for Naoussa , Panserraikos , PAOK , Panathinaikos , Larissa , Panthrakikos , Marítimo in Portugal and the Greek national football team . He usually plays as a center back but when called upon he is used as a right back or a defensive midfielder . Playing career . He started his career in Naoussa , and then played for five years in Panserraikos before attracting the interesting of PAOK . He was signed by PAOK Thessaloniki FC in January 2006 and has become an important first team player ever since . He scored his first goal for PAOK in a home game versus Aris FC in 2007 . In the last games of the 2007–08 season he was named captain of the PAOK Thessaloniki FC squad , indicating his role for the years to come and rewarding his commitment . He is very good in air , with good technique . On 28 July 2008 he was transferred from PAOK to Panathinaikos for a fee of 2,000,000 € plus Filippos Darlas . He played in 11 games of the teams 2008–09 season but his appearances were not convincing and on 31 August 2009 he was loaned to AEL for one year , making a total of 29 appearances and scoring 1 goal . On 31 September 2010 , Melissis completed a loan move to the Portuguese Club Sport Marítimo , but failed to make a single appearance for the club . On 19 January 2011 , he rejoined his old club Larissa on loan . After having not appeared in a single league game for Panathinaikos during the 2011–12 season , Melissis left the club after his contract ran out in June 2012 . In summer 2013 , Melissis signed a contract with Olympiakos Volou 1937 F.C . He made his debut against Glyfada F.C . and he scored his first goal against Fostiras F.C . in a 5–1 home win . In January 2015 , he signed a 1,5-year contract with Panthrakikos returning to Super League after a year . On 11 January 2015 , he debuted with the club in a 1–1 home draw against Atromitos . On 28 November 2015 , he scored in a surprise away victory for Panthrakikos , its first at 2015-16 season against Atromitos helping his club to escape with a 2–1 win . On 24 June 2016 , Melissis signed a one-year contract with Superleague side Veria F.C . On 26 October 2017 , Melissis signed a two-years contract with Sudanese club Al-Hilal Omdurman International career . He was called to the Greek national football team for the first time on 1 February 2008 , and made his debut against the Czech Republic on 5 February . He was recalled to the national team for a friendly against Cyprus and so on 19 May 2008 , he earned his second cap coming on as a second-half substitute .
|
[
"Panthrakikos"
] |
easy
|
Which team did Christos Melissis play for from 2012 to 2013?
|
/wiki/Christos_Melissis#P54#5
|
Christos Melissis Christos Melissis , ( ; born 1 December 1982 ) is a Greek football player who played for Sudanese club Al-Hilal Omdurman . He has played in the past for Naoussa , Panserraikos , PAOK , Panathinaikos , Larissa , Panthrakikos , Marítimo in Portugal and the Greek national football team . He usually plays as a center back but when called upon he is used as a right back or a defensive midfielder . Playing career . He started his career in Naoussa , and then played for five years in Panserraikos before attracting the interesting of PAOK . He was signed by PAOK Thessaloniki FC in January 2006 and has become an important first team player ever since . He scored his first goal for PAOK in a home game versus Aris FC in 2007 . In the last games of the 2007–08 season he was named captain of the PAOK Thessaloniki FC squad , indicating his role for the years to come and rewarding his commitment . He is very good in air , with good technique . On 28 July 2008 he was transferred from PAOK to Panathinaikos for a fee of 2,000,000 € plus Filippos Darlas . He played in 11 games of the teams 2008–09 season but his appearances were not convincing and on 31 August 2009 he was loaned to AEL for one year , making a total of 29 appearances and scoring 1 goal . On 31 September 2010 , Melissis completed a loan move to the Portuguese Club Sport Marítimo , but failed to make a single appearance for the club . On 19 January 2011 , he rejoined his old club Larissa on loan . After having not appeared in a single league game for Panathinaikos during the 2011–12 season , Melissis left the club after his contract ran out in June 2012 . In summer 2013 , Melissis signed a contract with Olympiakos Volou 1937 F.C . He made his debut against Glyfada F.C . and he scored his first goal against Fostiras F.C . in a 5–1 home win . In January 2015 , he signed a 1,5-year contract with Panthrakikos returning to Super League after a year . On 11 January 2015 , he debuted with the club in a 1–1 home draw against Atromitos . On 28 November 2015 , he scored in a surprise away victory for Panthrakikos , its first at 2015-16 season against Atromitos helping his club to escape with a 2–1 win . On 24 June 2016 , Melissis signed a one-year contract with Superleague side Veria F.C . On 26 October 2017 , Melissis signed a two-years contract with Sudanese club Al-Hilal Omdurman International career . He was called to the Greek national football team for the first time on 1 February 2008 , and made his debut against the Czech Republic on 5 February . He was recalled to the national team for a friendly against Cyprus and so on 19 May 2008 , he earned his second cap coming on as a second-half substitute .
|
[
"Olympiakos Volou"
] |
easy
|
Which team did Christos Melissis play for from 2013 to 2014?
|
/wiki/Christos_Melissis#P54#6
|
Christos Melissis Christos Melissis , ( ; born 1 December 1982 ) is a Greek football player who played for Sudanese club Al-Hilal Omdurman . He has played in the past for Naoussa , Panserraikos , PAOK , Panathinaikos , Larissa , Panthrakikos , Marítimo in Portugal and the Greek national football team . He usually plays as a center back but when called upon he is used as a right back or a defensive midfielder . Playing career . He started his career in Naoussa , and then played for five years in Panserraikos before attracting the interesting of PAOK . He was signed by PAOK Thessaloniki FC in January 2006 and has become an important first team player ever since . He scored his first goal for PAOK in a home game versus Aris FC in 2007 . In the last games of the 2007–08 season he was named captain of the PAOK Thessaloniki FC squad , indicating his role for the years to come and rewarding his commitment . He is very good in air , with good technique . On 28 July 2008 he was transferred from PAOK to Panathinaikos for a fee of 2,000,000 € plus Filippos Darlas . He played in 11 games of the teams 2008–09 season but his appearances were not convincing and on 31 August 2009 he was loaned to AEL for one year , making a total of 29 appearances and scoring 1 goal . On 31 September 2010 , Melissis completed a loan move to the Portuguese Club Sport Marítimo , but failed to make a single appearance for the club . On 19 January 2011 , he rejoined his old club Larissa on loan . After having not appeared in a single league game for Panathinaikos during the 2011–12 season , Melissis left the club after his contract ran out in June 2012 . In summer 2013 , Melissis signed a contract with Olympiakos Volou 1937 F.C . He made his debut against Glyfada F.C . and he scored his first goal against Fostiras F.C . in a 5–1 home win . In January 2015 , he signed a 1,5-year contract with Panthrakikos returning to Super League after a year . On 11 January 2015 , he debuted with the club in a 1–1 home draw against Atromitos . On 28 November 2015 , he scored in a surprise away victory for Panthrakikos , its first at 2015-16 season against Atromitos helping his club to escape with a 2–1 win . On 24 June 2016 , Melissis signed a one-year contract with Superleague side Veria F.C . On 26 October 2017 , Melissis signed a two-years contract with Sudanese club Al-Hilal Omdurman International career . He was called to the Greek national football team for the first time on 1 February 2008 , and made his debut against the Czech Republic on 5 February . He was recalled to the national team for a friendly against Cyprus and so on 19 May 2008 , he earned his second cap coming on as a second-half substitute .
|
[
"Burgos CF"
] |
easy
|
Which team did Miguel Ángel Portugal play for from 1975 to 1977?
|
/wiki/Miguel_Ángel_Portugal#P54#0
|
Miguel Ángel Portugal Miguel Angel Portugal Vicario ( born 28 November 1955 ) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a midfielder , and is a current manager . He totalled 66 games and four goals in La Liga for four clubs including Real Madrid , for whom he played a part in their league and Copa del Rey double in 1979–80 . In a managerial career lasting a quarter of a century , Portugal had two spells at Racing Santander in the top flight . In the 2010s , he had brief stints abroad in Bolivia , Brazil , Algeria and India , winning a league title for Club Bolívar in 2013 . Playing career . Portugal was born in Quintanilla de las Viñas , Province of Burgos . During his career he played for Burgos CF , CD Mirandés , Real Madrid , Cádiz CF , Rayo Vallecano , CD Castellón , Real Burgos CF , Real Valladolid and Córdoba CF . With the La Liga powerhouse , Portugal remained four years ( one loaned at Cádiz ) , winning the double in his first year but only amassing a combined 27 top division appearances during his spell . Coaching career . Early career . Portugal started managing in the mid-90s , returning to Real Madrid to be in charge of its C and B-sides . In 1999 , he started in the second division with CD Toledo , but was fired after only a couple of months . After some years out of football , Portugal coached former club Córdoba also in the second level , returning to Real Madrid Castilla in 2005–06 following the December promotion to the first team of Juan Ramón López Caro . On 6 July 2006 he succeeded López Caro once again , now at Racing de Santander , helping the Cantabrians to a final tenth place in the top flight . Portugal served as technical director of Real Madrid subsequently . In November 2008 , he was set to take over at the club as coach following the sacking of Bernd Schuster , but president Ramón Calderón preferred Juande Ramos instead . On 19 November 2009 , Portugal returned to Racing on a two-year deal following the dismissal of Juan Carlos Mandiá , as the side had only collected one point in five home matches . In early February 2011 , even though the team was placed above the relegation zone in the top division – eventually managing to stay afloat – he was sacked by new club owner , Indian Ahsan Ali Syed . Abroad . In June 2012 , Portugal moved abroad for the first time when he was appointed at Club Bolívar in Bolivia . In his debut season , the team from La Paz won the Clausura of the Bolivian Primera División ; he was sacked at the turn of 2014 , after the club lost the Apertura honour to rivals The Strongest on the final day of the campaign . Portugal remained in South America , signing days later for Clube Atlético Paranaense in Brazil on a year-long contract . He resigned on 19 May . On 21 October 2015 , Portugal returned to Spain and its second division with Real Valladolid , inheriting a team from Gaizka Garitano that was in the relegation zone . He was dismissed the following 24 April after a run of one point from five games , though the sides position had improved . Portugal was hired by CS Constantine of Algeria on a one-year deal in November 2016 . He quit the following month , having made previous threats to leave his job . On 17 July 2017 , Portugal moved to the fourth continent of his career when he was hired at Delhi Dynamos FC of the Indian Super League . He finished eighth of ten teams – blaming this on a sporadic match schedule and low transfer budget– and the following 1 May he returned to Spain after being appointed manager of Granada CF . In August 2018 , Portugal was announced as the head coach of FC Pune City for the upcoming season . He was sacked on 24 October , after one draw and two losses . On 20 December 2018 , Portugal returned to Bolivia to take over at C.D . Jorge Wilstermann on a one-year deal . He left the following April by mutual consent , having suffered threats from some of the Cochabamba-based clubs supporters . Remaining in the Andean country , Portugal was appointed on a one-year contract at Royal Pari F.C . at the start of 2020 . He resigned on 21 May that year , due to concerns over the resumption of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Honours . Player . Real Madrid - La Liga : 1979–80 - Copa del Rey : 1979–80 Manager . Bolívar - Bolivian Primera División : 2012–13
|
[
"CD Mirandés"
] |
easy
|
Miguel Ángel Portugal played for which team from 1977 to 1978?
|
/wiki/Miguel_Ángel_Portugal#P54#1
|
Miguel Ángel Portugal Miguel Angel Portugal Vicario ( born 28 November 1955 ) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a midfielder , and is a current manager . He totalled 66 games and four goals in La Liga for four clubs including Real Madrid , for whom he played a part in their league and Copa del Rey double in 1979–80 . In a managerial career lasting a quarter of a century , Portugal had two spells at Racing Santander in the top flight . In the 2010s , he had brief stints abroad in Bolivia , Brazil , Algeria and India , winning a league title for Club Bolívar in 2013 . Playing career . Portugal was born in Quintanilla de las Viñas , Province of Burgos . During his career he played for Burgos CF , CD Mirandés , Real Madrid , Cádiz CF , Rayo Vallecano , CD Castellón , Real Burgos CF , Real Valladolid and Córdoba CF . With the La Liga powerhouse , Portugal remained four years ( one loaned at Cádiz ) , winning the double in his first year but only amassing a combined 27 top division appearances during his spell . Coaching career . Early career . Portugal started managing in the mid-90s , returning to Real Madrid to be in charge of its C and B-sides . In 1999 , he started in the second division with CD Toledo , but was fired after only a couple of months . After some years out of football , Portugal coached former club Córdoba also in the second level , returning to Real Madrid Castilla in 2005–06 following the December promotion to the first team of Juan Ramón López Caro . On 6 July 2006 he succeeded López Caro once again , now at Racing de Santander , helping the Cantabrians to a final tenth place in the top flight . Portugal served as technical director of Real Madrid subsequently . In November 2008 , he was set to take over at the club as coach following the sacking of Bernd Schuster , but president Ramón Calderón preferred Juande Ramos instead . On 19 November 2009 , Portugal returned to Racing on a two-year deal following the dismissal of Juan Carlos Mandiá , as the side had only collected one point in five home matches . In early February 2011 , even though the team was placed above the relegation zone in the top division – eventually managing to stay afloat – he was sacked by new club owner , Indian Ahsan Ali Syed . Abroad . In June 2012 , Portugal moved abroad for the first time when he was appointed at Club Bolívar in Bolivia . In his debut season , the team from La Paz won the Clausura of the Bolivian Primera División ; he was sacked at the turn of 2014 , after the club lost the Apertura honour to rivals The Strongest on the final day of the campaign . Portugal remained in South America , signing days later for Clube Atlético Paranaense in Brazil on a year-long contract . He resigned on 19 May . On 21 October 2015 , Portugal returned to Spain and its second division with Real Valladolid , inheriting a team from Gaizka Garitano that was in the relegation zone . He was dismissed the following 24 April after a run of one point from five games , though the sides position had improved . Portugal was hired by CS Constantine of Algeria on a one-year deal in November 2016 . He quit the following month , having made previous threats to leave his job . On 17 July 2017 , Portugal moved to the fourth continent of his career when he was hired at Delhi Dynamos FC of the Indian Super League . He finished eighth of ten teams – blaming this on a sporadic match schedule and low transfer budget– and the following 1 May he returned to Spain after being appointed manager of Granada CF . In August 2018 , Portugal was announced as the head coach of FC Pune City for the upcoming season . He was sacked on 24 October , after one draw and two losses . On 20 December 2018 , Portugal returned to Bolivia to take over at C.D . Jorge Wilstermann on a one-year deal . He left the following April by mutual consent , having suffered threats from some of the Cochabamba-based clubs supporters . Remaining in the Andean country , Portugal was appointed on a one-year contract at Royal Pari F.C . at the start of 2020 . He resigned on 21 May that year , due to concerns over the resumption of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Honours . Player . Real Madrid - La Liga : 1979–80 - Copa del Rey : 1979–80 Manager . Bolívar - Bolivian Primera División : 2012–13
|
[
"Real Madrid"
] |
easy
|
Which team did the player Miguel Ángel Portugal belong to from 1979 to 1983?
|
/wiki/Miguel_Ángel_Portugal#P54#2
|
Miguel Ángel Portugal Miguel Angel Portugal Vicario ( born 28 November 1955 ) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a midfielder , and is a current manager . He totalled 66 games and four goals in La Liga for four clubs including Real Madrid , for whom he played a part in their league and Copa del Rey double in 1979–80 . In a managerial career lasting a quarter of a century , Portugal had two spells at Racing Santander in the top flight . In the 2010s , he had brief stints abroad in Bolivia , Brazil , Algeria and India , winning a league title for Club Bolívar in 2013 . Playing career . Portugal was born in Quintanilla de las Viñas , Province of Burgos . During his career he played for Burgos CF , CD Mirandés , Real Madrid , Cádiz CF , Rayo Vallecano , CD Castellón , Real Burgos CF , Real Valladolid and Córdoba CF . With the La Liga powerhouse , Portugal remained four years ( one loaned at Cádiz ) , winning the double in his first year but only amassing a combined 27 top division appearances during his spell . Coaching career . Early career . Portugal started managing in the mid-90s , returning to Real Madrid to be in charge of its C and B-sides . In 1999 , he started in the second division with CD Toledo , but was fired after only a couple of months . After some years out of football , Portugal coached former club Córdoba also in the second level , returning to Real Madrid Castilla in 2005–06 following the December promotion to the first team of Juan Ramón López Caro . On 6 July 2006 he succeeded López Caro once again , now at Racing de Santander , helping the Cantabrians to a final tenth place in the top flight . Portugal served as technical director of Real Madrid subsequently . In November 2008 , he was set to take over at the club as coach following the sacking of Bernd Schuster , but president Ramón Calderón preferred Juande Ramos instead . On 19 November 2009 , Portugal returned to Racing on a two-year deal following the dismissal of Juan Carlos Mandiá , as the side had only collected one point in five home matches . In early February 2011 , even though the team was placed above the relegation zone in the top division – eventually managing to stay afloat – he was sacked by new club owner , Indian Ahsan Ali Syed . Abroad . In June 2012 , Portugal moved abroad for the first time when he was appointed at Club Bolívar in Bolivia . In his debut season , the team from La Paz won the Clausura of the Bolivian Primera División ; he was sacked at the turn of 2014 , after the club lost the Apertura honour to rivals The Strongest on the final day of the campaign . Portugal remained in South America , signing days later for Clube Atlético Paranaense in Brazil on a year-long contract . He resigned on 19 May . On 21 October 2015 , Portugal returned to Spain and its second division with Real Valladolid , inheriting a team from Gaizka Garitano that was in the relegation zone . He was dismissed the following 24 April after a run of one point from five games , though the sides position had improved . Portugal was hired by CS Constantine of Algeria on a one-year deal in November 2016 . He quit the following month , having made previous threats to leave his job . On 17 July 2017 , Portugal moved to the fourth continent of his career when he was hired at Delhi Dynamos FC of the Indian Super League . He finished eighth of ten teams – blaming this on a sporadic match schedule and low transfer budget– and the following 1 May he returned to Spain after being appointed manager of Granada CF . In August 2018 , Portugal was announced as the head coach of FC Pune City for the upcoming season . He was sacked on 24 October , after one draw and two losses . On 20 December 2018 , Portugal returned to Bolivia to take over at C.D . Jorge Wilstermann on a one-year deal . He left the following April by mutual consent , having suffered threats from some of the Cochabamba-based clubs supporters . Remaining in the Andean country , Portugal was appointed on a one-year contract at Royal Pari F.C . at the start of 2020 . He resigned on 21 May that year , due to concerns over the resumption of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Honours . Player . Real Madrid - La Liga : 1979–80 - Copa del Rey : 1979–80 Manager . Bolívar - Bolivian Primera División : 2012–13
|
[
"Rayo Vallecano"
] |
easy
|
Miguel Ángel Portugal played for which team from 1983 to 1984?
|
/wiki/Miguel_Ángel_Portugal#P54#3
|
Miguel Ángel Portugal Miguel Angel Portugal Vicario ( born 28 November 1955 ) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a midfielder , and is a current manager . He totalled 66 games and four goals in La Liga for four clubs including Real Madrid , for whom he played a part in their league and Copa del Rey double in 1979–80 . In a managerial career lasting a quarter of a century , Portugal had two spells at Racing Santander in the top flight . In the 2010s , he had brief stints abroad in Bolivia , Brazil , Algeria and India , winning a league title for Club Bolívar in 2013 . Playing career . Portugal was born in Quintanilla de las Viñas , Province of Burgos . During his career he played for Burgos CF , CD Mirandés , Real Madrid , Cádiz CF , Rayo Vallecano , CD Castellón , Real Burgos CF , Real Valladolid and Córdoba CF . With the La Liga powerhouse , Portugal remained four years ( one loaned at Cádiz ) , winning the double in his first year but only amassing a combined 27 top division appearances during his spell . Coaching career . Early career . Portugal started managing in the mid-90s , returning to Real Madrid to be in charge of its C and B-sides . In 1999 , he started in the second division with CD Toledo , but was fired after only a couple of months . After some years out of football , Portugal coached former club Córdoba also in the second level , returning to Real Madrid Castilla in 2005–06 following the December promotion to the first team of Juan Ramón López Caro . On 6 July 2006 he succeeded López Caro once again , now at Racing de Santander , helping the Cantabrians to a final tenth place in the top flight . Portugal served as technical director of Real Madrid subsequently . In November 2008 , he was set to take over at the club as coach following the sacking of Bernd Schuster , but president Ramón Calderón preferred Juande Ramos instead . On 19 November 2009 , Portugal returned to Racing on a two-year deal following the dismissal of Juan Carlos Mandiá , as the side had only collected one point in five home matches . In early February 2011 , even though the team was placed above the relegation zone in the top division – eventually managing to stay afloat – he was sacked by new club owner , Indian Ahsan Ali Syed . Abroad . In June 2012 , Portugal moved abroad for the first time when he was appointed at Club Bolívar in Bolivia . In his debut season , the team from La Paz won the Clausura of the Bolivian Primera División ; he was sacked at the turn of 2014 , after the club lost the Apertura honour to rivals The Strongest on the final day of the campaign . Portugal remained in South America , signing days later for Clube Atlético Paranaense in Brazil on a year-long contract . He resigned on 19 May . On 21 October 2015 , Portugal returned to Spain and its second division with Real Valladolid , inheriting a team from Gaizka Garitano that was in the relegation zone . He was dismissed the following 24 April after a run of one point from five games , though the sides position had improved . Portugal was hired by CS Constantine of Algeria on a one-year deal in November 2016 . He quit the following month , having made previous threats to leave his job . On 17 July 2017 , Portugal moved to the fourth continent of his career when he was hired at Delhi Dynamos FC of the Indian Super League . He finished eighth of ten teams – blaming this on a sporadic match schedule and low transfer budget– and the following 1 May he returned to Spain after being appointed manager of Granada CF . In August 2018 , Portugal was announced as the head coach of FC Pune City for the upcoming season . He was sacked on 24 October , after one draw and two losses . On 20 December 2018 , Portugal returned to Bolivia to take over at C.D . Jorge Wilstermann on a one-year deal . He left the following April by mutual consent , having suffered threats from some of the Cochabamba-based clubs supporters . Remaining in the Andean country , Portugal was appointed on a one-year contract at Royal Pari F.C . at the start of 2020 . He resigned on 21 May that year , due to concerns over the resumption of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Honours . Player . Real Madrid - La Liga : 1979–80 - Copa del Rey : 1979–80 Manager . Bolívar - Bolivian Primera División : 2012–13
|
[
"CD Castellón"
] |
easy
|
Miguel Ángel Portugal played for which team from 1984 to 1985?
|
/wiki/Miguel_Ángel_Portugal#P54#4
|
Miguel Ángel Portugal Miguel Angel Portugal Vicario ( born 28 November 1955 ) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a midfielder , and is a current manager . He totalled 66 games and four goals in La Liga for four clubs including Real Madrid , for whom he played a part in their league and Copa del Rey double in 1979–80 . In a managerial career lasting a quarter of a century , Portugal had two spells at Racing Santander in the top flight . In the 2010s , he had brief stints abroad in Bolivia , Brazil , Algeria and India , winning a league title for Club Bolívar in 2013 . Playing career . Portugal was born in Quintanilla de las Viñas , Province of Burgos . During his career he played for Burgos CF , CD Mirandés , Real Madrid , Cádiz CF , Rayo Vallecano , CD Castellón , Real Burgos CF , Real Valladolid and Córdoba CF . With the La Liga powerhouse , Portugal remained four years ( one loaned at Cádiz ) , winning the double in his first year but only amassing a combined 27 top division appearances during his spell . Coaching career . Early career . Portugal started managing in the mid-90s , returning to Real Madrid to be in charge of its C and B-sides . In 1999 , he started in the second division with CD Toledo , but was fired after only a couple of months . After some years out of football , Portugal coached former club Córdoba also in the second level , returning to Real Madrid Castilla in 2005–06 following the December promotion to the first team of Juan Ramón López Caro . On 6 July 2006 he succeeded López Caro once again , now at Racing de Santander , helping the Cantabrians to a final tenth place in the top flight . Portugal served as technical director of Real Madrid subsequently . In November 2008 , he was set to take over at the club as coach following the sacking of Bernd Schuster , but president Ramón Calderón preferred Juande Ramos instead . On 19 November 2009 , Portugal returned to Racing on a two-year deal following the dismissal of Juan Carlos Mandiá , as the side had only collected one point in five home matches . In early February 2011 , even though the team was placed above the relegation zone in the top division – eventually managing to stay afloat – he was sacked by new club owner , Indian Ahsan Ali Syed . Abroad . In June 2012 , Portugal moved abroad for the first time when he was appointed at Club Bolívar in Bolivia . In his debut season , the team from La Paz won the Clausura of the Bolivian Primera División ; he was sacked at the turn of 2014 , after the club lost the Apertura honour to rivals The Strongest on the final day of the campaign . Portugal remained in South America , signing days later for Clube Atlético Paranaense in Brazil on a year-long contract . He resigned on 19 May . On 21 October 2015 , Portugal returned to Spain and its second division with Real Valladolid , inheriting a team from Gaizka Garitano that was in the relegation zone . He was dismissed the following 24 April after a run of one point from five games , though the sides position had improved . Portugal was hired by CS Constantine of Algeria on a one-year deal in November 2016 . He quit the following month , having made previous threats to leave his job . On 17 July 2017 , Portugal moved to the fourth continent of his career when he was hired at Delhi Dynamos FC of the Indian Super League . He finished eighth of ten teams – blaming this on a sporadic match schedule and low transfer budget– and the following 1 May he returned to Spain after being appointed manager of Granada CF . In August 2018 , Portugal was announced as the head coach of FC Pune City for the upcoming season . He was sacked on 24 October , after one draw and two losses . On 20 December 2018 , Portugal returned to Bolivia to take over at C.D . Jorge Wilstermann on a one-year deal . He left the following April by mutual consent , having suffered threats from some of the Cochabamba-based clubs supporters . Remaining in the Andean country , Portugal was appointed on a one-year contract at Royal Pari F.C . at the start of 2020 . He resigned on 21 May that year , due to concerns over the resumption of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Honours . Player . Real Madrid - La Liga : 1979–80 - Copa del Rey : 1979–80 Manager . Bolívar - Bolivian Primera División : 2012–13
|
[
"Real Burgos CF"
] |
easy
|
Miguel Ángel Portugal played for which team from 1985 to 1987?
|
/wiki/Miguel_Ángel_Portugal#P54#5
|
Miguel Ángel Portugal Miguel Angel Portugal Vicario ( born 28 November 1955 ) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a midfielder , and is a current manager . He totalled 66 games and four goals in La Liga for four clubs including Real Madrid , for whom he played a part in their league and Copa del Rey double in 1979–80 . In a managerial career lasting a quarter of a century , Portugal had two spells at Racing Santander in the top flight . In the 2010s , he had brief stints abroad in Bolivia , Brazil , Algeria and India , winning a league title for Club Bolívar in 2013 . Playing career . Portugal was born in Quintanilla de las Viñas , Province of Burgos . During his career he played for Burgos CF , CD Mirandés , Real Madrid , Cádiz CF , Rayo Vallecano , CD Castellón , Real Burgos CF , Real Valladolid and Córdoba CF . With the La Liga powerhouse , Portugal remained four years ( one loaned at Cádiz ) , winning the double in his first year but only amassing a combined 27 top division appearances during his spell . Coaching career . Early career . Portugal started managing in the mid-90s , returning to Real Madrid to be in charge of its C and B-sides . In 1999 , he started in the second division with CD Toledo , but was fired after only a couple of months . After some years out of football , Portugal coached former club Córdoba also in the second level , returning to Real Madrid Castilla in 2005–06 following the December promotion to the first team of Juan Ramón López Caro . On 6 July 2006 he succeeded López Caro once again , now at Racing de Santander , helping the Cantabrians to a final tenth place in the top flight . Portugal served as technical director of Real Madrid subsequently . In November 2008 , he was set to take over at the club as coach following the sacking of Bernd Schuster , but president Ramón Calderón preferred Juande Ramos instead . On 19 November 2009 , Portugal returned to Racing on a two-year deal following the dismissal of Juan Carlos Mandiá , as the side had only collected one point in five home matches . In early February 2011 , even though the team was placed above the relegation zone in the top division – eventually managing to stay afloat – he was sacked by new club owner , Indian Ahsan Ali Syed . Abroad . In June 2012 , Portugal moved abroad for the first time when he was appointed at Club Bolívar in Bolivia . In his debut season , the team from La Paz won the Clausura of the Bolivian Primera División ; he was sacked at the turn of 2014 , after the club lost the Apertura honour to rivals The Strongest on the final day of the campaign . Portugal remained in South America , signing days later for Clube Atlético Paranaense in Brazil on a year-long contract . He resigned on 19 May . On 21 October 2015 , Portugal returned to Spain and its second division with Real Valladolid , inheriting a team from Gaizka Garitano that was in the relegation zone . He was dismissed the following 24 April after a run of one point from five games , though the sides position had improved . Portugal was hired by CS Constantine of Algeria on a one-year deal in November 2016 . He quit the following month , having made previous threats to leave his job . On 17 July 2017 , Portugal moved to the fourth continent of his career when he was hired at Delhi Dynamos FC of the Indian Super League . He finished eighth of ten teams – blaming this on a sporadic match schedule and low transfer budget– and the following 1 May he returned to Spain after being appointed manager of Granada CF . In August 2018 , Portugal was announced as the head coach of FC Pune City for the upcoming season . He was sacked on 24 October , after one draw and two losses . On 20 December 2018 , Portugal returned to Bolivia to take over at C.D . Jorge Wilstermann on a one-year deal . He left the following April by mutual consent , having suffered threats from some of the Cochabamba-based clubs supporters . Remaining in the Andean country , Portugal was appointed on a one-year contract at Royal Pari F.C . at the start of 2020 . He resigned on 21 May that year , due to concerns over the resumption of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Honours . Player . Real Madrid - La Liga : 1979–80 - Copa del Rey : 1979–80 Manager . Bolívar - Bolivian Primera División : 2012–13
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[
"Real Valladolid"
] |
easy
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Which team did the player Miguel Ángel Portugal belong to from 1987 to 1988?
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/wiki/Miguel_Ángel_Portugal#P54#6
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Miguel Ángel Portugal Miguel Angel Portugal Vicario ( born 28 November 1955 ) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a midfielder , and is a current manager . He totalled 66 games and four goals in La Liga for four clubs including Real Madrid , for whom he played a part in their league and Copa del Rey double in 1979–80 . In a managerial career lasting a quarter of a century , Portugal had two spells at Racing Santander in the top flight . In the 2010s , he had brief stints abroad in Bolivia , Brazil , Algeria and India , winning a league title for Club Bolívar in 2013 . Playing career . Portugal was born in Quintanilla de las Viñas , Province of Burgos . During his career he played for Burgos CF , CD Mirandés , Real Madrid , Cádiz CF , Rayo Vallecano , CD Castellón , Real Burgos CF , Real Valladolid and Córdoba CF . With the La Liga powerhouse , Portugal remained four years ( one loaned at Cádiz ) , winning the double in his first year but only amassing a combined 27 top division appearances during his spell . Coaching career . Early career . Portugal started managing in the mid-90s , returning to Real Madrid to be in charge of its C and B-sides . In 1999 , he started in the second division with CD Toledo , but was fired after only a couple of months . After some years out of football , Portugal coached former club Córdoba also in the second level , returning to Real Madrid Castilla in 2005–06 following the December promotion to the first team of Juan Ramón López Caro . On 6 July 2006 he succeeded López Caro once again , now at Racing de Santander , helping the Cantabrians to a final tenth place in the top flight . Portugal served as technical director of Real Madrid subsequently . In November 2008 , he was set to take over at the club as coach following the sacking of Bernd Schuster , but president Ramón Calderón preferred Juande Ramos instead . On 19 November 2009 , Portugal returned to Racing on a two-year deal following the dismissal of Juan Carlos Mandiá , as the side had only collected one point in five home matches . In early February 2011 , even though the team was placed above the relegation zone in the top division – eventually managing to stay afloat – he was sacked by new club owner , Indian Ahsan Ali Syed . Abroad . In June 2012 , Portugal moved abroad for the first time when he was appointed at Club Bolívar in Bolivia . In his debut season , the team from La Paz won the Clausura of the Bolivian Primera División ; he was sacked at the turn of 2014 , after the club lost the Apertura honour to rivals The Strongest on the final day of the campaign . Portugal remained in South America , signing days later for Clube Atlético Paranaense in Brazil on a year-long contract . He resigned on 19 May . On 21 October 2015 , Portugal returned to Spain and its second division with Real Valladolid , inheriting a team from Gaizka Garitano that was in the relegation zone . He was dismissed the following 24 April after a run of one point from five games , though the sides position had improved . Portugal was hired by CS Constantine of Algeria on a one-year deal in November 2016 . He quit the following month , having made previous threats to leave his job . On 17 July 2017 , Portugal moved to the fourth continent of his career when he was hired at Delhi Dynamos FC of the Indian Super League . He finished eighth of ten teams – blaming this on a sporadic match schedule and low transfer budget– and the following 1 May he returned to Spain after being appointed manager of Granada CF . In August 2018 , Portugal was announced as the head coach of FC Pune City for the upcoming season . He was sacked on 24 October , after one draw and two losses . On 20 December 2018 , Portugal returned to Bolivia to take over at C.D . Jorge Wilstermann on a one-year deal . He left the following April by mutual consent , having suffered threats from some of the Cochabamba-based clubs supporters . Remaining in the Andean country , Portugal was appointed on a one-year contract at Royal Pari F.C . at the start of 2020 . He resigned on 21 May that year , due to concerns over the resumption of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Honours . Player . Real Madrid - La Liga : 1979–80 - Copa del Rey : 1979–80 Manager . Bolívar - Bolivian Primera División : 2012–13
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[
"Córdoba CF"
] |
easy
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Which team did Miguel Ángel Portugal play for from 1988 to 1991?
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/wiki/Miguel_Ángel_Portugal#P54#7
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Miguel Ángel Portugal Miguel Angel Portugal Vicario ( born 28 November 1955 ) is a Spanish retired footballer who played as a midfielder , and is a current manager . He totalled 66 games and four goals in La Liga for four clubs including Real Madrid , for whom he played a part in their league and Copa del Rey double in 1979–80 . In a managerial career lasting a quarter of a century , Portugal had two spells at Racing Santander in the top flight . In the 2010s , he had brief stints abroad in Bolivia , Brazil , Algeria and India , winning a league title for Club Bolívar in 2013 . Playing career . Portugal was born in Quintanilla de las Viñas , Province of Burgos . During his career he played for Burgos CF , CD Mirandés , Real Madrid , Cádiz CF , Rayo Vallecano , CD Castellón , Real Burgos CF , Real Valladolid and Córdoba CF . With the La Liga powerhouse , Portugal remained four years ( one loaned at Cádiz ) , winning the double in his first year but only amassing a combined 27 top division appearances during his spell . Coaching career . Early career . Portugal started managing in the mid-90s , returning to Real Madrid to be in charge of its C and B-sides . In 1999 , he started in the second division with CD Toledo , but was fired after only a couple of months . After some years out of football , Portugal coached former club Córdoba also in the second level , returning to Real Madrid Castilla in 2005–06 following the December promotion to the first team of Juan Ramón López Caro . On 6 July 2006 he succeeded López Caro once again , now at Racing de Santander , helping the Cantabrians to a final tenth place in the top flight . Portugal served as technical director of Real Madrid subsequently . In November 2008 , he was set to take over at the club as coach following the sacking of Bernd Schuster , but president Ramón Calderón preferred Juande Ramos instead . On 19 November 2009 , Portugal returned to Racing on a two-year deal following the dismissal of Juan Carlos Mandiá , as the side had only collected one point in five home matches . In early February 2011 , even though the team was placed above the relegation zone in the top division – eventually managing to stay afloat – he was sacked by new club owner , Indian Ahsan Ali Syed . Abroad . In June 2012 , Portugal moved abroad for the first time when he was appointed at Club Bolívar in Bolivia . In his debut season , the team from La Paz won the Clausura of the Bolivian Primera División ; he was sacked at the turn of 2014 , after the club lost the Apertura honour to rivals The Strongest on the final day of the campaign . Portugal remained in South America , signing days later for Clube Atlético Paranaense in Brazil on a year-long contract . He resigned on 19 May . On 21 October 2015 , Portugal returned to Spain and its second division with Real Valladolid , inheriting a team from Gaizka Garitano that was in the relegation zone . He was dismissed the following 24 April after a run of one point from five games , though the sides position had improved . Portugal was hired by CS Constantine of Algeria on a one-year deal in November 2016 . He quit the following month , having made previous threats to leave his job . On 17 July 2017 , Portugal moved to the fourth continent of his career when he was hired at Delhi Dynamos FC of the Indian Super League . He finished eighth of ten teams – blaming this on a sporadic match schedule and low transfer budget– and the following 1 May he returned to Spain after being appointed manager of Granada CF . In August 2018 , Portugal was announced as the head coach of FC Pune City for the upcoming season . He was sacked on 24 October , after one draw and two losses . On 20 December 2018 , Portugal returned to Bolivia to take over at C.D . Jorge Wilstermann on a one-year deal . He left the following April by mutual consent , having suffered threats from some of the Cochabamba-based clubs supporters . Remaining in the Andean country , Portugal was appointed on a one-year contract at Royal Pari F.C . at the start of 2020 . He resigned on 21 May that year , due to concerns over the resumption of the season due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Honours . Player . Real Madrid - La Liga : 1979–80 - Copa del Rey : 1979–80 Manager . Bolívar - Bolivian Primera División : 2012–13
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[
"NATO Parliamentary Assembly"
] |
easy
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Karl-Heinz Brunner became a member of what organization or association in Mar 2014?
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/wiki/Karl-Heinz_Brunner#P463#0
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Karl-Heinz Brunner Karl-Heinz Brunner ( born 14 March 1953 ) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany ( SPD ) . He was elected a member of the German parliament ( Bundestag ) in the federal election of 2013 . Life . Brunner was born in Munich . After finishing school , he studied business administration , law administration , and management in Reutlingen , Munich , Starnberg and Bratislava . He worked as a legal counselor from 2005 – 2013 and as an executive shareholder of the Illertisser Sonnenschein GmbH & Co . KG . He is a coeditor of the political magazine “Berliner Republik” and serves as chairman of the “Freundeskreis Illertissen – Loket” . He is an honorary member of the Bavarian Red Cross since 1970 and the Workers’ Welfare Organisation . Brunner is married and has two adult children . Since 2011 he is a lecturer for “Public Private Partnerships” at the University of Applied Sciences Biberach . In September 2020 , Brunner came out as gay . According to him , he and his partner have been living in Berlin since 2019 despite Brunner still being married to his wife . Political career . Brunner joined the SPD in 1982 . He is engaged with local politics since 1985 . He was mayor of Illertissen from 1990 to 2002 and is a member of the county counsel of Neu-Ulm since 1996 . He ran for the constituency seat of Neu-Ulm / Günzburg in 2009 and 2013 . In 2013 he obtained a seat via the Bavarian SPD party list . Member of the German Bundestag , 2013–present . Brunner has been a Member of the German Bundestag since the 2013 federal elections . He has since been serving on the Defence Committee , the Committee on Legal Affairs and Consumer Protection , as well as an on the Subcommittee on Disarmament , Arms Control and Non-Proliferation . On the Defence Committee , Brunner serves as the rapporteur of his parliamentary group for the German Air Force . In his capacity as member of the committee , he has traveled extensively to visit Bundeswehr troops on their missions abroad , including the Resolute Support Mission forces at Camp Marmal in Mazar-i-Sharif , Afghanistan ( 2018 ) . He is also spokesman for defense of the Bundestag group of the SPD parliamentarians from Bavaria . On the Committee on Legal Affairs and Consumer Protection , Brunner is his parliamentary groups rapporteur for bankruptcy law and LGBT rights . In addition to his committee assignments , he serves as vice-chairman of the German-Austrian Parliamentary Friendship Group . Within his parliamentary group , Brunner belongs to the more centrist Seeheim Circle . He is also a member of the Social Democratic Party of Austria and the Czech Social Democratic Party . As a member of the German delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly , Brunner joined the election observation mission for the 25 May 2014 early presidential election in Ukraine during the conflict in Donbass . While in Ukraine , he also met with representatives of the local LGBT community . In the 2019 SPD leadership election , Brunner qualified as one of the candidates for the position of the party’s chairman , but withdrew from the election on September 16th because he wanted to enable a clearer electoral decision for his fellow party members . Though Brunner had previously said he would not be running for a seat in the Bundestag for a third time , he announced that he will do so for the 2021 German federal election . Other activities . - Magnus Hirschfeld Foundation , Member of the Board of Trustees ( since 2019 ) - Deutsche Härtefallstiftung , Member of the Board of Trustees - German Military Reserve Association , Vice-President - Czech Social Democratic Party ( ČSSD ) , Member - Social Democratic Party of Austria ( SPÖ ) , Member - German Association for Prevention of Road Accidents ( DVW ) , Member - Society for German Shepherd Dogs , Member External links . - homepage of Karl-Heinz Brunner in German
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[
""
] |
easy
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What organization did Karl-Heinz Brunner join in 2014?
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/wiki/Karl-Heinz_Brunner#P463#1
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Karl-Heinz Brunner Karl-Heinz Brunner ( born 14 March 1953 ) is a German politician of the Social Democratic Party of Germany ( SPD ) . He was elected a member of the German parliament ( Bundestag ) in the federal election of 2013 . Life . Brunner was born in Munich . After finishing school , he studied business administration , law administration , and management in Reutlingen , Munich , Starnberg and Bratislava . He worked as a legal counselor from 2005 – 2013 and as an executive shareholder of the Illertisser Sonnenschein GmbH & Co . KG . He is a coeditor of the political magazine “Berliner Republik” and serves as chairman of the “Freundeskreis Illertissen – Loket” . He is an honorary member of the Bavarian Red Cross since 1970 and the Workers’ Welfare Organisation . Brunner is married and has two adult children . Since 2011 he is a lecturer for “Public Private Partnerships” at the University of Applied Sciences Biberach . In September 2020 , Brunner came out as gay . According to him , he and his partner have been living in Berlin since 2019 despite Brunner still being married to his wife . Political career . Brunner joined the SPD in 1982 . He is engaged with local politics since 1985 . He was mayor of Illertissen from 1990 to 2002 and is a member of the county counsel of Neu-Ulm since 1996 . He ran for the constituency seat of Neu-Ulm / Günzburg in 2009 and 2013 . In 2013 he obtained a seat via the Bavarian SPD party list . Member of the German Bundestag , 2013–present . Brunner has been a Member of the German Bundestag since the 2013 federal elections . He has since been serving on the Defence Committee , the Committee on Legal Affairs and Consumer Protection , as well as an on the Subcommittee on Disarmament , Arms Control and Non-Proliferation . On the Defence Committee , Brunner serves as the rapporteur of his parliamentary group for the German Air Force . In his capacity as member of the committee , he has traveled extensively to visit Bundeswehr troops on their missions abroad , including the Resolute Support Mission forces at Camp Marmal in Mazar-i-Sharif , Afghanistan ( 2018 ) . He is also spokesman for defense of the Bundestag group of the SPD parliamentarians from Bavaria . On the Committee on Legal Affairs and Consumer Protection , Brunner is his parliamentary groups rapporteur for bankruptcy law and LGBT rights . In addition to his committee assignments , he serves as vice-chairman of the German-Austrian Parliamentary Friendship Group . Within his parliamentary group , Brunner belongs to the more centrist Seeheim Circle . He is also a member of the Social Democratic Party of Austria and the Czech Social Democratic Party . As a member of the German delegation to the NATO Parliamentary Assembly , Brunner joined the election observation mission for the 25 May 2014 early presidential election in Ukraine during the conflict in Donbass . While in Ukraine , he also met with representatives of the local LGBT community . In the 2019 SPD leadership election , Brunner qualified as one of the candidates for the position of the party’s chairman , but withdrew from the election on September 16th because he wanted to enable a clearer electoral decision for his fellow party members . Though Brunner had previously said he would not be running for a seat in the Bundestag for a third time , he announced that he will do so for the 2021 German federal election . Other activities . - Magnus Hirschfeld Foundation , Member of the Board of Trustees ( since 2019 ) - Deutsche Härtefallstiftung , Member of the Board of Trustees - German Military Reserve Association , Vice-President - Czech Social Democratic Party ( ČSSD ) , Member - Social Democratic Party of Austria ( SPÖ ) , Member - German Association for Prevention of Road Accidents ( DVW ) , Member - Society for German Shepherd Dogs , Member External links . - homepage of Karl-Heinz Brunner in German
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[
"Danish under-16 youth national team"
] |
easy
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Which team did Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard play for from 1998 to 1999?
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/wiki/Kevin_Stuhr_Ellegaard#P54#0
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Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard ( né Kevin Stuhr Larsen , born 23 May 1983 ) is a Danish professional footballer who plays for FC Helsingør as a goalkeeper . He has played for Manchester City and Blackpool in England , as well as German club Hertha BSC and Dutch club SC Heerenveen . Ellegaard has played 56 games for various Danish youth selections , including 20 games for the Denmark national under-21 football team . He has been selected several times for the Denmark national squad , but has not appeared in a match . Club career . Born in Copenhagen , Ellegaard spent his youth years in various Zealand clubs . In July 2002 he moved from Farum BK to Manchester City . In the 2003–04 season , he made two full appearances and two substitute appearances for the club in the league , replacing David Seaman both times when coming on as a substitute . He was loaned out to Blackpool FC for a month in January 2005 , where he played two league matches in Football League One . Stuhr-Ellegaard moved to Germany to play for Hertha BSC in summer 2005 . He had a hard time forcing his way into the starting line-up , and only played two Bundesliga games for the team . He moved to Danish club Randers FC as a free agent in the summer 2007 . In his first half season with Randers , Ellegaard only conceded 15 goals in 18 matches . He went on to play all Randers games in his first two seasons with the club , helping Randers finish sixth in the 2007–08 and fifth in the 2008–09 Superliga season . In the 2009–10 Superliga season , Ellegaard conceded 15 goals in the first seven games , and was dropped from the starting line-up by coach John Jensen in August . As Randers results did not improve with new goalkeeper Nathan Coe , Ellegaard was reinstated in October 2009 , and only conceded eight goals in the 16-game unbeaten run that secured Randers FC another season in the top flight . Ellegaard and Randers decided to part their ways in June 2010 , as they could not agree on a new contract . In season 2010–11 , the Netherlands top club SC Heerenveen had big problems with their goalkeepers , so they decided that they needed to contract a new goalie for a short period . The first-keeper Brian Vandenbussche got injured during a training session , which left Heerenveen with only one goalie , Kenny Steppe . Heerenveen gave Ellegaard a trial at the club , which led to him signing a one-year contract . In the beginning , Heerenveen saw him as a second-keeper behind Steppe , but Ellegard impressed so much in training that the trainer Ron Jans made him first-choice . Despite Ellegard playing 28 matches and impressing both the audience and the trainers with his play , they decided not to renew his contract , because Vandenbussche was coming back from his injury . On 23 January 2012 , Ellegaard signed a three-year contract with Swedish club IF Elfsborg as a free agent . On 24 January 2020 , Ellegaard returned to Denmark and signed with Danish 2nd Division club FC Helsingør . He reached promotion to the Danish 1st Division in his first six months with the club . International career . He made his debut for the Danish under-16 youth national team in September 1998 , and went on to represent various youth national teams for a combined total of 56 games . He made his debut for the Denmark under-21 national football team in September 2004 , and represented the team at the 2006 Under-21 European Championship tournament in May 2006 . While at Manchester City , Ellegaard served as a stand-in for Thomas Sørensen in the initial Denmark national football team training sessions ahead of the 2004 European Championship . He was not a part of the Danish squad at the tournament . In the fall of 2007 , while playing for Randers , Ellegaard was called up as the Danish third choice goalkeeper due to the injury of Jesper Christiansen . In August 2008 , Ellegaard was called up for the national team again , due to a new Jesper Christiansen injury . Honours . - Swedish Allsvenskan champion 2012 , IF Elfsborg - Swedish Svenska cupen champion 2014 , IF Elfsborg - Player of the year 2007–08 in Randers FC - Eredivisie : ING Fair Play-reward - Denmarks best penalty keeper – Recent statistics showed that out of 29 Danish keepers , Ellegaard is the best one in saving penalties , making him a penalty specialist . He is known for his double save in a penalty against AFC Ajax . He had a fantastic 45% rate in penalty saves , which made him the best Danish penalty keeper . External links . - Danish national team profile - Danish Superliga statistics
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[
""
] |
easy
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Which team did the player Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard belong to from 1999 to 2000?
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/wiki/Kevin_Stuhr_Ellegaard#P54#1
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Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard ( né Kevin Stuhr Larsen , born 23 May 1983 ) is a Danish professional footballer who plays for FC Helsingør as a goalkeeper . He has played for Manchester City and Blackpool in England , as well as German club Hertha BSC and Dutch club SC Heerenveen . Ellegaard has played 56 games for various Danish youth selections , including 20 games for the Denmark national under-21 football team . He has been selected several times for the Denmark national squad , but has not appeared in a match . Club career . Born in Copenhagen , Ellegaard spent his youth years in various Zealand clubs . In July 2002 he moved from Farum BK to Manchester City . In the 2003–04 season , he made two full appearances and two substitute appearances for the club in the league , replacing David Seaman both times when coming on as a substitute . He was loaned out to Blackpool FC for a month in January 2005 , where he played two league matches in Football League One . Stuhr-Ellegaard moved to Germany to play for Hertha BSC in summer 2005 . He had a hard time forcing his way into the starting line-up , and only played two Bundesliga games for the team . He moved to Danish club Randers FC as a free agent in the summer 2007 . In his first half season with Randers , Ellegaard only conceded 15 goals in 18 matches . He went on to play all Randers games in his first two seasons with the club , helping Randers finish sixth in the 2007–08 and fifth in the 2008–09 Superliga season . In the 2009–10 Superliga season , Ellegaard conceded 15 goals in the first seven games , and was dropped from the starting line-up by coach John Jensen in August . As Randers results did not improve with new goalkeeper Nathan Coe , Ellegaard was reinstated in October 2009 , and only conceded eight goals in the 16-game unbeaten run that secured Randers FC another season in the top flight . Ellegaard and Randers decided to part their ways in June 2010 , as they could not agree on a new contract . In season 2010–11 , the Netherlands top club SC Heerenveen had big problems with their goalkeepers , so they decided that they needed to contract a new goalie for a short period . The first-keeper Brian Vandenbussche got injured during a training session , which left Heerenveen with only one goalie , Kenny Steppe . Heerenveen gave Ellegaard a trial at the club , which led to him signing a one-year contract . In the beginning , Heerenveen saw him as a second-keeper behind Steppe , but Ellegard impressed so much in training that the trainer Ron Jans made him first-choice . Despite Ellegard playing 28 matches and impressing both the audience and the trainers with his play , they decided not to renew his contract , because Vandenbussche was coming back from his injury . On 23 January 2012 , Ellegaard signed a three-year contract with Swedish club IF Elfsborg as a free agent . On 24 January 2020 , Ellegaard returned to Denmark and signed with Danish 2nd Division club FC Helsingør . He reached promotion to the Danish 1st Division in his first six months with the club . International career . He made his debut for the Danish under-16 youth national team in September 1998 , and went on to represent various youth national teams for a combined total of 56 games . He made his debut for the Denmark under-21 national football team in September 2004 , and represented the team at the 2006 Under-21 European Championship tournament in May 2006 . While at Manchester City , Ellegaard served as a stand-in for Thomas Sørensen in the initial Denmark national football team training sessions ahead of the 2004 European Championship . He was not a part of the Danish squad at the tournament . In the fall of 2007 , while playing for Randers , Ellegaard was called up as the Danish third choice goalkeeper due to the injury of Jesper Christiansen . In August 2008 , Ellegaard was called up for the national team again , due to a new Jesper Christiansen injury . Honours . - Swedish Allsvenskan champion 2012 , IF Elfsborg - Swedish Svenska cupen champion 2014 , IF Elfsborg - Player of the year 2007–08 in Randers FC - Eredivisie : ING Fair Play-reward - Denmarks best penalty keeper – Recent statistics showed that out of 29 Danish keepers , Ellegaard is the best one in saving penalties , making him a penalty specialist . He is known for his double save in a penalty against AFC Ajax . He had a fantastic 45% rate in penalty saves , which made him the best Danish penalty keeper . External links . - Danish national team profile - Danish Superliga statistics
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[
"in various Zealand clubs"
] |
easy
|
Which team did Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard play for from 2002 to 2004?
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/wiki/Kevin_Stuhr_Ellegaard#P54#2
|
Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard ( né Kevin Stuhr Larsen , born 23 May 1983 ) is a Danish professional footballer who plays for FC Helsingør as a goalkeeper . He has played for Manchester City and Blackpool in England , as well as German club Hertha BSC and Dutch club SC Heerenveen . Ellegaard has played 56 games for various Danish youth selections , including 20 games for the Denmark national under-21 football team . He has been selected several times for the Denmark national squad , but has not appeared in a match . Club career . Born in Copenhagen , Ellegaard spent his youth years in various Zealand clubs . In July 2002 he moved from Farum BK to Manchester City . In the 2003–04 season , he made two full appearances and two substitute appearances for the club in the league , replacing David Seaman both times when coming on as a substitute . He was loaned out to Blackpool FC for a month in January 2005 , where he played two league matches in Football League One . Stuhr-Ellegaard moved to Germany to play for Hertha BSC in summer 2005 . He had a hard time forcing his way into the starting line-up , and only played two Bundesliga games for the team . He moved to Danish club Randers FC as a free agent in the summer 2007 . In his first half season with Randers , Ellegaard only conceded 15 goals in 18 matches . He went on to play all Randers games in his first two seasons with the club , helping Randers finish sixth in the 2007–08 and fifth in the 2008–09 Superliga season . In the 2009–10 Superliga season , Ellegaard conceded 15 goals in the first seven games , and was dropped from the starting line-up by coach John Jensen in August . As Randers results did not improve with new goalkeeper Nathan Coe , Ellegaard was reinstated in October 2009 , and only conceded eight goals in the 16-game unbeaten run that secured Randers FC another season in the top flight . Ellegaard and Randers decided to part their ways in June 2010 , as they could not agree on a new contract . In season 2010–11 , the Netherlands top club SC Heerenveen had big problems with their goalkeepers , so they decided that they needed to contract a new goalie for a short period . The first-keeper Brian Vandenbussche got injured during a training session , which left Heerenveen with only one goalie , Kenny Steppe . Heerenveen gave Ellegaard a trial at the club , which led to him signing a one-year contract . In the beginning , Heerenveen saw him as a second-keeper behind Steppe , but Ellegard impressed so much in training that the trainer Ron Jans made him first-choice . Despite Ellegard playing 28 matches and impressing both the audience and the trainers with his play , they decided not to renew his contract , because Vandenbussche was coming back from his injury . On 23 January 2012 , Ellegaard signed a three-year contract with Swedish club IF Elfsborg as a free agent . On 24 January 2020 , Ellegaard returned to Denmark and signed with Danish 2nd Division club FC Helsingør . He reached promotion to the Danish 1st Division in his first six months with the club . International career . He made his debut for the Danish under-16 youth national team in September 1998 , and went on to represent various youth national teams for a combined total of 56 games . He made his debut for the Denmark under-21 national football team in September 2004 , and represented the team at the 2006 Under-21 European Championship tournament in May 2006 . While at Manchester City , Ellegaard served as a stand-in for Thomas Sørensen in the initial Denmark national football team training sessions ahead of the 2004 European Championship . He was not a part of the Danish squad at the tournament . In the fall of 2007 , while playing for Randers , Ellegaard was called up as the Danish third choice goalkeeper due to the injury of Jesper Christiansen . In August 2008 , Ellegaard was called up for the national team again , due to a new Jesper Christiansen injury . Honours . - Swedish Allsvenskan champion 2012 , IF Elfsborg - Swedish Svenska cupen champion 2014 , IF Elfsborg - Player of the year 2007–08 in Randers FC - Eredivisie : ING Fair Play-reward - Denmarks best penalty keeper – Recent statistics showed that out of 29 Danish keepers , Ellegaard is the best one in saving penalties , making him a penalty specialist . He is known for his double save in a penalty against AFC Ajax . He had a fantastic 45% rate in penalty saves , which made him the best Danish penalty keeper . External links . - Danish national team profile - Danish Superliga statistics
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[
"Denmark under-21 national football team"
] |
easy
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Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard played for which team from 2004 to 2005?
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/wiki/Kevin_Stuhr_Ellegaard#P54#3
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Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard ( né Kevin Stuhr Larsen , born 23 May 1983 ) is a Danish professional footballer who plays for FC Helsingør as a goalkeeper . He has played for Manchester City and Blackpool in England , as well as German club Hertha BSC and Dutch club SC Heerenveen . Ellegaard has played 56 games for various Danish youth selections , including 20 games for the Denmark national under-21 football team . He has been selected several times for the Denmark national squad , but has not appeared in a match . Club career . Born in Copenhagen , Ellegaard spent his youth years in various Zealand clubs . In July 2002 he moved from Farum BK to Manchester City . In the 2003–04 season , he made two full appearances and two substitute appearances for the club in the league , replacing David Seaman both times when coming on as a substitute . He was loaned out to Blackpool FC for a month in January 2005 , where he played two league matches in Football League One . Stuhr-Ellegaard moved to Germany to play for Hertha BSC in summer 2005 . He had a hard time forcing his way into the starting line-up , and only played two Bundesliga games for the team . He moved to Danish club Randers FC as a free agent in the summer 2007 . In his first half season with Randers , Ellegaard only conceded 15 goals in 18 matches . He went on to play all Randers games in his first two seasons with the club , helping Randers finish sixth in the 2007–08 and fifth in the 2008–09 Superliga season . In the 2009–10 Superliga season , Ellegaard conceded 15 goals in the first seven games , and was dropped from the starting line-up by coach John Jensen in August . As Randers results did not improve with new goalkeeper Nathan Coe , Ellegaard was reinstated in October 2009 , and only conceded eight goals in the 16-game unbeaten run that secured Randers FC another season in the top flight . Ellegaard and Randers decided to part their ways in June 2010 , as they could not agree on a new contract . In season 2010–11 , the Netherlands top club SC Heerenveen had big problems with their goalkeepers , so they decided that they needed to contract a new goalie for a short period . The first-keeper Brian Vandenbussche got injured during a training session , which left Heerenveen with only one goalie , Kenny Steppe . Heerenveen gave Ellegaard a trial at the club , which led to him signing a one-year contract . In the beginning , Heerenveen saw him as a second-keeper behind Steppe , but Ellegard impressed so much in training that the trainer Ron Jans made him first-choice . Despite Ellegard playing 28 matches and impressing both the audience and the trainers with his play , they decided not to renew his contract , because Vandenbussche was coming back from his injury . On 23 January 2012 , Ellegaard signed a three-year contract with Swedish club IF Elfsborg as a free agent . On 24 January 2020 , Ellegaard returned to Denmark and signed with Danish 2nd Division club FC Helsingør . He reached promotion to the Danish 1st Division in his first six months with the club . International career . He made his debut for the Danish under-16 youth national team in September 1998 , and went on to represent various youth national teams for a combined total of 56 games . He made his debut for the Denmark under-21 national football team in September 2004 , and represented the team at the 2006 Under-21 European Championship tournament in May 2006 . While at Manchester City , Ellegaard served as a stand-in for Thomas Sørensen in the initial Denmark national football team training sessions ahead of the 2004 European Championship . He was not a part of the Danish squad at the tournament . In the fall of 2007 , while playing for Randers , Ellegaard was called up as the Danish third choice goalkeeper due to the injury of Jesper Christiansen . In August 2008 , Ellegaard was called up for the national team again , due to a new Jesper Christiansen injury . Honours . - Swedish Allsvenskan champion 2012 , IF Elfsborg - Swedish Svenska cupen champion 2014 , IF Elfsborg - Player of the year 2007–08 in Randers FC - Eredivisie : ING Fair Play-reward - Denmarks best penalty keeper – Recent statistics showed that out of 29 Danish keepers , Ellegaard is the best one in saving penalties , making him a penalty specialist . He is known for his double save in a penalty against AFC Ajax . He had a fantastic 45% rate in penalty saves , which made him the best Danish penalty keeper . External links . - Danish national team profile - Danish Superliga statistics
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[
"moved to Germany to play for Hertha BSC"
] |
easy
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Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard played for which team from 2005 to 2006?
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/wiki/Kevin_Stuhr_Ellegaard#P54#4
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Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard ( né Kevin Stuhr Larsen , born 23 May 1983 ) is a Danish professional footballer who plays for FC Helsingør as a goalkeeper . He has played for Manchester City and Blackpool in England , as well as German club Hertha BSC and Dutch club SC Heerenveen . Ellegaard has played 56 games for various Danish youth selections , including 20 games for the Denmark national under-21 football team . He has been selected several times for the Denmark national squad , but has not appeared in a match . Club career . Born in Copenhagen , Ellegaard spent his youth years in various Zealand clubs . In July 2002 he moved from Farum BK to Manchester City . In the 2003–04 season , he made two full appearances and two substitute appearances for the club in the league , replacing David Seaman both times when coming on as a substitute . He was loaned out to Blackpool FC for a month in January 2005 , where he played two league matches in Football League One . Stuhr-Ellegaard moved to Germany to play for Hertha BSC in summer 2005 . He had a hard time forcing his way into the starting line-up , and only played two Bundesliga games for the team . He moved to Danish club Randers FC as a free agent in the summer 2007 . In his first half season with Randers , Ellegaard only conceded 15 goals in 18 matches . He went on to play all Randers games in his first two seasons with the club , helping Randers finish sixth in the 2007–08 and fifth in the 2008–09 Superliga season . In the 2009–10 Superliga season , Ellegaard conceded 15 goals in the first seven games , and was dropped from the starting line-up by coach John Jensen in August . As Randers results did not improve with new goalkeeper Nathan Coe , Ellegaard was reinstated in October 2009 , and only conceded eight goals in the 16-game unbeaten run that secured Randers FC another season in the top flight . Ellegaard and Randers decided to part their ways in June 2010 , as they could not agree on a new contract . In season 2010–11 , the Netherlands top club SC Heerenveen had big problems with their goalkeepers , so they decided that they needed to contract a new goalie for a short period . The first-keeper Brian Vandenbussche got injured during a training session , which left Heerenveen with only one goalie , Kenny Steppe . Heerenveen gave Ellegaard a trial at the club , which led to him signing a one-year contract . In the beginning , Heerenveen saw him as a second-keeper behind Steppe , but Ellegard impressed so much in training that the trainer Ron Jans made him first-choice . Despite Ellegard playing 28 matches and impressing both the audience and the trainers with his play , they decided not to renew his contract , because Vandenbussche was coming back from his injury . On 23 January 2012 , Ellegaard signed a three-year contract with Swedish club IF Elfsborg as a free agent . On 24 January 2020 , Ellegaard returned to Denmark and signed with Danish 2nd Division club FC Helsingør . He reached promotion to the Danish 1st Division in his first six months with the club . International career . He made his debut for the Danish under-16 youth national team in September 1998 , and went on to represent various youth national teams for a combined total of 56 games . He made his debut for the Denmark under-21 national football team in September 2004 , and represented the team at the 2006 Under-21 European Championship tournament in May 2006 . While at Manchester City , Ellegaard served as a stand-in for Thomas Sørensen in the initial Denmark national football team training sessions ahead of the 2004 European Championship . He was not a part of the Danish squad at the tournament . In the fall of 2007 , while playing for Randers , Ellegaard was called up as the Danish third choice goalkeeper due to the injury of Jesper Christiansen . In August 2008 , Ellegaard was called up for the national team again , due to a new Jesper Christiansen injury . Honours . - Swedish Allsvenskan champion 2012 , IF Elfsborg - Swedish Svenska cupen champion 2014 , IF Elfsborg - Player of the year 2007–08 in Randers FC - Eredivisie : ING Fair Play-reward - Denmarks best penalty keeper – Recent statistics showed that out of 29 Danish keepers , Ellegaard is the best one in saving penalties , making him a penalty specialist . He is known for his double save in a penalty against AFC Ajax . He had a fantastic 45% rate in penalty saves , which made him the best Danish penalty keeper . External links . - Danish national team profile - Danish Superliga statistics
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[
"Denmark under-21 national football team"
] |
easy
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Which team did the player Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard belong to in 2006?
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/wiki/Kevin_Stuhr_Ellegaard#P54#5
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Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard ( né Kevin Stuhr Larsen , born 23 May 1983 ) is a Danish professional footballer who plays for FC Helsingør as a goalkeeper . He has played for Manchester City and Blackpool in England , as well as German club Hertha BSC and Dutch club SC Heerenveen . Ellegaard has played 56 games for various Danish youth selections , including 20 games for the Denmark national under-21 football team . He has been selected several times for the Denmark national squad , but has not appeared in a match . Club career . Born in Copenhagen , Ellegaard spent his youth years in various Zealand clubs . In July 2002 he moved from Farum BK to Manchester City . In the 2003–04 season , he made two full appearances and two substitute appearances for the club in the league , replacing David Seaman both times when coming on as a substitute . He was loaned out to Blackpool FC for a month in January 2005 , where he played two league matches in Football League One . Stuhr-Ellegaard moved to Germany to play for Hertha BSC in summer 2005 . He had a hard time forcing his way into the starting line-up , and only played two Bundesliga games for the team . He moved to Danish club Randers FC as a free agent in the summer 2007 . In his first half season with Randers , Ellegaard only conceded 15 goals in 18 matches . He went on to play all Randers games in his first two seasons with the club , helping Randers finish sixth in the 2007–08 and fifth in the 2008–09 Superliga season . In the 2009–10 Superliga season , Ellegaard conceded 15 goals in the first seven games , and was dropped from the starting line-up by coach John Jensen in August . As Randers results did not improve with new goalkeeper Nathan Coe , Ellegaard was reinstated in October 2009 , and only conceded eight goals in the 16-game unbeaten run that secured Randers FC another season in the top flight . Ellegaard and Randers decided to part their ways in June 2010 , as they could not agree on a new contract . In season 2010–11 , the Netherlands top club SC Heerenveen had big problems with their goalkeepers , so they decided that they needed to contract a new goalie for a short period . The first-keeper Brian Vandenbussche got injured during a training session , which left Heerenveen with only one goalie , Kenny Steppe . Heerenveen gave Ellegaard a trial at the club , which led to him signing a one-year contract . In the beginning , Heerenveen saw him as a second-keeper behind Steppe , but Ellegard impressed so much in training that the trainer Ron Jans made him first-choice . Despite Ellegard playing 28 matches and impressing both the audience and the trainers with his play , they decided not to renew his contract , because Vandenbussche was coming back from his injury . On 23 January 2012 , Ellegaard signed a three-year contract with Swedish club IF Elfsborg as a free agent . On 24 January 2020 , Ellegaard returned to Denmark and signed with Danish 2nd Division club FC Helsingør . He reached promotion to the Danish 1st Division in his first six months with the club . International career . He made his debut for the Danish under-16 youth national team in September 1998 , and went on to represent various youth national teams for a combined total of 56 games . He made his debut for the Denmark under-21 national football team in September 2004 , and represented the team at the 2006 Under-21 European Championship tournament in May 2006 . While at Manchester City , Ellegaard served as a stand-in for Thomas Sørensen in the initial Denmark national football team training sessions ahead of the 2004 European Championship . He was not a part of the Danish squad at the tournament . In the fall of 2007 , while playing for Randers , Ellegaard was called up as the Danish third choice goalkeeper due to the injury of Jesper Christiansen . In August 2008 , Ellegaard was called up for the national team again , due to a new Jesper Christiansen injury . Honours . - Swedish Allsvenskan champion 2012 , IF Elfsborg - Swedish Svenska cupen champion 2014 , IF Elfsborg - Player of the year 2007–08 in Randers FC - Eredivisie : ING Fair Play-reward - Denmarks best penalty keeper – Recent statistics showed that out of 29 Danish keepers , Ellegaard is the best one in saving penalties , making him a penalty specialist . He is known for his double save in a penalty against AFC Ajax . He had a fantastic 45% rate in penalty saves , which made him the best Danish penalty keeper . External links . - Danish national team profile - Danish Superliga statistics
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[
"Randers FC"
] |
easy
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Which team did Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard play for from 2007 to 2010?
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/wiki/Kevin_Stuhr_Ellegaard#P54#6
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Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard ( né Kevin Stuhr Larsen , born 23 May 1983 ) is a Danish professional footballer who plays for FC Helsingør as a goalkeeper . He has played for Manchester City and Blackpool in England , as well as German club Hertha BSC and Dutch club SC Heerenveen . Ellegaard has played 56 games for various Danish youth selections , including 20 games for the Denmark national under-21 football team . He has been selected several times for the Denmark national squad , but has not appeared in a match . Club career . Born in Copenhagen , Ellegaard spent his youth years in various Zealand clubs . In July 2002 he moved from Farum BK to Manchester City . In the 2003–04 season , he made two full appearances and two substitute appearances for the club in the league , replacing David Seaman both times when coming on as a substitute . He was loaned out to Blackpool FC for a month in January 2005 , where he played two league matches in Football League One . Stuhr-Ellegaard moved to Germany to play for Hertha BSC in summer 2005 . He had a hard time forcing his way into the starting line-up , and only played two Bundesliga games for the team . He moved to Danish club Randers FC as a free agent in the summer 2007 . In his first half season with Randers , Ellegaard only conceded 15 goals in 18 matches . He went on to play all Randers games in his first two seasons with the club , helping Randers finish sixth in the 2007–08 and fifth in the 2008–09 Superliga season . In the 2009–10 Superliga season , Ellegaard conceded 15 goals in the first seven games , and was dropped from the starting line-up by coach John Jensen in August . As Randers results did not improve with new goalkeeper Nathan Coe , Ellegaard was reinstated in October 2009 , and only conceded eight goals in the 16-game unbeaten run that secured Randers FC another season in the top flight . Ellegaard and Randers decided to part their ways in June 2010 , as they could not agree on a new contract . In season 2010–11 , the Netherlands top club SC Heerenveen had big problems with their goalkeepers , so they decided that they needed to contract a new goalie for a short period . The first-keeper Brian Vandenbussche got injured during a training session , which left Heerenveen with only one goalie , Kenny Steppe . Heerenveen gave Ellegaard a trial at the club , which led to him signing a one-year contract . In the beginning , Heerenveen saw him as a second-keeper behind Steppe , but Ellegard impressed so much in training that the trainer Ron Jans made him first-choice . Despite Ellegard playing 28 matches and impressing both the audience and the trainers with his play , they decided not to renew his contract , because Vandenbussche was coming back from his injury . On 23 January 2012 , Ellegaard signed a three-year contract with Swedish club IF Elfsborg as a free agent . On 24 January 2020 , Ellegaard returned to Denmark and signed with Danish 2nd Division club FC Helsingør . He reached promotion to the Danish 1st Division in his first six months with the club . International career . He made his debut for the Danish under-16 youth national team in September 1998 , and went on to represent various youth national teams for a combined total of 56 games . He made his debut for the Denmark under-21 national football team in September 2004 , and represented the team at the 2006 Under-21 European Championship tournament in May 2006 . While at Manchester City , Ellegaard served as a stand-in for Thomas Sørensen in the initial Denmark national football team training sessions ahead of the 2004 European Championship . He was not a part of the Danish squad at the tournament . In the fall of 2007 , while playing for Randers , Ellegaard was called up as the Danish third choice goalkeeper due to the injury of Jesper Christiansen . In August 2008 , Ellegaard was called up for the national team again , due to a new Jesper Christiansen injury . Honours . - Swedish Allsvenskan champion 2012 , IF Elfsborg - Swedish Svenska cupen champion 2014 , IF Elfsborg - Player of the year 2007–08 in Randers FC - Eredivisie : ING Fair Play-reward - Denmarks best penalty keeper – Recent statistics showed that out of 29 Danish keepers , Ellegaard is the best one in saving penalties , making him a penalty specialist . He is known for his double save in a penalty against AFC Ajax . He had a fantastic 45% rate in penalty saves , which made him the best Danish penalty keeper . External links . - Danish national team profile - Danish Superliga statistics
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[
"the Netherlands top club SC Heerenveen"
] |
easy
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Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard played for which team from 2010 to 2011?
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/wiki/Kevin_Stuhr_Ellegaard#P54#7
|
Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard Kevin Stuhr Ellegaard ( né Kevin Stuhr Larsen , born 23 May 1983 ) is a Danish professional footballer who plays for FC Helsingør as a goalkeeper . He has played for Manchester City and Blackpool in England , as well as German club Hertha BSC and Dutch club SC Heerenveen . Ellegaard has played 56 games for various Danish youth selections , including 20 games for the Denmark national under-21 football team . He has been selected several times for the Denmark national squad , but has not appeared in a match . Club career . Born in Copenhagen , Ellegaard spent his youth years in various Zealand clubs . In July 2002 he moved from Farum BK to Manchester City . In the 2003–04 season , he made two full appearances and two substitute appearances for the club in the league , replacing David Seaman both times when coming on as a substitute . He was loaned out to Blackpool FC for a month in January 2005 , where he played two league matches in Football League One . Stuhr-Ellegaard moved to Germany to play for Hertha BSC in summer 2005 . He had a hard time forcing his way into the starting line-up , and only played two Bundesliga games for the team . He moved to Danish club Randers FC as a free agent in the summer 2007 . In his first half season with Randers , Ellegaard only conceded 15 goals in 18 matches . He went on to play all Randers games in his first two seasons with the club , helping Randers finish sixth in the 2007–08 and fifth in the 2008–09 Superliga season . In the 2009–10 Superliga season , Ellegaard conceded 15 goals in the first seven games , and was dropped from the starting line-up by coach John Jensen in August . As Randers results did not improve with new goalkeeper Nathan Coe , Ellegaard was reinstated in October 2009 , and only conceded eight goals in the 16-game unbeaten run that secured Randers FC another season in the top flight . Ellegaard and Randers decided to part their ways in June 2010 , as they could not agree on a new contract . In season 2010–11 , the Netherlands top club SC Heerenveen had big problems with their goalkeepers , so they decided that they needed to contract a new goalie for a short period . The first-keeper Brian Vandenbussche got injured during a training session , which left Heerenveen with only one goalie , Kenny Steppe . Heerenveen gave Ellegaard a trial at the club , which led to him signing a one-year contract . In the beginning , Heerenveen saw him as a second-keeper behind Steppe , but Ellegard impressed so much in training that the trainer Ron Jans made him first-choice . Despite Ellegard playing 28 matches and impressing both the audience and the trainers with his play , they decided not to renew his contract , because Vandenbussche was coming back from his injury . On 23 January 2012 , Ellegaard signed a three-year contract with Swedish club IF Elfsborg as a free agent . On 24 January 2020 , Ellegaard returned to Denmark and signed with Danish 2nd Division club FC Helsingør . He reached promotion to the Danish 1st Division in his first six months with the club . International career . He made his debut for the Danish under-16 youth national team in September 1998 , and went on to represent various youth national teams for a combined total of 56 games . He made his debut for the Denmark under-21 national football team in September 2004 , and represented the team at the 2006 Under-21 European Championship tournament in May 2006 . While at Manchester City , Ellegaard served as a stand-in for Thomas Sørensen in the initial Denmark national football team training sessions ahead of the 2004 European Championship . He was not a part of the Danish squad at the tournament . In the fall of 2007 , while playing for Randers , Ellegaard was called up as the Danish third choice goalkeeper due to the injury of Jesper Christiansen . In August 2008 , Ellegaard was called up for the national team again , due to a new Jesper Christiansen injury . Honours . - Swedish Allsvenskan champion 2012 , IF Elfsborg - Swedish Svenska cupen champion 2014 , IF Elfsborg - Player of the year 2007–08 in Randers FC - Eredivisie : ING Fair Play-reward - Denmarks best penalty keeper – Recent statistics showed that out of 29 Danish keepers , Ellegaard is the best one in saving penalties , making him a penalty specialist . He is known for his double save in a penalty against AFC Ajax . He had a fantastic 45% rate in penalty saves , which made him the best Danish penalty keeper . External links . - Danish national team profile - Danish Superliga statistics
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[
"President of the Province of Florence"
] |
easy
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What was the position of Matteo Renzi from Jun 2004 to Jun 2009?
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/wiki/Matteo_Renzi#P39#0
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Matteo Renzi Matteo Renzi , ( ; born 11 January 1975 ) is an Italian politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016 . He has been a Senator for Florence since 2018 . Renzi has been described as a centrist and as a liberal by political observers . Renzi has served as the leader of Italia Viva since 2019 , having been the Secretary of the Democratic Party from 2013 to 2018 , with a brief interruption in 2017 . After serving as the President of the Province of Florence from 2004 to 2009 and the Mayor of Florence from 2009 to 2014 , Renzi was elected Secretary of the Democratic Party in 2013 , becoming Prime Minister the following year . At the age of 39 years , Renzi became the youngest person to have served as Italian Prime Minister , and was at the time the youngest leader in the G7 . He was also the first serving Mayor to become Prime Minister . While in power , Renzis government implemented numerous reforms , including changes to the electoral system , a relaxation of labour and employment laws with the intention of boosting economic growth , a thorough reformation of the public administration , the simplification of civil trials , the introduction of same-sex civil unions and the abolition of many small taxes . After the rejection of his constitutional reform in the December 2016 referendum , Renzi formally resigned as Prime Minister on 12 December ; his Foreign Minister , Paolo Gentiloni , was appointed his replacement . He resigned as Secretary of the Democratic Party following defeat in the 2018 general election . In September 2019 , he left PD , founding Italia Viva , his own liberal movement . In 2021 , Renzi revoked IVs support to the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte , which brought down the government and resulted in the 2021 Italian government crisis . Early life . Renzi was born in 1975 in Florence , the second of four children . His father , Tiziano Renzi , was a small business owner and Christian Democratic municipal councillor in Rignano sullArno . Renzi grew up in an observant Catholic family in Rignano sullArno . He studied in Florence at the Classical Lyceum Dante Alighieri , where he passed his final exam with the grade of 60/60 but was nearly expelled because , as the students representative , he refused to withdraw a school newspaper in which there was harsh criticism of a maths teacher . During this time he was a Scout in the Association of Catholic Guides and Scouts of Italy ( AGESCI ) . In 1999 , he graduated from the University of Florence with a degree in law , with a thesis on Giorgio La Pira , the former Christian Democratic Mayor of Florence . He then went on to work for CHIL Srl , a marketing company focusing on leafleting owned by his family , co-ordinating the sales service of the newspaper La Nazione . During this time Renzi was also a football referee at amateur level and a futsal player . In 1994 , he participated as a competitor for five consecutive episodes in the television program La Ruota Della Fortuna ( a localised version of the U.S . game show Wheel of Fortune ) hosted by Mike Bongiorno , winning 48 million lire . Early political career . Renzis interest in politics began in high school . In 1996 he was one of the founders of the committee in support of Romano Prodis candidature as Prime Minister in the general election ; that same year he joined the centrist Italian Peoples Party , and became its Provincial Secretary in 1999 . In the same year he married Agnese Landini , with whom he later had three children . In 2001 , he joined Francesco Rutellis The Daisy party , composed by members of the disbanded Peoples Party . On 13 June 2004 he was elected President of Florence Province with 59% of the vote , as the candidate of the centre-left coalition . He was the youngest person to become President of an Italian Province . In the years as President of the Province , Renzi expressed his ideas against the political caste , and during his mandate he reduced taxes and decreased the number of the Provinces employees and managers . Mayor of Florence . After five years as the President of Florence Province , Renzi announced that he would seek election as the Mayor of Florence . On 9 June 2009 , Renzi , by now a member of the Democratic Party , won the election on a second round vote with 60% of the votes , compared to 40% for his opponent Giovanni Galli . As Mayor he halved the number of city councillors , installed 500 free WiFi access points across the city , reduced kindergarten waiting lists by 90% , and increased spending on social welfare programs and schools . One year after being sworn in as Mayor and with his popularity in national opinion polls increasing , Renzi organised a public meeting with another young party administrator , Debora Serracchiani , at Leopolda Station in Florence to discuss Italian politics , after stating that a complete change was also necessary in his party . Other prominent Democratic Party members who aligned themselves with Renzis programme were Matteo Richetti , President of the Regional Council of Emilia-Romagna , Davide Faraone , a regional councillor from the Sicilian Regional Assembly , and Giuseppe Civati , a prominent member of the Democratic Party in Lombardy and a member of the Lombard Regional Council . Following this public meeting , the Italian media gave Renzi the nickname il Rottamatore , or The Scrapper . In 2011 , Renzi organised a second public meeting , also in Florence , where he wrote down one hundred topics of discussion . During this time he began to be strongly criticised by other members of his party closer to the then-Secretary Pier Luigi Bersani , after his suggestion that Italian politicians of the same generation as then-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi should retire . In September 2012 , Renzi announced that he would seek to lead the centre-left coalition in the 2013 general election ; the other four candidates for that position were Pier Luigi Bersani , Secretary of the Democratic Party , Nichi Vendola , Leader of the Left Ecology Freedom , Laura Puppato , a Democratic Deputy from Veneto and Bruno Tabacci , Leader of the Democratic Centre . After the first round of the December election , Renzi gained 35.5% of the vote , finishing second behind Bersani and qualifying for the second ballot . Renzi eventually gained a total of 39% of the vote , against Bersanis 61% . During the subsequent campaign in the 2013 election in March , Renzi backed Bersani by organising large public rallies in his support in Florence , but come the election the Democratic Party only gained 25.5% of the vote , despite opinion polls placing the party at almost 30% . In April , during the elections for the President of the Republic , Renzi caused a minor controversy by openly criticising the candidacies of both Franco Marini and Anna Finocchiaro , two long-standing members of his Democratic Party . Party Secretary . Following the resignation of Pier Luigi Bersani in April 2013 , Renzi announced that he would stand for the position of Secretary of the Democratic Party . The PDs loss of seats led to party members doubts concerning Bersanis leadership abilities . Renzis impressive resume at such a young age , in combination with his reputation as a political outsider thanks to his scrapping , made him very electable in comparison . He was supported by a number of his former political opponents , such as former Party Secretaries Walter Veltroni and Dario Franceschini , Deputy Marina Sereni , MEP David Sassoli and Turin Mayor Piero Fassino . Other supporters of his included Deputies like Gianni Dal Moro , Francesco Sanna , Francesco Boccia , Lorenzo Basso and Enrico Borghi , all of whom were considered close to the newly elected Prime Minister Enrico Letta . The other two candidates for Party Secretary were Gianni Cuperlo , a Member of the Chamber of Deputies and former Secretary of the Italian Communist Youth Federation , and Giuseppe Civati , a left-wing-oriented Deputy from Lombardy and a former supporter of Renzi . In the December election , Renzi was elected with 68% of the popular vote , compared to 18% for Gianni Cuperlo and 14% for Giuseppe Civati . He became the new Secretary of the Democratic Party and the centre-lefts prospective candidate for Prime Minister . His victory was welcomed by Prime Minister Enrico Letta , who had been the Vice-Secretary of the party under Bersanis leadership . Throughout January and February 2014 there were multiple reports of persistent leadership tensions between Renzi and Prime Minister Letta . Many claimed that Renzi was pressuring Letta to resign in his favour , arguing that as he was now the leader of the Democratic Party he should be given the right to become Prime Minister . On 12 February , Letta acknowledged these rumours for the first time , publicly demanded that Renzi make his position clear . Renzi subsequently called a meeting of the Democratic Party leadership for the following evening . Just before the meeting took place , Renzi publicly called on Letta to resign and allow him to form a new government . Letta initially resisted the demand , but following a vote in favour of Renzis proposal during the meeting , which Letta did not attend , he announced that he would tender his resignation as Prime Minister on 14 February . Under Renzis leadership , the Democratic Party officially joined the Party of European Socialists ( PES ) as a full-time member on 28 February 2014 . Prime Minister of Italy ( 20142016 ) . On 17 January 2014 , while on air at Le invasioni barbariche on La7 TV channel , interviewed about the tensions between him and the Prime Minister Enrico Letta , Renzi tweeted #enricostaisereno ( Enrico dont worry ) to reassure his party colleague that he was not plotting anything against him . However , at a meeting on 13 February 2014 the Democratic Party leadership voted heavily in favour of Renzis call for a new government , a new phase and a radical programme of reform . Minutes after the Party backed the Renzi proposal by 136 votes to 16 , with two abstentions , Palazzo Chigi – the official residence of the Prime Minister – announced that Letta would travel to the Quirinale the following day to tender his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano . In an earlier speech , Renzi had paid tribute to Letta , saying that he was not intended to put him on trial . But , without directly proposing himself as the next Prime Minister , he said the Eurozones third-largest economy urgently needed a new phase and radical programme to push through badly-needed reforms . The motion he put forward made clear the necessity and urgency of opening a new phase with a new executive . Speaking privately to party leaders , Renzi said that Italy was at a crossroads and faced either holding fresh elections or a new government without a return to the polls . On 14 February , President Napolitano accepted Lettas resignation from the office of Prime Minister . Following Lettas resignation , Renzi formally received the task of forming a new government from President Napolitano on 17 February . Renzi held several days of talks with party leaders , all of which he broadcast live on the internet , before unveiling his Cabinet on 21 February , which contained members of his Democratic Party , the New Centre-Right , the Union of the Centre and the Civic Choice . His Cabinet became Italys youngest government to date , with an average age of 47 . It was also the first in which the number of female ministers was equal to the number of male ministers , excluding the Prime Minister . The following day , Renzi was formally sworn in as Prime Minister , becoming the fourth Prime Minister in four years and the youngest Prime Minister in the history of Italy . His rise to become Prime Minister was widely seen as a sign of much-needed generational change , and at the time he took office he enjoyed by far the highest approval rating of any politician in the country . On 25 February Renzi won a vote of confidence in the Italian Parliament , with 169 votes in the Senate and 378 in the Chamber of Deputies . On 7 February 2015 , after just under a year in power , five senators and two deputies from the Civic Choice defected to the Democratic Party , citing the leadership of Renzi as Prime Minister as the primary reason for their decision to change parties . On 20 March 2015 , Prime Minister Renzi briefly became ad interim Minister of Infrastructure and Transport following the resignation of Maurizio Lupi , due to a corruption scandal involving public works on infrastructure in which his name had been cited several times . Renzi held the office on an unofficial basis until 2 April , when Graziano Delrio was appointed as the new Minister . On 4 December 2016 , after the failure of the referendum he proposed , announced his resignation . On 7 December 2016 , Renzi officially handed over the resignation to the President Sergio Mattarella . Domestic policy . Labour reform . Upon becoming Prime Minister , Renzi said that long-overdue labour market reform would be at the top of his agenda to improve the state of the Italian economy . On 12 March 2014 , the Cabinet issued a law-decree on fixed-term contracts , called the Poletti Decree , from the name of the Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti , as well as a bill proposing major reforms to the Italian labour market called the Jobs Act . A reduction in the tax burden of about €80 was announced for those earning less than €1,500 per month . On 30 April Renzi , together with the Minister for the Public Administration Marianna Madia , presented the guidelines for the reform of the Public Administration , subsequently approved by the Cabinet on 13 June . In September the government brought the Jobs Act before Parliament , which provided for , among other things , the abolition of Article 18 of the Workers Statute , which protected workers from unjustified dismissal . The proposal was heavily criticised by the largest Italian trade union , the General Confederation of Labour ( CGIL ) and its leaders Susanna Camusso and Maurizio Landini . Moreover , the left-wing of the Democratic Party , by then led by the former National Secretary Pier Luigi Bersani , criticised the government for the reform , threatening to vote against it . On 29 September , the National Committee of the Democratic Party voted to support the Jobs Act , despite the disagreements within the party , with 130 votes in favour , 20 against and 11 abstaining . On 9 October the Italian Senate voted to approve the Jobs Act , and the landmark reform passed with 165 votes in favour to 111 against , marking the first step for the most ambitious economic legislation of the eight-month-old government . Before the vote Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti was forced to cut his speech short due to the loud protests of the Five Star Movement and Lega Nord oppositions , some of whom threw coins and papers . German Chancellor Angela Merkel , who was visiting Milan and had been among the most vocal politicians regarding Italys need for speedy economic reforms , said the labour law marked an important step to reduce employment barriers in the Eurozones third-largest economy . On 25 October , almost one million people took part in a mass protest in Rome , organised by the CGIL in opposition to the labour reforms of the government . Some high-profile members of the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party , including Gianni Cuperlo , Stefano Fassina and Pippo Civati , also participated in the protest . On 8 November more than 100,000 public employees protested in Rome in a demonstration organised by the three largest trade unions in the country , the CGIL , the CISL and the UIL . On 25 November , the Chamber of Deputies approved the Jobs Act with 316 votes , but the Five Star , Lega Nord and almost forty members of the Democratic Party abstained from the vote to protest against the reform . On 3 December the Senate gave the Jobs Act the final approval it needed to become law . Economic policies . In March 2014 the Cabinet approved the auctioning of a large number of luxury cars that were used to transport heads of state , including nine Maseratis , two Jaguars , and various other cars such as BMWs and Alfa Romeos . Out of the 1,500 cars put up for sale , 170 sold immediately over eBay . In April , as part of his wider industrial reforms , Renzi forced the chief executives of Italys biggest state-owned companies , including Eni , Terna , Finmeccanica , Enel and Poste Italiane , to resign , citing a lack of public confidence in their leadership . He subsequently appointed women to the majority of new positions , making it the first time any woman had served as a chief executive of a state-owned company in Italy . In 2014 , his cabinet introduced the so-called Renzi bonus , a monthly allowance of €80 , recognized to holders of a total annual income not exceeding €24,600 . The bonus , whose aim was to relaunch expenditures , was heavily criticised by opposition , which labeled it as an electoral baksheesh for the 2014 European election . On 1 August , Renzi launched law-decree called Unblock Italy , which was intended to facilitate the implementation of major projects , civil works and infrastructure that were suspended at the time , as well as achieving further administrative simplification . The centre of this was the Millegiorni , or the Thousand Days Programme . On 1 September Renzi launched the website passodopopasso.italia.it , which would allow citizens to monitor the progress of the Millegiorni . Later , on 9 October , Renzi presented his first Finance Bill ( Legge di Stabilità ) , which was approved by the European Commission on 28 October . In February 2015 , with the economy continuing to stagnate , the Government announced a plan to abolish rules that limit cooperative lenders shareholders to one vote each at shareholder meetings regardless of the size of their holdings . The European Commission subsequently forecast that the Italian economy would begin to grow by the spring . The Government also announced the abolition of IRAP , a regional tax on production activities and , discussing the 2016 Finance Bill , Renzi further promised to cancel IRPEF , IMU and TASI , taxes on individuals , public services and residences . In May 2015 the economy recorded growth of 0.3% , finally ending the Italian triple-dip recession . In January 2016 , Renzi highlighted an additional 500,000 jobs that he claimed had been created through his policies . Constitutional reforms . Upon becoming Prime Minister , Renzi stated that one of his most important tasks was to achieve constitutional reforms . The Italian institutional framework had remained essentially unchanged since 1 January 1948 , when the Italian Constitution first came into force after being enacted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 December 1947 . The first stage of Renzis reform package aimed to abolish the so-called perfect bicameralism , which gave identical powers to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate ; the reforms would substantially decrease the membership and power of the Senate . Under the reforms : the Senates power to force the resignation of the Government by refusing to grant a vote of confidence would be removed ; only a few types of bills , including the constitutional bills , constitutional amendments , laws regarding local interests , referendums and the protection of linguistic minorities , would need to be passed by the Senate ; the Senate could only propose amendments to bills in some cases , with the Chamber of Deputies always having the final word ; and the membership of the Senate would be changed , with regional representatives appointed in a manner virtually identical to Germanys Bundesrat . On 11 March 2014 , the Chamber of Deputies approved both the plans to overhaul the Senate and the second stage of Renzis constitutional reforms , a flagship electoral reform law that would see Italys voting system overhauled . On 26 March , despite objections raised by several parties in the coalition , the Government won a vote in the Senate on the bill reforming the provinces , with 160 voting in favour and 133 against . On 6 May , the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Senate approved the Governments bill on the reform of the Senate . Due to the ambitious reforms that provided for the abolition of Senate , a new electoral law and an increase in the powers of the Prime Minister , Renzi was accused by politicians and constitutionalists like Stefano Rodotà or Fausto Bertinotti of being an authoritarian and anti-democratic leader . In April 2014 , Renzi proposed that Italy adopt what he called the Italicum voting system , a proportional representation system with a majority bonus for the party which obtained over 40% of the vote , in order to provide for stable and long-term government . To approve the new electoral law , which was opposed by the Five Star Movement and a minority of his own Democratic Party , Renzi gained the support of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi , who was still the leader of Forza Italia , despite having been expelled from the Senate due to his sentence for tax evasion . The alliance between Renzi and Berlusconi was named the Nazareno Pact , from the name of the street in Rome where the headquarters of the Democratic Party are located , where the two leaders met for the first time to discuss the reform . Renzi was harshly criticised by many within the Democratic Partys left-wing minority for the deal with Berlusconi , as well as by the Five Star Movement of Beppe Grillo who said the Nazareno Pact was the proof that there are no differences between the Italian centre-left and centre-right . Despite concern from some within the Democratic Party , the Italicum was given final approval by the Italian Senate on 27 January 2015 , thanks to support from Forza Italia Senators . On 28 April 2015 , concerned that the reform may not pass , Renzi announced he would hold a confidence vote to approve the electoral reform changes . The Five Star Movement , Forza Italia and some left-wing Democratic Party members strongly opposed this decision , with some seeking to draw comparisons between Renzi and Benito Mussolini . It would be only the third time that an electoral law was twinned with a confidence vote , after Mussolinis Acerbo law and Alcide De Gasperis Scam law . On 4 May the Chamber of Deputies finally approved Renzis flagship electoral changes with 334 votes for and 61 votes against , the latter including a faction of the PD . The reforms took full effect in July 2016 . Having easily passed the Chamber of Deputies on 11 March 2015 , in a first stage , the reforms to the Italian Senate that would see its power greatly diminished and membership drastically changed were finally passed by the Senate on 13 October 2015 . The vote was won by 176 votes to 16 , with a large number of senators abstaining from the vote in protest at having to vote on abolishing many of their own powers . The last vote was held on 12 April 2016 , when the Chamber finally approved the reform with 361 votes while all the oppositions abandoned the house . On 4 December 2016 , the reform was rejected in a constitutional referendum . Immigration . As a result of the Libyan and Syrian Civil Wars , a major problem faced by Renzi upon becoming Prime Minister in 2014 was the high levels of illegal immigration to Italy . 2014 saw an increase in the number of migrants rescued at sea being brought to southern Italian ports , with the increase in the number of migrants prompting criticism of Renzi by the anti-immigration Lega Nord , the Five Star Movement and Silvio Berlusconis Forza Italia party . On 8 August 2014 , the Cabinet approved a law-decree providing for the international protection of migrants . In November 2014 , Renzi ordered the Italian-run rescue option Operation Mare Nostrum to be replaced by Frontexs Operation Triton due to the refusal of several EU governments to fund it . In 2014 , 170,100 migrants arrived in Italy by sea , a 296% increase compared to 2013 . 141,484 of the travellers ferried over from Libya . Most of the migrants had come from Syria , Eritrea and various countries in West Africa . On 19 April 2015 , a huge shipwreck took place in the Mediterranean Sea , causing the death of more than 700 migrants from North Africa . Renzi , returning to Rome from a political event in Mantua for the regional elections , held an emergency meeting with ministers and spoke by telephone to French President François Hollande and Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat . The call led to an emergency meeting of European interior ministers to address the problem of migrant deaths . In a speech addressing immigration , the Italian Prime Minister condemned human trafficking as a new slave trade . From January to April 2015 , about 1,600 migrants died on the route from Libya to Lampedusa , making it the deadliest migrant route in the world . Same-sex unions . On 10 June 2015 , the Chamber of Deputies passed a motion obliging the Government to approve a bill regarding civil unions between same-sex couples . Previously all of the major parties in Italy had presented different motions on civil unions , which were all rejected except for the Democratic Partys , which also called for civil unions to be approved . Renzi had stated shortly before becoming Prime Minister that he favoured the introduction of civil unions for same-sex couples . In July 2015 , several days after the European Parliament passed a motion calling on all members of the European Union to recognise same-sex relationships , the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Italy was violating the Convention on Human Rights by not recognising same-sex couples right to family life . On 7 October 2015 , Renzi introduced a bill to Parliament that would establish same-sex civil unions and gender-neutral cohabitation agreements . The bill passed its first reading in the Senate a week later . Although Renzi secured the support of his Democratic Party and the main opposition Forza Italia party , many MPs from both criticised the bill . Despite the bill being put forward on a free vote , Renzi made it clear that he would tie the civil unions bill to a vote of confidence in his Government if it did not pass . Following months of public and parliamentary debate , on 25 February 2016 the Senate voted in favour of Renzis proposals to legalise civil unions , with 173 votes in favour and 71 against . An amendment known as the stepchild adoption provision that would have granted parental rights to a non-biological parent in a same-sex union was taken out of the bill at the last moment after it became clear a majority of senators did not support it . Although Renzi had expressed support for the amendment , the decision came after the Five Star Movement backed out of an agreement to pass it ; moreover , the amendment was opposed by the New Centre-Right . Renzi stated that the bills passage through the Senate was a victory for love , although he expressed disappointment that the adoption provision was not also adopted , and raised the possibility of introducing it in a separate bill at a later date . On 11 May 2016 , the Chamber of Deputies approved the final proposals , with 369 votes in favour and 163 against . Social policies . On 3 September 2014 during a press conference , Renzi announced an online consultation with students , teachers and citizens ahead of the major school reforms promoted by Education Minister Stefania Giannini . On 9 July 2015 , despite the opposition of an overwhelming majority of teachers and students alike to the actual design of the school reform , this was finally approved by the Chamber of Deputies , with 277 votes against 173 . On 15 December , during a ceremony at the Italian National Olympic Committee , Renzi officially launched the candidacy of Rome for the 2024 Summer Olympics . Renzi stated that , Our country too often seems hesitant . Its unacceptable not to try or to renounce playing the game . Sport in Italy is a way of life and a way of looking at the future . I dont know if we’ll make it , but the Olympic candidacy is one of the most beautiful things we can do for our kids , for us , for Italy . On 21 September 2016 , Mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi , a member of the Five Star Movement , told reporters the bid for the games would go no further . Raggi , having long been opposed to Rome hosting the games , cited ongoing financial troubles in the country as the main reason for cancelling the bid . She said hosting the games would be irresponsible and would only cause the city to fall into further debt . Universal Exposition . During Renzis premiership Milan hosted the Universal Exposition ; the themes were technology , innovation , culture and traditions concerning food . Participants to the Expo include 145 countries , three international organisations , several civil society organisations , several corporations and non-governmental organisations ( NGOs ) . The participants are hosted inside individual or grouped pavilions . The opening of the Expo on 1 May 2015 was met with protest from anti-austerity activists , black bloc , and anarchists caused criminal damage , resulting in the police using tear gas . Expo also created some tensions with the Holy See and the Italian government ; in fact Pope Francis condemned the concept of Expo , saying that it obeys the culture of waste and does not contribute to a model of equitable and sustainable development . As Vatican City invested €3 million to obtain its own pavilion at the event before his appointment to the papacy , Francis said that , although it is a good thing that the Church is involved in causes that battle hunger and promote cleaner energy , he stated that too much money was wasted on the Expo itself by Vatican City . 2016 earthquakes . At 03:36 CEST on 24 August 2016 , an earthquake measuring 6.2 on the moment magnitude scale struck Central Italy . The epicentre was close to Accumoli , in an area near the borders of the Umbria , Lazio , Abruzzo and Marche regions . The earthquake killed 298 people and left more than 4,500 homeless . On 1 September , Renzi appointed the former President of Emilia-Romagna Vasco Errani as Special Commissioner for Reconstruction . Errani had been already a Special Commissioner during the earthquake that struck his home region in 2012 . A magnitude 6.1 intraplate earthquake struck west of Visso on 26 October at 21:18 local time ( 19:18 UTC ) . The earthquake , which occurred two months after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in August , struck about to the northwest of the August earthquakes epicentre . The civil protection , however , estimated the consequences less dramatically than feared . According to official data , a man died because he had suffered a heart attack as a result of the quake . A third large , shallow earthquake of USGS preliminary magnitude 6.6 struck north of Norcia at 07:40 local time ( 06:40 UTC ) on 30 October . This quake was the largest in Italy in 36 years , since the 1980 Irpinia earthquake . The three earthquakes caused almost 100,000 homeless . Foreign affairs . During his premiership , Renzi faced several challenging foreign policy situations , such as the European debt crisis , the civil war in Libya , the Ukrainian Crisis and the insurgency of the Islamic State ( IS ) in the Middle East . Renzi formed a close relationship with US President Barack Obama , supporting the 2014 military intervention against IS with hundreds of Italian troops and four Panavia Tornado aircraft , and also supporting international sanctions against Russia after their invasion of East Ukraine . Renzi forged a positive relationship with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe , who praised the economic policies of the Renzi Government . A key ally of Renzi in the Mediterranean is Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ; the two leaders held many bilateral meetings where they discussed the problem of immigration to Italy and the increasing tensions in the Middle East and North Africa . In the European Union , Renzi has a close relationship with French President François Hollande and his Prime Minister Manuel Valls , especially with Valls , who saw Renzi as a model for his Third Way policies . Europe . Following the 2014 European Parliament elections , which saw the Democratic Party receive the highest number of votes of all the individual political parties contesting that election across the entire European Union , Renzi subsequently emerged as the most prominent leader of the European Socialists . This was in opposition to German Chancellor Angela Merkel , widely considered the de facto leader of the European Peoples Party and , according to some European Union analysts , the two leaders are together referred to as Merkenzi . Renzi and Merkel had many bilateral meetings , the first on 17 March 2014 in Berlin , just a few weeks after Renzis election as Prime Minister , where the two leaders discussed important reforms that the Italian Government planned to make both in Italy and in the EU . On 22 January 2015 , Merkel visited Renzi in his home city of Florence , where she publicly lauded the impressive reforms carried out by his government . On the following day the two leaders held a joint press conference in front of Michelangelos David . Renzi is seen as an ally of French President François Hollande of the Socialist Party . On 15 March 2014 Renzi met Hollande in Paris , agreeing with him a common economic policy focused not only on the austerity measures imposed by the so-called Troika of the European Commission , European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund , but also on more flexible policies to promote economic growth in the EU . Renzi is a close personal friend of French Prime Minister Manuel Valls , with the two leaders often regarded as being heirs of the Third Way politics espoused by the likes of Tony Blair . On 7 January 2015 , after the Islamic terrorist attack in Paris which caused the death of 17 people , Renzi expressed horror and dismay , offering his best wishes to the people of France and noting his close relationships with the French Prime Minister and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo . On 11 January , he joined more than 40 world leaders and three million people in the Republican March organised by President Hollande . Renzi built a constructive relationship with British Prime Minister David Cameron of the Conservative Party . During their first meeting on 1 April 2014 , Cameron stated that the reforms planned by Renzi were ambitious and that together the two men would be able to change the European Union . On the same day , Renzi also met former British Prime Minister Tony Blair , whom Renzi had previously called a political inspiration to him . On 2 October 2014 , Renzi held a press conference with Cameron in 10 Downing Street , with Cameron lauding their similar policies to reform the European Union and overcome the economic crisis . On 1 August 2014 , following his partys strong showing in the European Parliament elections , Renzi nominated his Foreign Minister , Federica Mogherini , as a candidate to be the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in the incoming-European Commission to be led by Jean-Claude Juncker , the former Prime Minister of Luxembourg . Mogherini was eventually successfully confirmed as the EU High Representative , ensuring that Italy controlled one of the two most senior posts in the Commission . In September , Renzi participated in the 2014 NATO Summit in Wales . Before the official start of the summit , he had discussions with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko , US President Barack Obama and the other three leaders of the European G4 to discuss the crisis with Russia . This summit was the first held after the Russian military intervention in Ukraine and the offensive by the Islamic State of the Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi . On 3 February 2015 , Renzi received newly elected Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of the Coalition of the Radical Left in Rome . The two leaders held a joint press conference expressing concerns about austerity measures imposed by the European Commission and stated that economic growth is the only way to solve the crisis . After the press conference , Renzi presented Tsipras with an Italian tie as a gift . Tsipras , who was notable for refusing to ever wear a tie , thanked Renzi and said he would wear the gift in celebration after Greece had successfully renegotiated the austerity measures . United States . Similar to his predecessors , Renzi continued the long-standing Italian policy of a close relationship with the United States , building a partnership with President Barack Obama . Italy supported the US in the military intervention against the Islamic State , and participated in the international sanctions against Russia following their invasion of East Ukraine . Renzi met Obama for the first time on 24 March 2014 , during the latters trip to Rome . Renzi also held a joint meeting with Obama , Pope Francis and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano . Obama stated afterwards that he had been impressed by the reforms Renzi wanted to undertake . Renzi himself said that he considered Obama an example for the policies he wanted to achieve . On 22 September , Renzi visited Silicon Valley , California . In San Francisco he met with young Italian emigrants who have created startups in the USA . He also visited the headquarters of Twitter , Google and Yahoo ! to hold talks with chief executives . Renzi was accompanied by former US Secretaries of State , Condoleezza Rice and George Shultz , and by the former American ambassador to Italy , Ronald P . Spogli . He later spoke at Stanford University as the guest of University President John L . Hennessy . The following day , Renzi spoke at a United Nations summit in New York City , focusing on the problem of climate change . Following the summit , Renzi met former US President Bill Clinton and his wife , former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton . At the end of his trip , Renzi participated in a reception hosted by Barack Obama . Renzi was received at the White House in April 2015 . He and President Obama discussed many issues , including Ukraine , Libya and ISIL . They discussed Europes economy , the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership , climate change and energy security . In October 2015 , the Italian Government announced that it would prolong its military presence in Afghanistan along with the US Army , in order to continue its security mission and prevent the rise of Islamist forces such as Al-Qaeda and ISIL . On 18 October 2016 , President Obama invited Renzi and his wife Agnese to attend an official state dinner at the White House . The two men held a joint press conference during which Obama , the dinner being his final state visit as president , commented that he had saved the best for last , and the two reiterated their support for one another . Asia . Renzi built up a close relations with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe ; the two Prime Ministers are both against austerity and they are reforming the constitutions of their countries . On 6 June 2014 , Renzi received Prime Minister Abe in Rome . Abe publicly congratulated Renzi for the economic and constitutional reforms being delivered by Renzis government . The two leaders also met in Tokyo in August 2015 and discussed about relations with China and the stability of East Asia . On 9 June , Renzi travelled to Hanoi , Vietnam to meet with President Trương Tấn Sang and Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng , as well as Communist Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng to sign economic treaties worth around 5 billion US dollars to the Italian economy . In doing so , Renzi became the first Italian Prime Minister to officially visit Vietnam since 1973 , when diplomacy first began between Italy and North Vietnam . During the visit Renzi placed a wreath in the mausoleum of the former North Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh . On 11 June , Renzi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing , who congratulated him for the important reforms being undertaken by his government . Xi also stated that China would continue co-operation with Italy ahead of Expo 2015 in Milan . Several months later in October , Renzi met with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang in Rome to sign twenty treaties worth a total of 8 billion euros . On 12 June , Renzi met Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana , where they discussed withdrawal of Italian troops from Afghanistan . On 18 November , Renzi travelled to Ashgabat , Turkmenistan , where with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow he signed a number of economic pacts securing increased gas supply . Africa . During his premiership , Renzi started a policy review led to the creation of the Italy-Africa initiative , which includes renewable energy co-operation and a new package of development aid in fields stretching from health care to culture ; counterterrorism has been a key part of his agenda , but the East Africa region is also important to stop the migration flows from there to Italy through North Africa , especially Libya . On 4 March , Renzi travelled to Tunisia , where he had a meeting with Mustapha Ben Jafar . With Jafar , Renzi discussed about the problem of illegal immigration to Italy from the coasts of North Africa . The trip to Tunisia was the first official one made by Renzi as Prime Minister of Italy . On 18 March 2015 , after the Bardo Museum attack in Tunis , in which 28 people died and four of whom were Italians , Renzi condemned the terrorist attack and said that Italy is close to the Tunisian government and people . On 19 July , Renzi started a major trip to Africa , meeting the Mozambique President Armando Guebuza . Renzi signed economic pacts to create investments by the Italian government-owned oil company Eni in the African country for 50 billion dollars . The following day he visited the Republic of Congo where he met President Denis Sassou Nguesso , with whom he signed a co-operation for the extraction of oil in the country . Some journalists criticised the meeting with Sassou Nguesso , who is considered one of the more corrupt dictators of Africa . Renzi later met with Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos in Luanda . During the visit , Renzi placed a memorial wreath in the mausoleum of the first Angolan President , Agostinho Neto . On 24 July , under the direction of Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini , the government worked for the release of Mariam Ibrahim , a Sudanese woman had been who sentenced to death for being a Christian . Thanks largely to the good relations between Sudan and Italy , Ibrahim was released and permitted to fly to Italy on a government plane . On 2 December , Renzi went to Algiers , where he met Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal . With the two leaders of the country , Renzi discussed the Libyan crisis , immigration from North Africa , and also about gas imports from Algeria as an alternative to Russian imports , following the tensions between the European Union and Russia . In January 2016 , Renzi continued his policy toward Africa ; the Prime Minister had a three-days trip in Nigeria , Ghana and Senegal . The main tasks of this diplomatic trip was the fight against the Islamic terrorism and the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean Sea ; with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari , Renzi signed an agreement on enhancing co-operation between the Nigerian and Italian Polices . Renzi has been one of the strongest supporters of the new Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and of his government of national union . In August 2016 the newspaper la Repubblica reported that dozens of Italian special forces were operating in Libya , for training and intelligence activities . These special forces were operating under the direct command of the Prime Ministers office . Russia . Russia had previously enjoyed a privileged relationship with Italy , particularly under the leadership of Silvio Berlusconi , who was a personal friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin . Following the Russian military intervention in Ukraine , however , relations worsened . On 2 March 2014 , Renzi accused Putin of having committed an unacceptable violation . On 19 March , during a speech to the Chamber of Deputies , Renzi stated that the Crimean status referendum was illegal and that the G8 countries must start co-operating to solve the crisis and prevent a return to the Cold War . In June , he subsequently participated in the G7 summit in Brussels , the first one held after the suspension of Russia from the G8 following the annexation of Crimea in March . Renzi phoned Putin on 28 August , asking him to stop the intolerable escalation and to reach a peace agreement with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to stop the pro-Russian conflict in that regions . Renzi and Putin also had a bilateral meeting on 16 October , when Renzi hosted the Asia–Europe Meeting ( ASEM ) in Milan with 53 other leaders of the world . On 15 November , during the G-20 summit in Brisbane , the two leaders had another meeting , where they discussed about the Ukrainian crisis , but also on the civil wars in Libya and Syria . On 5 March 2015 , Renzi met President Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow . The talks between the leaders was focused on international issues , such as settlement of the crisis in Ukraine , the situations in the Middle East and in Libya , as well as fighting terrorism . Putin guaranteed Russian support in case of a UN intervention in Libya against the Islamic State . Ahead of the bilateral meeting , Prime Minister Renzi visited and laid flowers at the Moscow bridge , near the Kremlin , on which the Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was murdered , a few days before . Through 2015 , Renzi became one of the main supporters of a reduction of international sanctions against Russia and the establishment of a political and military alliance between the Western countries and Russia against the terrorism of the Islamic State . Renzi questioned Nord Stream II , a new Russia-Germany natural gas pipeline , saying : I found it surprising that the South Stream project was blocked [ Balkan pipeline was cancelled by Russia in December 2014 following obstacles from EU ] , while now we are discussing a doubling up of Nord Stream . Middle East . On 2 August 2014 , Renzi met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo , holding talks about a variety of issues , including the Israel-Gaza conflict . Renzi stated that Italy would support the Egyptian truce proposal , with the two leaders calling for an immediate cease-fire and the beginning of peace negotiations . In making the visit , Renzi became the first Western leader to visit President el-Sisi since his election . On 15 January 2015 , after Islamic States conquests in Libya , Renzi conducted a long phone call with Sisi , to discuss the terrorist threat in the Mediterranean . The two leaders agreed that the next steps should be political and diplomatic efforts through the United Nations . On 11 July 2015 , a car bomb exploded outside the Italian consulate in Cairo , resulting in at least one death and four injured . ISIS claimed responsibility . The relations between Italy and Egypt dramatically worsened after the murder of Giulio Regeni , an Italian Cambridge University graduate student killed in Cairo following his abduction on 25 January 2016 . Giulio Regeni was a PhD student at Girton College , Cambridge , researching Egypts independent trade unions . Due to Regenis research activities and left-wing political leanings , the security services of el-Sisis government are strongly suspected of involvement in his murder , although Egypts media and government deny this and claim secret undercover agents belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood carried out the crime in order to embarrass the Egyptian government and destabilise relations between Italy and Egypt . On 20 August 2014 Renzi travelled to Iraq , in the midst of the insurgency led by the Islamic State . There he met with the Head of State , Fuad Masum , Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his immediate predecessor Nouri al-Maliki . On the same day , 20 August 2014 , Renzi travelled north to Erbil to meet the President of Iraqi Kurdistan , Masud Barzani , and Prime Minister Nechervan Barzani . Renzi later told an American journalist that what he witnessed during his trip to Iraq reminded him of the images of the Srebrenica massacre that had horrified him as a child . While Renzi was in Iraq , the Italian Parliament approved a proposal to arm the Peshmerga soldiers fighting against the Islamic State . On 23 September , during the 69th General Assembly of the United Nations , Renzi held a bilateral meeting with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan , at which they discussed climate change and increasing tensions in the Middle East . On 11 December Renzi travelled to Ankarafor a second meeting with Erdoğan , during which Renzi expressed his support for Turkish accession to the European Union . On the same day he met with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu . On 8 January 2015 , Renzi made his first official trip of the year , meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi to address issues of foreign and economic policy , including the Alitalia-Etihad deal . The two leaders discussed joint co-operation domains and enhancing trade exchange and co-operation in energy and aerospace . Renzi has had good relations with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas . On 21 and 22 July 2015 he visited first Jerusalem , where he met with Netanyahu and addressed the Knesset , and then Ramallah , where he met with Abbas . Renzi was the first leader to visit Israel after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action , the deal reached between international community and Iran . Whereas Netanyahu heavily criticised the deal , Renzi supported it , while stressing that Israels security is the security of Europe and mine as well . In January 2016 , Renzi met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Rome , the first visit to Italy by a President of Iran since 1999 . The two leaders signed business deals worth up to 17 billion euros . They also discussed the war against the Islamic State in the Middle East and Libya . On 13 and 14 April 2016 he became the first Western leader to visit Iran after the international agreement on the nuclear program of Iran . In Iran , Renzi met both President Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei . Latin America . After announcing an increase of Italian investment in Central and South America , in October 2015 Renzi undertook a number of official trips across the continent , travelling to Chile , Peru and Colombia . During his visit to Santiago , Renzi and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet launched a large number of renewable energy projects promoted by the Italian multinational Enel . Renzi also visited the European Southern Observatory of Paranal in the Atacama desert . During these trips , Renzi had numerous meetings with communities of Italian-born Latin Americans in these countries . In a surprise visit , returning from Latin America , on 28 October 2015 Renzi became the first Italian Prime Minister in history to make a state visit to Cuba . In doing so he also became the first G7 leader to meet Cuban President Raúl Castro following the 2015 normalisation of relations between the United States and Cuba . In February 2016 Renzi met Argentine President Mauricio Macri during a state visit to Buenos Aires ; Renzi became the first European leader to meet Macri after the 2015 presidential election and the first Italian Prime Minister since Romano Prodi in 1998 to visit Argentina . During his premiership , Renzi has also developed close relationship with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto . After the premiership ( 2016present ) . Following the defeat in the constitutional referendum and the subsequent resignation as Prime Minister , Renzi remained Secretary of the Democratic Party . As leader of the main party both in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic , he supported the new government led by his former Minister of Foreign Affairs Paolo Gentiloni , also a Democrat . 2017 leadership election and party split . On 19 February 2017 , during the PD National Assembly , Renzi resigned as Secretary of the party , announcing his candidacy for the next leadership election . A few days before he launched the movement In Cammino ( On the way ) in support of his candidacy . Contextually , a large portion of the partys internal left-wing , led by Enrico Rossi and Roberto Speranza , who were endorsed by former party leaders Massimo DAlema , Pier Luigi Bersani and Guglielmo Epifani , left the PD and founded the Democratic and Progressive Movement ( MDP ) , along with splinters from the Italian Left ( SI ) . On 6 March Matteo Renzi presented his electoral programme , in which he expressed his intention to renovate the party , Italy and Europe . He also announced an electoral ticket with the Agriculture Minister Maurizio Martina ; Martina would become Deputy Secretary and would probably lead the party if Renzi becomes Prime Minister again . From 10 to 12 March Renzi and his supporters participated in Lingotto 17 , a convention based in the district of Lingotto in Turin , where the Democratic Party was founded ten years before under the leadership of Walter Veltroni . During his speech he harshly condemned the Five Star Movement ( M5S ) , accused of being a populist party controlled by a private company , and Lega Nord , which uses fear to gain votes . Renzi attacked also European bureaucrats and proposed a primary election to appoint the Party of European Socialists candidate for the European Commission presidency and the direct election of the President . Among the notable participants of the pro-Renzi convention were Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni , current ministers like Pier Carlo Padoan , Dario Franceschini , Graziano Delrio , Marianna Madia , Roberta Pinotti and Secretary Maria Elena Boschi . Emma Bonino , historic Radical leader and former Foreign Affairs Minister , also participated in the rally . The other two candidates for the leadership election were President of Apulia Michele Emiliano and Minister of Justice Andrea Orlando . Emiliano is an outspoken former magistrate with strong support in the poor South , who was expected to join the dissidents in MDP but decided instead to challenge Renzi from within the mainstream party ; he is often described as a democratic socialist and populist politician . Orlando is a social democratic politician and a leading member of the party since the foundation . Orlando is often described as the candidate of the social democratic establishment of the party . After having won the vote by party members in March with almost 67% of votes , on 30 April , Renzi was re-elected Secretary of the party by a landslide with 69.2% of votes ; while Orlando received 19.9% and Emiliano 10.9% of votes . Second term as Secretary . After the rejection of the constitutional reform , the Parliament had to change the electoral law proposed by Renzis government ; in fact the so-called Italicum regulates only the election of the Chamber of Deputies , and not the one of the Senate , which , if the reform passed , would be indirectly elected by citizens . After the re-election as Secretary , Renzi proposed a new electoral law called Mattarellum bis , better known as Rosatellum , from the name of his main proponent Ettore Rosato , Democratic leader in the Chamber of Deputies . This electoral law was similar to the one which was applied in Italy from 1993 to 2004 . The Rosatellum used an additional member system , which act as a mixed system , with 36% of seats allocated using a first past the post electoral system and 64% using a proportional method , with one round of voting . The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies did not differ in the way they allocated the proportional seats , both using the DHondt method of allocating seats . The new electoral law was supported by PD and his government ally Popular Alternative , but also by the opposition parties Forza Italia and Lega Nord . Despite many protests from the Five Star Movement and the Democratic and Progressive Movement , the electoral law was approved on 12 October by the Chamber of Deputies with 375 votes in favor and 215 against , and on 26 October by the Senate with 214 votes against 61 . The electoral programme of the Democratic Party for the general election included , among the main points , the introduction of a minimum hourly wage of €10 , a measure that would affect 15% of workers , that is those workers who do not adhere to the national collective agreements ; a cut of the contributory wedge for permanent contracts ; a relocation allowance and an increase in subsidies for the unemployed ; a monthly allowance of €80 for parents for each minor child ; fiscal detraction of €240 for parents with children ; and the progressive reduction of IRPEF and IRES rates , respectively the Italian income tax and the corporate tax . Moreover , the PD advocated the re-launch of the process of European integration and federation , towards the formation of the United States of Europe . In the election , his centre-left coalition arrived third behind the centre-right alliance , in which Matteo Salvinis League was the main political force , and the Five Star Movement of Luigi Di Maio finished second . On 5 March , Renzi announced that the PD will be in opposition during this legislature and he will resign as secretary when a new cabinet is formed . Renzi officially resigned on 12 March during PDs national directorate , and his deputy secretary Martina was appointed acting leader . Leader of Italia Viva . In August 2019 , Deputy Prime Minister and Leagues leader , Matteo Salvini , announced a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte , after growing tensions within the majority . Many political analysts believe the no confidence motion was an attempt to force early elections to improve Legas standing in Parliament , ensuring Salvini could become the next Prime Minister . On 20 August , following the parliamentary debate at the Senate , in which Conte harshly accused Salvini of being a political opportunist who had triggered the political crisis only to serve his personal interest and stated this government ends here , the Prime Minister resigned his post to President Mattarella . Despite having always opposed it in the past , in August 2019 , Renzi strongly advocated the formation of a new government between the PD and the populist Five Star Movement . After days of tensions within the Democratic Party , on 28 August Nicola Zingaretti , the new PDs leader , announced his favorable position regarding a new government with the M5S , with Giuseppe Conte at its head . On same day , Mattarella summoned Conte to the Quirinal Palace for the 29 August to give him the task of forming a new cabinet . Renzi was seen by many political analysts and journalists as the real kingmaker of the new parliamentary majority . On 17 September , in an interview to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica , Renzi announced his intention to leave the PD , creating new parliamentary groups led by him . On the same day , interviewed by Bruno Vespa in his TV show Porta a Porta , he officially launched the political movement Italia Viva ( IV ) . Between December 2020 and January 2021 , discussions arose within the government coalition between Renzi and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte . Renzi called for radical changes to the governments economic recovery plans after the COVID-19 pandemic , and also demanded that Conte cede his mandate over the secret services coordination task . During his end-of-year press conference , Conte declined Renzis requests , asserting that he still had a majority in the Parliament . After a few days , Renzi threatened to pull back IVs two ministers , Teresa Bellanova and Elena Bonetti , from the upcoming Council of Minister , summoned to approve the Recovery Plan . On 13 January 2021 , during a press conference , Renzi announced the resignation of Italia Vivas ministers Bellanova and Bonetti , officially opening a government crisis . Elections . 2014 European election . In the European Parliament election held on 25 May 2014 , the first national election Renzi had faced since becoming Prime Minister , his Democratic Party won 40.8% of the vote with 11,203,231 votes , becoming by far the largest party in the country with 31 MEPs . The PD won the most votes of any single party across the whole of the European Union , won the largest number of MEPs for any single party , and became the largest group in the Socialists and Democrats European Parliament group . The Democratic Partys vote share was the best result for an Italian party in a nationwide election since the 1958 general election , when the Christian Democracy won 42.4% of the vote . The positive electoral result enabled Renzi to successfully nominate his Foreign Minister , Federica Mogherini , as the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy , ensuring that an Italian would occupy one of the EUs two most powerful political positions . 2015 presidential election . Giorgio Napolitano announced his immediate retirement as President of Italy on 14 January 2015 . Napolitano had been convinced to stand again as president following the political uncertainty generated by the 2013 general election , but had made it clear he would retire at some point before June 2015 . On 29 January , during the National Assembly of the Democratic Party , Renzi officially announced that he would endorse Sergio Mattarella , a judge on the Constitutional Court and a former Minister of Defence , as his candidate for the Italian presidential election to replace Napolitano . It had been thought , due to the high threshold a candidate requires in the first three rounds of balloting in a presidential election , that Renzi would be forced to seek a compromise candidate with Silvio Berlusconi . However , despite Berlusconis stringent opposition to Mattarella , Renzi instructed the Democratic Party to abstain from the first three rounds of balloting in an attempt to force a fourth ballot which required a far lower threshold for victory . Despite the risk this strategy involved , centrist parties announced at the last moment that they would support Mattarella on the fourth ballot , and he subsequently won the presidential election with 665 votes out of 1009 from Senators and Deputies . Renzi was able to secure his chosen candidates election by also unexpectedly securing last-minute support from the conservative New Centre-Right , the socialist Left Ecology Freedom and the liberal Civic Choice . 2016 constitutional referendum . After constitutional reforms had passed both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate multiple times , Renzi announced that he would hold a constitutional referendum on 4 December 2016 to seek approval for the changes ; whilst the reform was approved by a simple majority of the Parliament , it did not achieve the two-thirds necessary to avoid a referendum , as per Article 138 of the Italian Constitution . Voters were asked whether they approved of amending the Constitution to transform the Senate of the Republic into a Senate of Regions , with 100 members made up of regional councillors and mayors of large cities , akin to Germanys Bundesrat . The reform would diminish the size of the Italian senate from 315 to 100 , making all senators indirectly elected by regional councils and mayors . In addition , the reform makes it harder for the senate to veto legislation . Following early results which indicated that the No side was clearly ahead , Renzi conceded defeat and resigned . 2018 general election . The 2018 Italian general election was held on 4 March 2018 after the Italian Parliament was dissolved by President Sergio Mattarella on 28 December 2017 . Renzi led a centre-left coalition composed by his Democratic Party , the liberal More Europe of Emma Bonino , the centrist Popular Civic List of Beatrice Lorenzin and the progressive Together of Giulio Santagata . The centre-left was affected by a political schism , when many members of PDs left-wing faction , like Bersani , DAlema and Speranza , left the party founding another movement , known as Democrats and Progressives ( MDP ) ; in the election MDP run under the joint list Free and Equal led by Pietro Grasso . In March election , the centre-right alliance , in which Matteo Salvinis League emerged as the main political , won a plurality of seats in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate with 37.0% of votes , while the anti-establishment Five Star Movement led by Luigi Di Maio became the party with the largest number of votes ( 32.7% ) . Renzis centre-left coalition came only third with 22.9% of votes . However , no political group or party won an outright majority , resulting in a hung parliament . Political views . The nature of Renzis progressivism is a matter of debate and has been linked both to liberalism and populism . According to Maria Teresa Meli of Corriere della Sera , Renzi pursues a precise model , borrowed from the British Labour Party and Bill Clintons Democratic Party , comprising a strange mix ( for Italy ) of liberal policy in the economic sphere and populism . This means that , on one side , he will attack the privileges of trade unions , especially of the CGIL , which defends only the already protected , while , on the other , he will sharply attack the vested powers , bankers , Confindustria and a certain type of capitalism . The Telegraph referred to Renzi as a prominent centrist voice in Europe . Renzi has occasionally been compared to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for his political views . Renzi himself has previously cited Blair as an inspiration for him , and claims to be a supporter of Blairs ideology of the Third Way , which attempts to synthesise liberal economics and left-wing social policies . In an interview with the Italian talk show , Che tempo che fa , Renzi stated that his meeting with Bill and Hillary Clinton was the most interesting part of his trip to the United States , because he considered them as models of the progressive left-wing . In 2016 , Renzi endorsed Hillary Clintons campaign to be elected President of the United States , in an interview where he also expressed admiration for the policies of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama . Renzi is in favour of the recognition of civil unions for same-sex couples and stepchild adoptions , a situation which occurs when at least one parent has children , from a previous relationship , that are not genetically related to the other parent . For this Renzi was criticised by the participants of the Family Day , an anti-LGBT rights demonstration which took place three times in Italy ; the Prime Minister was accused of having changed his opinion about the recognition of same-sex couples . Renzi participated in the first Family Day in 2007 , while he was President of Florence Province and a member of the centrist The Daisy party . Renzi was sometimes described as the de facto leader of the Party of European Socialists , in opposition to the European Peoples Party associated with Angela Merkel ; the two leaders were together often referred to as Merkenzi . Public image . According to public opinion surveys in May 2014 , just after the European election , Renzis approval rating was 74% , the highest ever rating for an Italian politician serving as Prime Minister ( the highest absolute consensus , 84% was recorded in November 2011 by Professor Mario Monti , who presided over a technical , bipartisan government ) . His lowest approval in office was in June 2015 , with just over 35% , however upon leaving the office of Prime Minister , his approval rating shrank , arriving to 15% in 2020 . Italy is currently undergoing a wave of populism and post-modern leadership likened to Renzis style . As a master of telepolitics , Renzi uses his own skills and accomplishments as evidence of his ability to lead , promotes the Internet as a platform for democracy , and uses heavy emotional appeals along with relatable , persuasive language to advocate for his positions . In 2014 , Renzi was ranked as the third most influential person under 40 in the world by the American magazine Fortune , and in the Top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy . Both as Prime Minister and Mayor of Florence , Renzi has been renowned as an assiduous user of social networks , especially Twitter where he is followed by more than two million people . Renzi cited his use of social networks as a contributing factor to his victory in the Democratic Party leadership election in 2013 . Renzi has stated that he is a fan of the American TV series House of Cards ; some journalists had noted similarities between the rise to power of the character Francis Underwood , played by Kevin Spacey , and the manner in which Renzi replaced Enrico Letta as Prime Minister in 2014 . This comparison surfaced in the media again when , in June 2015 , a phone conversation from January 2014 between Renzi and a general of the Finance Guard , Michele Adinolfi , was leaked to the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano . During the conversation , Renzi described Letta as incapable and told Adinolfi that he would replace him as Prime Minister , which would happen less than a month later . In December 2018 , Renzi presented a TV Series called Firenze secondo me ( Florence according to me ) , broadcast by Nove TV Channel . It is a historical and artistic documentary , in which Renzi presents the city of Florence , narrating historical events and showing the most famous sites of cultural interest , like Palazzo Vecchio , the Uffizi Gallery , the Vasari Corridor , the Basilica of Santa Croce , Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens . Personal life . In 1999 Renzi married Agnese Landini , a teacher , with whom he has three children : two sons , Francesco and Emanuele , and a daughter , Ester . The Renzi family are regular Mass-goers and are active in the Association of Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts , the largest scouting association in Italy . In addition to his native Italian , Renzi can also speak French and English . Renzi is an avid football fan and supports ACF Fiorentina , the team of his hometown Florence . At the 2014 local elections , his sister Benedetta was elected a municipal councillor for the Democratic Party in Castenaso , a small town near Bologna . Renzis father , Tiziano , was the city secretary of the Democratic Party for Rignano sullArno , near Florence , until March 2017 ; he was previously a municipal councillor for the Christian Democrats from 1985 to 1990 . Further reading . - Brighi , Elisabetta , and Lilia Giugni . Foreign Policy and the Ideology of Post-ideology : The Case of Matteo Renzis Partito Democratico . International Spectator 51.1 ( 2016 ) : 13–27 . online - Coticchia , Fabrizio , and Jason W . Davidson . Italian Foreign Policy During Matteo Renzis Government : A Domestically Focused Outsider and the World ( Rowman & Littlefield , 2019 ) . - Salvati , Eugenio . Matteo Renzi : a new leadership style for the Italian Democratic Party and Italian politics . Modern Italy 21.1 ( 2016 ) : 7-18 . External links . - Official website of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers - Renzis personal website - Renzi on his partys website
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Matteo Renzi Matteo Renzi , ( ; born 11 January 1975 ) is an Italian politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016 . He has been a Senator for Florence since 2018 . Renzi has been described as a centrist and as a liberal by political observers . Renzi has served as the leader of Italia Viva since 2019 , having been the Secretary of the Democratic Party from 2013 to 2018 , with a brief interruption in 2017 . After serving as the President of the Province of Florence from 2004 to 2009 and the Mayor of Florence from 2009 to 2014 , Renzi was elected Secretary of the Democratic Party in 2013 , becoming Prime Minister the following year . At the age of 39 years , Renzi became the youngest person to have served as Italian Prime Minister , and was at the time the youngest leader in the G7 . He was also the first serving Mayor to become Prime Minister . While in power , Renzis government implemented numerous reforms , including changes to the electoral system , a relaxation of labour and employment laws with the intention of boosting economic growth , a thorough reformation of the public administration , the simplification of civil trials , the introduction of same-sex civil unions and the abolition of many small taxes . After the rejection of his constitutional reform in the December 2016 referendum , Renzi formally resigned as Prime Minister on 12 December ; his Foreign Minister , Paolo Gentiloni , was appointed his replacement . He resigned as Secretary of the Democratic Party following defeat in the 2018 general election . In September 2019 , he left PD , founding Italia Viva , his own liberal movement . In 2021 , Renzi revoked IVs support to the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte , which brought down the government and resulted in the 2021 Italian government crisis . Early life . Renzi was born in 1975 in Florence , the second of four children . His father , Tiziano Renzi , was a small business owner and Christian Democratic municipal councillor in Rignano sullArno . Renzi grew up in an observant Catholic family in Rignano sullArno . He studied in Florence at the Classical Lyceum Dante Alighieri , where he passed his final exam with the grade of 60/60 but was nearly expelled because , as the students representative , he refused to withdraw a school newspaper in which there was harsh criticism of a maths teacher . During this time he was a Scout in the Association of Catholic Guides and Scouts of Italy ( AGESCI ) . In 1999 , he graduated from the University of Florence with a degree in law , with a thesis on Giorgio La Pira , the former Christian Democratic Mayor of Florence . He then went on to work for CHIL Srl , a marketing company focusing on leafleting owned by his family , co-ordinating the sales service of the newspaper La Nazione . During this time Renzi was also a football referee at amateur level and a futsal player . In 1994 , he participated as a competitor for five consecutive episodes in the television program La Ruota Della Fortuna ( a localised version of the U.S . game show Wheel of Fortune ) hosted by Mike Bongiorno , winning 48 million lire . Early political career . Renzis interest in politics began in high school . In 1996 he was one of the founders of the committee in support of Romano Prodis candidature as Prime Minister in the general election ; that same year he joined the centrist Italian Peoples Party , and became its Provincial Secretary in 1999 . In the same year he married Agnese Landini , with whom he later had three children . In 2001 , he joined Francesco Rutellis The Daisy party , composed by members of the disbanded Peoples Party . On 13 June 2004 he was elected President of Florence Province with 59% of the vote , as the candidate of the centre-left coalition . He was the youngest person to become President of an Italian Province . In the years as President of the Province , Renzi expressed his ideas against the political caste , and during his mandate he reduced taxes and decreased the number of the Provinces employees and managers . Mayor of Florence . After five years as the President of Florence Province , Renzi announced that he would seek election as the Mayor of Florence . On 9 June 2009 , Renzi , by now a member of the Democratic Party , won the election on a second round vote with 60% of the votes , compared to 40% for his opponent Giovanni Galli . As Mayor he halved the number of city councillors , installed 500 free WiFi access points across the city , reduced kindergarten waiting lists by 90% , and increased spending on social welfare programs and schools . One year after being sworn in as Mayor and with his popularity in national opinion polls increasing , Renzi organised a public meeting with another young party administrator , Debora Serracchiani , at Leopolda Station in Florence to discuss Italian politics , after stating that a complete change was also necessary in his party . Other prominent Democratic Party members who aligned themselves with Renzis programme were Matteo Richetti , President of the Regional Council of Emilia-Romagna , Davide Faraone , a regional councillor from the Sicilian Regional Assembly , and Giuseppe Civati , a prominent member of the Democratic Party in Lombardy and a member of the Lombard Regional Council . Following this public meeting , the Italian media gave Renzi the nickname il Rottamatore , or The Scrapper . In 2011 , Renzi organised a second public meeting , also in Florence , where he wrote down one hundred topics of discussion . During this time he began to be strongly criticised by other members of his party closer to the then-Secretary Pier Luigi Bersani , after his suggestion that Italian politicians of the same generation as then-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi should retire . In September 2012 , Renzi announced that he would seek to lead the centre-left coalition in the 2013 general election ; the other four candidates for that position were Pier Luigi Bersani , Secretary of the Democratic Party , Nichi Vendola , Leader of the Left Ecology Freedom , Laura Puppato , a Democratic Deputy from Veneto and Bruno Tabacci , Leader of the Democratic Centre . After the first round of the December election , Renzi gained 35.5% of the vote , finishing second behind Bersani and qualifying for the second ballot . Renzi eventually gained a total of 39% of the vote , against Bersanis 61% . During the subsequent campaign in the 2013 election in March , Renzi backed Bersani by organising large public rallies in his support in Florence , but come the election the Democratic Party only gained 25.5% of the vote , despite opinion polls placing the party at almost 30% . In April , during the elections for the President of the Republic , Renzi caused a minor controversy by openly criticising the candidacies of both Franco Marini and Anna Finocchiaro , two long-standing members of his Democratic Party . Party Secretary . Following the resignation of Pier Luigi Bersani in April 2013 , Renzi announced that he would stand for the position of Secretary of the Democratic Party . The PDs loss of seats led to party members doubts concerning Bersanis leadership abilities . Renzis impressive resume at such a young age , in combination with his reputation as a political outsider thanks to his scrapping , made him very electable in comparison . He was supported by a number of his former political opponents , such as former Party Secretaries Walter Veltroni and Dario Franceschini , Deputy Marina Sereni , MEP David Sassoli and Turin Mayor Piero Fassino . Other supporters of his included Deputies like Gianni Dal Moro , Francesco Sanna , Francesco Boccia , Lorenzo Basso and Enrico Borghi , all of whom were considered close to the newly elected Prime Minister Enrico Letta . The other two candidates for Party Secretary were Gianni Cuperlo , a Member of the Chamber of Deputies and former Secretary of the Italian Communist Youth Federation , and Giuseppe Civati , a left-wing-oriented Deputy from Lombardy and a former supporter of Renzi . In the December election , Renzi was elected with 68% of the popular vote , compared to 18% for Gianni Cuperlo and 14% for Giuseppe Civati . He became the new Secretary of the Democratic Party and the centre-lefts prospective candidate for Prime Minister . His victory was welcomed by Prime Minister Enrico Letta , who had been the Vice-Secretary of the party under Bersanis leadership . Throughout January and February 2014 there were multiple reports of persistent leadership tensions between Renzi and Prime Minister Letta . Many claimed that Renzi was pressuring Letta to resign in his favour , arguing that as he was now the leader of the Democratic Party he should be given the right to become Prime Minister . On 12 February , Letta acknowledged these rumours for the first time , publicly demanded that Renzi make his position clear . Renzi subsequently called a meeting of the Democratic Party leadership for the following evening . Just before the meeting took place , Renzi publicly called on Letta to resign and allow him to form a new government . Letta initially resisted the demand , but following a vote in favour of Renzis proposal during the meeting , which Letta did not attend , he announced that he would tender his resignation as Prime Minister on 14 February . Under Renzis leadership , the Democratic Party officially joined the Party of European Socialists ( PES ) as a full-time member on 28 February 2014 . Prime Minister of Italy ( 20142016 ) . On 17 January 2014 , while on air at Le invasioni barbariche on La7 TV channel , interviewed about the tensions between him and the Prime Minister Enrico Letta , Renzi tweeted #enricostaisereno ( Enrico dont worry ) to reassure his party colleague that he was not plotting anything against him . However , at a meeting on 13 February 2014 the Democratic Party leadership voted heavily in favour of Renzis call for a new government , a new phase and a radical programme of reform . Minutes after the Party backed the Renzi proposal by 136 votes to 16 , with two abstentions , Palazzo Chigi – the official residence of the Prime Minister – announced that Letta would travel to the Quirinale the following day to tender his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano . In an earlier speech , Renzi had paid tribute to Letta , saying that he was not intended to put him on trial . But , without directly proposing himself as the next Prime Minister , he said the Eurozones third-largest economy urgently needed a new phase and radical programme to push through badly-needed reforms . The motion he put forward made clear the necessity and urgency of opening a new phase with a new executive . Speaking privately to party leaders , Renzi said that Italy was at a crossroads and faced either holding fresh elections or a new government without a return to the polls . On 14 February , President Napolitano accepted Lettas resignation from the office of Prime Minister . Following Lettas resignation , Renzi formally received the task of forming a new government from President Napolitano on 17 February . Renzi held several days of talks with party leaders , all of which he broadcast live on the internet , before unveiling his Cabinet on 21 February , which contained members of his Democratic Party , the New Centre-Right , the Union of the Centre and the Civic Choice . His Cabinet became Italys youngest government to date , with an average age of 47 . It was also the first in which the number of female ministers was equal to the number of male ministers , excluding the Prime Minister . The following day , Renzi was formally sworn in as Prime Minister , becoming the fourth Prime Minister in four years and the youngest Prime Minister in the history of Italy . His rise to become Prime Minister was widely seen as a sign of much-needed generational change , and at the time he took office he enjoyed by far the highest approval rating of any politician in the country . On 25 February Renzi won a vote of confidence in the Italian Parliament , with 169 votes in the Senate and 378 in the Chamber of Deputies . On 7 February 2015 , after just under a year in power , five senators and two deputies from the Civic Choice defected to the Democratic Party , citing the leadership of Renzi as Prime Minister as the primary reason for their decision to change parties . On 20 March 2015 , Prime Minister Renzi briefly became ad interim Minister of Infrastructure and Transport following the resignation of Maurizio Lupi , due to a corruption scandal involving public works on infrastructure in which his name had been cited several times . Renzi held the office on an unofficial basis until 2 April , when Graziano Delrio was appointed as the new Minister . On 4 December 2016 , after the failure of the referendum he proposed , announced his resignation . On 7 December 2016 , Renzi officially handed over the resignation to the President Sergio Mattarella . Domestic policy . Labour reform . Upon becoming Prime Minister , Renzi said that long-overdue labour market reform would be at the top of his agenda to improve the state of the Italian economy . On 12 March 2014 , the Cabinet issued a law-decree on fixed-term contracts , called the Poletti Decree , from the name of the Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti , as well as a bill proposing major reforms to the Italian labour market called the Jobs Act . A reduction in the tax burden of about €80 was announced for those earning less than €1,500 per month . On 30 April Renzi , together with the Minister for the Public Administration Marianna Madia , presented the guidelines for the reform of the Public Administration , subsequently approved by the Cabinet on 13 June . In September the government brought the Jobs Act before Parliament , which provided for , among other things , the abolition of Article 18 of the Workers Statute , which protected workers from unjustified dismissal . The proposal was heavily criticised by the largest Italian trade union , the General Confederation of Labour ( CGIL ) and its leaders Susanna Camusso and Maurizio Landini . Moreover , the left-wing of the Democratic Party , by then led by the former National Secretary Pier Luigi Bersani , criticised the government for the reform , threatening to vote against it . On 29 September , the National Committee of the Democratic Party voted to support the Jobs Act , despite the disagreements within the party , with 130 votes in favour , 20 against and 11 abstaining . On 9 October the Italian Senate voted to approve the Jobs Act , and the landmark reform passed with 165 votes in favour to 111 against , marking the first step for the most ambitious economic legislation of the eight-month-old government . Before the vote Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti was forced to cut his speech short due to the loud protests of the Five Star Movement and Lega Nord oppositions , some of whom threw coins and papers . German Chancellor Angela Merkel , who was visiting Milan and had been among the most vocal politicians regarding Italys need for speedy economic reforms , said the labour law marked an important step to reduce employment barriers in the Eurozones third-largest economy . On 25 October , almost one million people took part in a mass protest in Rome , organised by the CGIL in opposition to the labour reforms of the government . Some high-profile members of the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party , including Gianni Cuperlo , Stefano Fassina and Pippo Civati , also participated in the protest . On 8 November more than 100,000 public employees protested in Rome in a demonstration organised by the three largest trade unions in the country , the CGIL , the CISL and the UIL . On 25 November , the Chamber of Deputies approved the Jobs Act with 316 votes , but the Five Star , Lega Nord and almost forty members of the Democratic Party abstained from the vote to protest against the reform . On 3 December the Senate gave the Jobs Act the final approval it needed to become law . Economic policies . In March 2014 the Cabinet approved the auctioning of a large number of luxury cars that were used to transport heads of state , including nine Maseratis , two Jaguars , and various other cars such as BMWs and Alfa Romeos . Out of the 1,500 cars put up for sale , 170 sold immediately over eBay . In April , as part of his wider industrial reforms , Renzi forced the chief executives of Italys biggest state-owned companies , including Eni , Terna , Finmeccanica , Enel and Poste Italiane , to resign , citing a lack of public confidence in their leadership . He subsequently appointed women to the majority of new positions , making it the first time any woman had served as a chief executive of a state-owned company in Italy . In 2014 , his cabinet introduced the so-called Renzi bonus , a monthly allowance of €80 , recognized to holders of a total annual income not exceeding €24,600 . The bonus , whose aim was to relaunch expenditures , was heavily criticised by opposition , which labeled it as an electoral baksheesh for the 2014 European election . On 1 August , Renzi launched law-decree called Unblock Italy , which was intended to facilitate the implementation of major projects , civil works and infrastructure that were suspended at the time , as well as achieving further administrative simplification . The centre of this was the Millegiorni , or the Thousand Days Programme . On 1 September Renzi launched the website passodopopasso.italia.it , which would allow citizens to monitor the progress of the Millegiorni . Later , on 9 October , Renzi presented his first Finance Bill ( Legge di Stabilità ) , which was approved by the European Commission on 28 October . In February 2015 , with the economy continuing to stagnate , the Government announced a plan to abolish rules that limit cooperative lenders shareholders to one vote each at shareholder meetings regardless of the size of their holdings . The European Commission subsequently forecast that the Italian economy would begin to grow by the spring . The Government also announced the abolition of IRAP , a regional tax on production activities and , discussing the 2016 Finance Bill , Renzi further promised to cancel IRPEF , IMU and TASI , taxes on individuals , public services and residences . In May 2015 the economy recorded growth of 0.3% , finally ending the Italian triple-dip recession . In January 2016 , Renzi highlighted an additional 500,000 jobs that he claimed had been created through his policies . Constitutional reforms . Upon becoming Prime Minister , Renzi stated that one of his most important tasks was to achieve constitutional reforms . The Italian institutional framework had remained essentially unchanged since 1 January 1948 , when the Italian Constitution first came into force after being enacted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 December 1947 . The first stage of Renzis reform package aimed to abolish the so-called perfect bicameralism , which gave identical powers to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate ; the reforms would substantially decrease the membership and power of the Senate . Under the reforms : the Senates power to force the resignation of the Government by refusing to grant a vote of confidence would be removed ; only a few types of bills , including the constitutional bills , constitutional amendments , laws regarding local interests , referendums and the protection of linguistic minorities , would need to be passed by the Senate ; the Senate could only propose amendments to bills in some cases , with the Chamber of Deputies always having the final word ; and the membership of the Senate would be changed , with regional representatives appointed in a manner virtually identical to Germanys Bundesrat . On 11 March 2014 , the Chamber of Deputies approved both the plans to overhaul the Senate and the second stage of Renzis constitutional reforms , a flagship electoral reform law that would see Italys voting system overhauled . On 26 March , despite objections raised by several parties in the coalition , the Government won a vote in the Senate on the bill reforming the provinces , with 160 voting in favour and 133 against . On 6 May , the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Senate approved the Governments bill on the reform of the Senate . Due to the ambitious reforms that provided for the abolition of Senate , a new electoral law and an increase in the powers of the Prime Minister , Renzi was accused by politicians and constitutionalists like Stefano Rodotà or Fausto Bertinotti of being an authoritarian and anti-democratic leader . In April 2014 , Renzi proposed that Italy adopt what he called the Italicum voting system , a proportional representation system with a majority bonus for the party which obtained over 40% of the vote , in order to provide for stable and long-term government . To approve the new electoral law , which was opposed by the Five Star Movement and a minority of his own Democratic Party , Renzi gained the support of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi , who was still the leader of Forza Italia , despite having been expelled from the Senate due to his sentence for tax evasion . The alliance between Renzi and Berlusconi was named the Nazareno Pact , from the name of the street in Rome where the headquarters of the Democratic Party are located , where the two leaders met for the first time to discuss the reform . Renzi was harshly criticised by many within the Democratic Partys left-wing minority for the deal with Berlusconi , as well as by the Five Star Movement of Beppe Grillo who said the Nazareno Pact was the proof that there are no differences between the Italian centre-left and centre-right . Despite concern from some within the Democratic Party , the Italicum was given final approval by the Italian Senate on 27 January 2015 , thanks to support from Forza Italia Senators . On 28 April 2015 , concerned that the reform may not pass , Renzi announced he would hold a confidence vote to approve the electoral reform changes . The Five Star Movement , Forza Italia and some left-wing Democratic Party members strongly opposed this decision , with some seeking to draw comparisons between Renzi and Benito Mussolini . It would be only the third time that an electoral law was twinned with a confidence vote , after Mussolinis Acerbo law and Alcide De Gasperis Scam law . On 4 May the Chamber of Deputies finally approved Renzis flagship electoral changes with 334 votes for and 61 votes against , the latter including a faction of the PD . The reforms took full effect in July 2016 . Having easily passed the Chamber of Deputies on 11 March 2015 , in a first stage , the reforms to the Italian Senate that would see its power greatly diminished and membership drastically changed were finally passed by the Senate on 13 October 2015 . The vote was won by 176 votes to 16 , with a large number of senators abstaining from the vote in protest at having to vote on abolishing many of their own powers . The last vote was held on 12 April 2016 , when the Chamber finally approved the reform with 361 votes while all the oppositions abandoned the house . On 4 December 2016 , the reform was rejected in a constitutional referendum . Immigration . As a result of the Libyan and Syrian Civil Wars , a major problem faced by Renzi upon becoming Prime Minister in 2014 was the high levels of illegal immigration to Italy . 2014 saw an increase in the number of migrants rescued at sea being brought to southern Italian ports , with the increase in the number of migrants prompting criticism of Renzi by the anti-immigration Lega Nord , the Five Star Movement and Silvio Berlusconis Forza Italia party . On 8 August 2014 , the Cabinet approved a law-decree providing for the international protection of migrants . In November 2014 , Renzi ordered the Italian-run rescue option Operation Mare Nostrum to be replaced by Frontexs Operation Triton due to the refusal of several EU governments to fund it . In 2014 , 170,100 migrants arrived in Italy by sea , a 296% increase compared to 2013 . 141,484 of the travellers ferried over from Libya . Most of the migrants had come from Syria , Eritrea and various countries in West Africa . On 19 April 2015 , a huge shipwreck took place in the Mediterranean Sea , causing the death of more than 700 migrants from North Africa . Renzi , returning to Rome from a political event in Mantua for the regional elections , held an emergency meeting with ministers and spoke by telephone to French President François Hollande and Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat . The call led to an emergency meeting of European interior ministers to address the problem of migrant deaths . In a speech addressing immigration , the Italian Prime Minister condemned human trafficking as a new slave trade . From January to April 2015 , about 1,600 migrants died on the route from Libya to Lampedusa , making it the deadliest migrant route in the world . Same-sex unions . On 10 June 2015 , the Chamber of Deputies passed a motion obliging the Government to approve a bill regarding civil unions between same-sex couples . Previously all of the major parties in Italy had presented different motions on civil unions , which were all rejected except for the Democratic Partys , which also called for civil unions to be approved . Renzi had stated shortly before becoming Prime Minister that he favoured the introduction of civil unions for same-sex couples . In July 2015 , several days after the European Parliament passed a motion calling on all members of the European Union to recognise same-sex relationships , the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Italy was violating the Convention on Human Rights by not recognising same-sex couples right to family life . On 7 October 2015 , Renzi introduced a bill to Parliament that would establish same-sex civil unions and gender-neutral cohabitation agreements . The bill passed its first reading in the Senate a week later . Although Renzi secured the support of his Democratic Party and the main opposition Forza Italia party , many MPs from both criticised the bill . Despite the bill being put forward on a free vote , Renzi made it clear that he would tie the civil unions bill to a vote of confidence in his Government if it did not pass . Following months of public and parliamentary debate , on 25 February 2016 the Senate voted in favour of Renzis proposals to legalise civil unions , with 173 votes in favour and 71 against . An amendment known as the stepchild adoption provision that would have granted parental rights to a non-biological parent in a same-sex union was taken out of the bill at the last moment after it became clear a majority of senators did not support it . Although Renzi had expressed support for the amendment , the decision came after the Five Star Movement backed out of an agreement to pass it ; moreover , the amendment was opposed by the New Centre-Right . Renzi stated that the bills passage through the Senate was a victory for love , although he expressed disappointment that the adoption provision was not also adopted , and raised the possibility of introducing it in a separate bill at a later date . On 11 May 2016 , the Chamber of Deputies approved the final proposals , with 369 votes in favour and 163 against . Social policies . On 3 September 2014 during a press conference , Renzi announced an online consultation with students , teachers and citizens ahead of the major school reforms promoted by Education Minister Stefania Giannini . On 9 July 2015 , despite the opposition of an overwhelming majority of teachers and students alike to the actual design of the school reform , this was finally approved by the Chamber of Deputies , with 277 votes against 173 . On 15 December , during a ceremony at the Italian National Olympic Committee , Renzi officially launched the candidacy of Rome for the 2024 Summer Olympics . Renzi stated that , Our country too often seems hesitant . Its unacceptable not to try or to renounce playing the game . Sport in Italy is a way of life and a way of looking at the future . I dont know if we’ll make it , but the Olympic candidacy is one of the most beautiful things we can do for our kids , for us , for Italy . On 21 September 2016 , Mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi , a member of the Five Star Movement , told reporters the bid for the games would go no further . Raggi , having long been opposed to Rome hosting the games , cited ongoing financial troubles in the country as the main reason for cancelling the bid . She said hosting the games would be irresponsible and would only cause the city to fall into further debt . Universal Exposition . During Renzis premiership Milan hosted the Universal Exposition ; the themes were technology , innovation , culture and traditions concerning food . Participants to the Expo include 145 countries , three international organisations , several civil society organisations , several corporations and non-governmental organisations ( NGOs ) . The participants are hosted inside individual or grouped pavilions . The opening of the Expo on 1 May 2015 was met with protest from anti-austerity activists , black bloc , and anarchists caused criminal damage , resulting in the police using tear gas . Expo also created some tensions with the Holy See and the Italian government ; in fact Pope Francis condemned the concept of Expo , saying that it obeys the culture of waste and does not contribute to a model of equitable and sustainable development . As Vatican City invested €3 million to obtain its own pavilion at the event before his appointment to the papacy , Francis said that , although it is a good thing that the Church is involved in causes that battle hunger and promote cleaner energy , he stated that too much money was wasted on the Expo itself by Vatican City . 2016 earthquakes . At 03:36 CEST on 24 August 2016 , an earthquake measuring 6.2 on the moment magnitude scale struck Central Italy . The epicentre was close to Accumoli , in an area near the borders of the Umbria , Lazio , Abruzzo and Marche regions . The earthquake killed 298 people and left more than 4,500 homeless . On 1 September , Renzi appointed the former President of Emilia-Romagna Vasco Errani as Special Commissioner for Reconstruction . Errani had been already a Special Commissioner during the earthquake that struck his home region in 2012 . A magnitude 6.1 intraplate earthquake struck west of Visso on 26 October at 21:18 local time ( 19:18 UTC ) . The earthquake , which occurred two months after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in August , struck about to the northwest of the August earthquakes epicentre . The civil protection , however , estimated the consequences less dramatically than feared . According to official data , a man died because he had suffered a heart attack as a result of the quake . A third large , shallow earthquake of USGS preliminary magnitude 6.6 struck north of Norcia at 07:40 local time ( 06:40 UTC ) on 30 October . This quake was the largest in Italy in 36 years , since the 1980 Irpinia earthquake . The three earthquakes caused almost 100,000 homeless . Foreign affairs . During his premiership , Renzi faced several challenging foreign policy situations , such as the European debt crisis , the civil war in Libya , the Ukrainian Crisis and the insurgency of the Islamic State ( IS ) in the Middle East . Renzi formed a close relationship with US President Barack Obama , supporting the 2014 military intervention against IS with hundreds of Italian troops and four Panavia Tornado aircraft , and also supporting international sanctions against Russia after their invasion of East Ukraine . Renzi forged a positive relationship with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe , who praised the economic policies of the Renzi Government . A key ally of Renzi in the Mediterranean is Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ; the two leaders held many bilateral meetings where they discussed the problem of immigration to Italy and the increasing tensions in the Middle East and North Africa . In the European Union , Renzi has a close relationship with French President François Hollande and his Prime Minister Manuel Valls , especially with Valls , who saw Renzi as a model for his Third Way policies . Europe . Following the 2014 European Parliament elections , which saw the Democratic Party receive the highest number of votes of all the individual political parties contesting that election across the entire European Union , Renzi subsequently emerged as the most prominent leader of the European Socialists . This was in opposition to German Chancellor Angela Merkel , widely considered the de facto leader of the European Peoples Party and , according to some European Union analysts , the two leaders are together referred to as Merkenzi . Renzi and Merkel had many bilateral meetings , the first on 17 March 2014 in Berlin , just a few weeks after Renzis election as Prime Minister , where the two leaders discussed important reforms that the Italian Government planned to make both in Italy and in the EU . On 22 January 2015 , Merkel visited Renzi in his home city of Florence , where she publicly lauded the impressive reforms carried out by his government . On the following day the two leaders held a joint press conference in front of Michelangelos David . Renzi is seen as an ally of French President François Hollande of the Socialist Party . On 15 March 2014 Renzi met Hollande in Paris , agreeing with him a common economic policy focused not only on the austerity measures imposed by the so-called Troika of the European Commission , European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund , but also on more flexible policies to promote economic growth in the EU . Renzi is a close personal friend of French Prime Minister Manuel Valls , with the two leaders often regarded as being heirs of the Third Way politics espoused by the likes of Tony Blair . On 7 January 2015 , after the Islamic terrorist attack in Paris which caused the death of 17 people , Renzi expressed horror and dismay , offering his best wishes to the people of France and noting his close relationships with the French Prime Minister and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo . On 11 January , he joined more than 40 world leaders and three million people in the Republican March organised by President Hollande . Renzi built a constructive relationship with British Prime Minister David Cameron of the Conservative Party . During their first meeting on 1 April 2014 , Cameron stated that the reforms planned by Renzi were ambitious and that together the two men would be able to change the European Union . On the same day , Renzi also met former British Prime Minister Tony Blair , whom Renzi had previously called a political inspiration to him . On 2 October 2014 , Renzi held a press conference with Cameron in 10 Downing Street , with Cameron lauding their similar policies to reform the European Union and overcome the economic crisis . On 1 August 2014 , following his partys strong showing in the European Parliament elections , Renzi nominated his Foreign Minister , Federica Mogherini , as a candidate to be the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in the incoming-European Commission to be led by Jean-Claude Juncker , the former Prime Minister of Luxembourg . Mogherini was eventually successfully confirmed as the EU High Representative , ensuring that Italy controlled one of the two most senior posts in the Commission . In September , Renzi participated in the 2014 NATO Summit in Wales . Before the official start of the summit , he had discussions with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko , US President Barack Obama and the other three leaders of the European G4 to discuss the crisis with Russia . This summit was the first held after the Russian military intervention in Ukraine and the offensive by the Islamic State of the Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi . On 3 February 2015 , Renzi received newly elected Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of the Coalition of the Radical Left in Rome . The two leaders held a joint press conference expressing concerns about austerity measures imposed by the European Commission and stated that economic growth is the only way to solve the crisis . After the press conference , Renzi presented Tsipras with an Italian tie as a gift . Tsipras , who was notable for refusing to ever wear a tie , thanked Renzi and said he would wear the gift in celebration after Greece had successfully renegotiated the austerity measures . United States . Similar to his predecessors , Renzi continued the long-standing Italian policy of a close relationship with the United States , building a partnership with President Barack Obama . Italy supported the US in the military intervention against the Islamic State , and participated in the international sanctions against Russia following their invasion of East Ukraine . Renzi met Obama for the first time on 24 March 2014 , during the latters trip to Rome . Renzi also held a joint meeting with Obama , Pope Francis and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano . Obama stated afterwards that he had been impressed by the reforms Renzi wanted to undertake . Renzi himself said that he considered Obama an example for the policies he wanted to achieve . On 22 September , Renzi visited Silicon Valley , California . In San Francisco he met with young Italian emigrants who have created startups in the USA . He also visited the headquarters of Twitter , Google and Yahoo ! to hold talks with chief executives . Renzi was accompanied by former US Secretaries of State , Condoleezza Rice and George Shultz , and by the former American ambassador to Italy , Ronald P . Spogli . He later spoke at Stanford University as the guest of University President John L . Hennessy . The following day , Renzi spoke at a United Nations summit in New York City , focusing on the problem of climate change . Following the summit , Renzi met former US President Bill Clinton and his wife , former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton . At the end of his trip , Renzi participated in a reception hosted by Barack Obama . Renzi was received at the White House in April 2015 . He and President Obama discussed many issues , including Ukraine , Libya and ISIL . They discussed Europes economy , the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership , climate change and energy security . In October 2015 , the Italian Government announced that it would prolong its military presence in Afghanistan along with the US Army , in order to continue its security mission and prevent the rise of Islamist forces such as Al-Qaeda and ISIL . On 18 October 2016 , President Obama invited Renzi and his wife Agnese to attend an official state dinner at the White House . The two men held a joint press conference during which Obama , the dinner being his final state visit as president , commented that he had saved the best for last , and the two reiterated their support for one another . Asia . Renzi built up a close relations with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe ; the two Prime Ministers are both against austerity and they are reforming the constitutions of their countries . On 6 June 2014 , Renzi received Prime Minister Abe in Rome . Abe publicly congratulated Renzi for the economic and constitutional reforms being delivered by Renzis government . The two leaders also met in Tokyo in August 2015 and discussed about relations with China and the stability of East Asia . On 9 June , Renzi travelled to Hanoi , Vietnam to meet with President Trương Tấn Sang and Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng , as well as Communist Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng to sign economic treaties worth around 5 billion US dollars to the Italian economy . In doing so , Renzi became the first Italian Prime Minister to officially visit Vietnam since 1973 , when diplomacy first began between Italy and North Vietnam . During the visit Renzi placed a wreath in the mausoleum of the former North Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh . On 11 June , Renzi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing , who congratulated him for the important reforms being undertaken by his government . Xi also stated that China would continue co-operation with Italy ahead of Expo 2015 in Milan . Several months later in October , Renzi met with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang in Rome to sign twenty treaties worth a total of 8 billion euros . On 12 June , Renzi met Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana , where they discussed withdrawal of Italian troops from Afghanistan . On 18 November , Renzi travelled to Ashgabat , Turkmenistan , where with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow he signed a number of economic pacts securing increased gas supply . Africa . During his premiership , Renzi started a policy review led to the creation of the Italy-Africa initiative , which includes renewable energy co-operation and a new package of development aid in fields stretching from health care to culture ; counterterrorism has been a key part of his agenda , but the East Africa region is also important to stop the migration flows from there to Italy through North Africa , especially Libya . On 4 March , Renzi travelled to Tunisia , where he had a meeting with Mustapha Ben Jafar . With Jafar , Renzi discussed about the problem of illegal immigration to Italy from the coasts of North Africa . The trip to Tunisia was the first official one made by Renzi as Prime Minister of Italy . On 18 March 2015 , after the Bardo Museum attack in Tunis , in which 28 people died and four of whom were Italians , Renzi condemned the terrorist attack and said that Italy is close to the Tunisian government and people . On 19 July , Renzi started a major trip to Africa , meeting the Mozambique President Armando Guebuza . Renzi signed economic pacts to create investments by the Italian government-owned oil company Eni in the African country for 50 billion dollars . The following day he visited the Republic of Congo where he met President Denis Sassou Nguesso , with whom he signed a co-operation for the extraction of oil in the country . Some journalists criticised the meeting with Sassou Nguesso , who is considered one of the more corrupt dictators of Africa . Renzi later met with Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos in Luanda . During the visit , Renzi placed a memorial wreath in the mausoleum of the first Angolan President , Agostinho Neto . On 24 July , under the direction of Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini , the government worked for the release of Mariam Ibrahim , a Sudanese woman had been who sentenced to death for being a Christian . Thanks largely to the good relations between Sudan and Italy , Ibrahim was released and permitted to fly to Italy on a government plane . On 2 December , Renzi went to Algiers , where he met Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal . With the two leaders of the country , Renzi discussed the Libyan crisis , immigration from North Africa , and also about gas imports from Algeria as an alternative to Russian imports , following the tensions between the European Union and Russia . In January 2016 , Renzi continued his policy toward Africa ; the Prime Minister had a three-days trip in Nigeria , Ghana and Senegal . The main tasks of this diplomatic trip was the fight against the Islamic terrorism and the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean Sea ; with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari , Renzi signed an agreement on enhancing co-operation between the Nigerian and Italian Polices . Renzi has been one of the strongest supporters of the new Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and of his government of national union . In August 2016 the newspaper la Repubblica reported that dozens of Italian special forces were operating in Libya , for training and intelligence activities . These special forces were operating under the direct command of the Prime Ministers office . Russia . Russia had previously enjoyed a privileged relationship with Italy , particularly under the leadership of Silvio Berlusconi , who was a personal friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin . Following the Russian military intervention in Ukraine , however , relations worsened . On 2 March 2014 , Renzi accused Putin of having committed an unacceptable violation . On 19 March , during a speech to the Chamber of Deputies , Renzi stated that the Crimean status referendum was illegal and that the G8 countries must start co-operating to solve the crisis and prevent a return to the Cold War . In June , he subsequently participated in the G7 summit in Brussels , the first one held after the suspension of Russia from the G8 following the annexation of Crimea in March . Renzi phoned Putin on 28 August , asking him to stop the intolerable escalation and to reach a peace agreement with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to stop the pro-Russian conflict in that regions . Renzi and Putin also had a bilateral meeting on 16 October , when Renzi hosted the Asia–Europe Meeting ( ASEM ) in Milan with 53 other leaders of the world . On 15 November , during the G-20 summit in Brisbane , the two leaders had another meeting , where they discussed about the Ukrainian crisis , but also on the civil wars in Libya and Syria . On 5 March 2015 , Renzi met President Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow . The talks between the leaders was focused on international issues , such as settlement of the crisis in Ukraine , the situations in the Middle East and in Libya , as well as fighting terrorism . Putin guaranteed Russian support in case of a UN intervention in Libya against the Islamic State . Ahead of the bilateral meeting , Prime Minister Renzi visited and laid flowers at the Moscow bridge , near the Kremlin , on which the Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was murdered , a few days before . Through 2015 , Renzi became one of the main supporters of a reduction of international sanctions against Russia and the establishment of a political and military alliance between the Western countries and Russia against the terrorism of the Islamic State . Renzi questioned Nord Stream II , a new Russia-Germany natural gas pipeline , saying : I found it surprising that the South Stream project was blocked [ Balkan pipeline was cancelled by Russia in December 2014 following obstacles from EU ] , while now we are discussing a doubling up of Nord Stream . Middle East . On 2 August 2014 , Renzi met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo , holding talks about a variety of issues , including the Israel-Gaza conflict . Renzi stated that Italy would support the Egyptian truce proposal , with the two leaders calling for an immediate cease-fire and the beginning of peace negotiations . In making the visit , Renzi became the first Western leader to visit President el-Sisi since his election . On 15 January 2015 , after Islamic States conquests in Libya , Renzi conducted a long phone call with Sisi , to discuss the terrorist threat in the Mediterranean . The two leaders agreed that the next steps should be political and diplomatic efforts through the United Nations . On 11 July 2015 , a car bomb exploded outside the Italian consulate in Cairo , resulting in at least one death and four injured . ISIS claimed responsibility . The relations between Italy and Egypt dramatically worsened after the murder of Giulio Regeni , an Italian Cambridge University graduate student killed in Cairo following his abduction on 25 January 2016 . Giulio Regeni was a PhD student at Girton College , Cambridge , researching Egypts independent trade unions . Due to Regenis research activities and left-wing political leanings , the security services of el-Sisis government are strongly suspected of involvement in his murder , although Egypts media and government deny this and claim secret undercover agents belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood carried out the crime in order to embarrass the Egyptian government and destabilise relations between Italy and Egypt . On 20 August 2014 Renzi travelled to Iraq , in the midst of the insurgency led by the Islamic State . There he met with the Head of State , Fuad Masum , Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his immediate predecessor Nouri al-Maliki . On the same day , 20 August 2014 , Renzi travelled north to Erbil to meet the President of Iraqi Kurdistan , Masud Barzani , and Prime Minister Nechervan Barzani . Renzi later told an American journalist that what he witnessed during his trip to Iraq reminded him of the images of the Srebrenica massacre that had horrified him as a child . While Renzi was in Iraq , the Italian Parliament approved a proposal to arm the Peshmerga soldiers fighting against the Islamic State . On 23 September , during the 69th General Assembly of the United Nations , Renzi held a bilateral meeting with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan , at which they discussed climate change and increasing tensions in the Middle East . On 11 December Renzi travelled to Ankarafor a second meeting with Erdoğan , during which Renzi expressed his support for Turkish accession to the European Union . On the same day he met with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu . On 8 January 2015 , Renzi made his first official trip of the year , meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi to address issues of foreign and economic policy , including the Alitalia-Etihad deal . The two leaders discussed joint co-operation domains and enhancing trade exchange and co-operation in energy and aerospace . Renzi has had good relations with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas . On 21 and 22 July 2015 he visited first Jerusalem , where he met with Netanyahu and addressed the Knesset , and then Ramallah , where he met with Abbas . Renzi was the first leader to visit Israel after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action , the deal reached between international community and Iran . Whereas Netanyahu heavily criticised the deal , Renzi supported it , while stressing that Israels security is the security of Europe and mine as well . In January 2016 , Renzi met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Rome , the first visit to Italy by a President of Iran since 1999 . The two leaders signed business deals worth up to 17 billion euros . They also discussed the war against the Islamic State in the Middle East and Libya . On 13 and 14 April 2016 he became the first Western leader to visit Iran after the international agreement on the nuclear program of Iran . In Iran , Renzi met both President Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei . Latin America . After announcing an increase of Italian investment in Central and South America , in October 2015 Renzi undertook a number of official trips across the continent , travelling to Chile , Peru and Colombia . During his visit to Santiago , Renzi and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet launched a large number of renewable energy projects promoted by the Italian multinational Enel . Renzi also visited the European Southern Observatory of Paranal in the Atacama desert . During these trips , Renzi had numerous meetings with communities of Italian-born Latin Americans in these countries . In a surprise visit , returning from Latin America , on 28 October 2015 Renzi became the first Italian Prime Minister in history to make a state visit to Cuba . In doing so he also became the first G7 leader to meet Cuban President Raúl Castro following the 2015 normalisation of relations between the United States and Cuba . In February 2016 Renzi met Argentine President Mauricio Macri during a state visit to Buenos Aires ; Renzi became the first European leader to meet Macri after the 2015 presidential election and the first Italian Prime Minister since Romano Prodi in 1998 to visit Argentina . During his premiership , Renzi has also developed close relationship with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto . After the premiership ( 2016present ) . Following the defeat in the constitutional referendum and the subsequent resignation as Prime Minister , Renzi remained Secretary of the Democratic Party . As leader of the main party both in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic , he supported the new government led by his former Minister of Foreign Affairs Paolo Gentiloni , also a Democrat . 2017 leadership election and party split . On 19 February 2017 , during the PD National Assembly , Renzi resigned as Secretary of the party , announcing his candidacy for the next leadership election . A few days before he launched the movement In Cammino ( On the way ) in support of his candidacy . Contextually , a large portion of the partys internal left-wing , led by Enrico Rossi and Roberto Speranza , who were endorsed by former party leaders Massimo DAlema , Pier Luigi Bersani and Guglielmo Epifani , left the PD and founded the Democratic and Progressive Movement ( MDP ) , along with splinters from the Italian Left ( SI ) . On 6 March Matteo Renzi presented his electoral programme , in which he expressed his intention to renovate the party , Italy and Europe . He also announced an electoral ticket with the Agriculture Minister Maurizio Martina ; Martina would become Deputy Secretary and would probably lead the party if Renzi becomes Prime Minister again . From 10 to 12 March Renzi and his supporters participated in Lingotto 17 , a convention based in the district of Lingotto in Turin , where the Democratic Party was founded ten years before under the leadership of Walter Veltroni . During his speech he harshly condemned the Five Star Movement ( M5S ) , accused of being a populist party controlled by a private company , and Lega Nord , which uses fear to gain votes . Renzi attacked also European bureaucrats and proposed a primary election to appoint the Party of European Socialists candidate for the European Commission presidency and the direct election of the President . Among the notable participants of the pro-Renzi convention were Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni , current ministers like Pier Carlo Padoan , Dario Franceschini , Graziano Delrio , Marianna Madia , Roberta Pinotti and Secretary Maria Elena Boschi . Emma Bonino , historic Radical leader and former Foreign Affairs Minister , also participated in the rally . The other two candidates for the leadership election were President of Apulia Michele Emiliano and Minister of Justice Andrea Orlando . Emiliano is an outspoken former magistrate with strong support in the poor South , who was expected to join the dissidents in MDP but decided instead to challenge Renzi from within the mainstream party ; he is often described as a democratic socialist and populist politician . Orlando is a social democratic politician and a leading member of the party since the foundation . Orlando is often described as the candidate of the social democratic establishment of the party . After having won the vote by party members in March with almost 67% of votes , on 30 April , Renzi was re-elected Secretary of the party by a landslide with 69.2% of votes ; while Orlando received 19.9% and Emiliano 10.9% of votes . Second term as Secretary . After the rejection of the constitutional reform , the Parliament had to change the electoral law proposed by Renzis government ; in fact the so-called Italicum regulates only the election of the Chamber of Deputies , and not the one of the Senate , which , if the reform passed , would be indirectly elected by citizens . After the re-election as Secretary , Renzi proposed a new electoral law called Mattarellum bis , better known as Rosatellum , from the name of his main proponent Ettore Rosato , Democratic leader in the Chamber of Deputies . This electoral law was similar to the one which was applied in Italy from 1993 to 2004 . The Rosatellum used an additional member system , which act as a mixed system , with 36% of seats allocated using a first past the post electoral system and 64% using a proportional method , with one round of voting . The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies did not differ in the way they allocated the proportional seats , both using the DHondt method of allocating seats . The new electoral law was supported by PD and his government ally Popular Alternative , but also by the opposition parties Forza Italia and Lega Nord . Despite many protests from the Five Star Movement and the Democratic and Progressive Movement , the electoral law was approved on 12 October by the Chamber of Deputies with 375 votes in favor and 215 against , and on 26 October by the Senate with 214 votes against 61 . The electoral programme of the Democratic Party for the general election included , among the main points , the introduction of a minimum hourly wage of €10 , a measure that would affect 15% of workers , that is those workers who do not adhere to the national collective agreements ; a cut of the contributory wedge for permanent contracts ; a relocation allowance and an increase in subsidies for the unemployed ; a monthly allowance of €80 for parents for each minor child ; fiscal detraction of €240 for parents with children ; and the progressive reduction of IRPEF and IRES rates , respectively the Italian income tax and the corporate tax . Moreover , the PD advocated the re-launch of the process of European integration and federation , towards the formation of the United States of Europe . In the election , his centre-left coalition arrived third behind the centre-right alliance , in which Matteo Salvinis League was the main political force , and the Five Star Movement of Luigi Di Maio finished second . On 5 March , Renzi announced that the PD will be in opposition during this legislature and he will resign as secretary when a new cabinet is formed . Renzi officially resigned on 12 March during PDs national directorate , and his deputy secretary Martina was appointed acting leader . Leader of Italia Viva . In August 2019 , Deputy Prime Minister and Leagues leader , Matteo Salvini , announced a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte , after growing tensions within the majority . Many political analysts believe the no confidence motion was an attempt to force early elections to improve Legas standing in Parliament , ensuring Salvini could become the next Prime Minister . On 20 August , following the parliamentary debate at the Senate , in which Conte harshly accused Salvini of being a political opportunist who had triggered the political crisis only to serve his personal interest and stated this government ends here , the Prime Minister resigned his post to President Mattarella . Despite having always opposed it in the past , in August 2019 , Renzi strongly advocated the formation of a new government between the PD and the populist Five Star Movement . After days of tensions within the Democratic Party , on 28 August Nicola Zingaretti , the new PDs leader , announced his favorable position regarding a new government with the M5S , with Giuseppe Conte at its head . On same day , Mattarella summoned Conte to the Quirinal Palace for the 29 August to give him the task of forming a new cabinet . Renzi was seen by many political analysts and journalists as the real kingmaker of the new parliamentary majority . On 17 September , in an interview to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica , Renzi announced his intention to leave the PD , creating new parliamentary groups led by him . On the same day , interviewed by Bruno Vespa in his TV show Porta a Porta , he officially launched the political movement Italia Viva ( IV ) . Between December 2020 and January 2021 , discussions arose within the government coalition between Renzi and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte . Renzi called for radical changes to the governments economic recovery plans after the COVID-19 pandemic , and also demanded that Conte cede his mandate over the secret services coordination task . During his end-of-year press conference , Conte declined Renzis requests , asserting that he still had a majority in the Parliament . After a few days , Renzi threatened to pull back IVs two ministers , Teresa Bellanova and Elena Bonetti , from the upcoming Council of Minister , summoned to approve the Recovery Plan . On 13 January 2021 , during a press conference , Renzi announced the resignation of Italia Vivas ministers Bellanova and Bonetti , officially opening a government crisis . Elections . 2014 European election . In the European Parliament election held on 25 May 2014 , the first national election Renzi had faced since becoming Prime Minister , his Democratic Party won 40.8% of the vote with 11,203,231 votes , becoming by far the largest party in the country with 31 MEPs . The PD won the most votes of any single party across the whole of the European Union , won the largest number of MEPs for any single party , and became the largest group in the Socialists and Democrats European Parliament group . The Democratic Partys vote share was the best result for an Italian party in a nationwide election since the 1958 general election , when the Christian Democracy won 42.4% of the vote . The positive electoral result enabled Renzi to successfully nominate his Foreign Minister , Federica Mogherini , as the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy , ensuring that an Italian would occupy one of the EUs two most powerful political positions . 2015 presidential election . Giorgio Napolitano announced his immediate retirement as President of Italy on 14 January 2015 . Napolitano had been convinced to stand again as president following the political uncertainty generated by the 2013 general election , but had made it clear he would retire at some point before June 2015 . On 29 January , during the National Assembly of the Democratic Party , Renzi officially announced that he would endorse Sergio Mattarella , a judge on the Constitutional Court and a former Minister of Defence , as his candidate for the Italian presidential election to replace Napolitano . It had been thought , due to the high threshold a candidate requires in the first three rounds of balloting in a presidential election , that Renzi would be forced to seek a compromise candidate with Silvio Berlusconi . However , despite Berlusconis stringent opposition to Mattarella , Renzi instructed the Democratic Party to abstain from the first three rounds of balloting in an attempt to force a fourth ballot which required a far lower threshold for victory . Despite the risk this strategy involved , centrist parties announced at the last moment that they would support Mattarella on the fourth ballot , and he subsequently won the presidential election with 665 votes out of 1009 from Senators and Deputies . Renzi was able to secure his chosen candidates election by also unexpectedly securing last-minute support from the conservative New Centre-Right , the socialist Left Ecology Freedom and the liberal Civic Choice . 2016 constitutional referendum . After constitutional reforms had passed both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate multiple times , Renzi announced that he would hold a constitutional referendum on 4 December 2016 to seek approval for the changes ; whilst the reform was approved by a simple majority of the Parliament , it did not achieve the two-thirds necessary to avoid a referendum , as per Article 138 of the Italian Constitution . Voters were asked whether they approved of amending the Constitution to transform the Senate of the Republic into a Senate of Regions , with 100 members made up of regional councillors and mayors of large cities , akin to Germanys Bundesrat . The reform would diminish the size of the Italian senate from 315 to 100 , making all senators indirectly elected by regional councils and mayors . In addition , the reform makes it harder for the senate to veto legislation . Following early results which indicated that the No side was clearly ahead , Renzi conceded defeat and resigned . 2018 general election . The 2018 Italian general election was held on 4 March 2018 after the Italian Parliament was dissolved by President Sergio Mattarella on 28 December 2017 . Renzi led a centre-left coalition composed by his Democratic Party , the liberal More Europe of Emma Bonino , the centrist Popular Civic List of Beatrice Lorenzin and the progressive Together of Giulio Santagata . The centre-left was affected by a political schism , when many members of PDs left-wing faction , like Bersani , DAlema and Speranza , left the party founding another movement , known as Democrats and Progressives ( MDP ) ; in the election MDP run under the joint list Free and Equal led by Pietro Grasso . In March election , the centre-right alliance , in which Matteo Salvinis League emerged as the main political , won a plurality of seats in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate with 37.0% of votes , while the anti-establishment Five Star Movement led by Luigi Di Maio became the party with the largest number of votes ( 32.7% ) . Renzis centre-left coalition came only third with 22.9% of votes . However , no political group or party won an outright majority , resulting in a hung parliament . Political views . The nature of Renzis progressivism is a matter of debate and has been linked both to liberalism and populism . According to Maria Teresa Meli of Corriere della Sera , Renzi pursues a precise model , borrowed from the British Labour Party and Bill Clintons Democratic Party , comprising a strange mix ( for Italy ) of liberal policy in the economic sphere and populism . This means that , on one side , he will attack the privileges of trade unions , especially of the CGIL , which defends only the already protected , while , on the other , he will sharply attack the vested powers , bankers , Confindustria and a certain type of capitalism . The Telegraph referred to Renzi as a prominent centrist voice in Europe . Renzi has occasionally been compared to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for his political views . Renzi himself has previously cited Blair as an inspiration for him , and claims to be a supporter of Blairs ideology of the Third Way , which attempts to synthesise liberal economics and left-wing social policies . In an interview with the Italian talk show , Che tempo che fa , Renzi stated that his meeting with Bill and Hillary Clinton was the most interesting part of his trip to the United States , because he considered them as models of the progressive left-wing . In 2016 , Renzi endorsed Hillary Clintons campaign to be elected President of the United States , in an interview where he also expressed admiration for the policies of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama . Renzi is in favour of the recognition of civil unions for same-sex couples and stepchild adoptions , a situation which occurs when at least one parent has children , from a previous relationship , that are not genetically related to the other parent . For this Renzi was criticised by the participants of the Family Day , an anti-LGBT rights demonstration which took place three times in Italy ; the Prime Minister was accused of having changed his opinion about the recognition of same-sex couples . Renzi participated in the first Family Day in 2007 , while he was President of Florence Province and a member of the centrist The Daisy party . Renzi was sometimes described as the de facto leader of the Party of European Socialists , in opposition to the European Peoples Party associated with Angela Merkel ; the two leaders were together often referred to as Merkenzi . Public image . According to public opinion surveys in May 2014 , just after the European election , Renzis approval rating was 74% , the highest ever rating for an Italian politician serving as Prime Minister ( the highest absolute consensus , 84% was recorded in November 2011 by Professor Mario Monti , who presided over a technical , bipartisan government ) . His lowest approval in office was in June 2015 , with just over 35% , however upon leaving the office of Prime Minister , his approval rating shrank , arriving to 15% in 2020 . Italy is currently undergoing a wave of populism and post-modern leadership likened to Renzis style . As a master of telepolitics , Renzi uses his own skills and accomplishments as evidence of his ability to lead , promotes the Internet as a platform for democracy , and uses heavy emotional appeals along with relatable , persuasive language to advocate for his positions . In 2014 , Renzi was ranked as the third most influential person under 40 in the world by the American magazine Fortune , and in the Top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy . Both as Prime Minister and Mayor of Florence , Renzi has been renowned as an assiduous user of social networks , especially Twitter where he is followed by more than two million people . Renzi cited his use of social networks as a contributing factor to his victory in the Democratic Party leadership election in 2013 . Renzi has stated that he is a fan of the American TV series House of Cards ; some journalists had noted similarities between the rise to power of the character Francis Underwood , played by Kevin Spacey , and the manner in which Renzi replaced Enrico Letta as Prime Minister in 2014 . This comparison surfaced in the media again when , in June 2015 , a phone conversation from January 2014 between Renzi and a general of the Finance Guard , Michele Adinolfi , was leaked to the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano . During the conversation , Renzi described Letta as incapable and told Adinolfi that he would replace him as Prime Minister , which would happen less than a month later . In December 2018 , Renzi presented a TV Series called Firenze secondo me ( Florence according to me ) , broadcast by Nove TV Channel . It is a historical and artistic documentary , in which Renzi presents the city of Florence , narrating historical events and showing the most famous sites of cultural interest , like Palazzo Vecchio , the Uffizi Gallery , the Vasari Corridor , the Basilica of Santa Croce , Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens . Personal life . In 1999 Renzi married Agnese Landini , a teacher , with whom he has three children : two sons , Francesco and Emanuele , and a daughter , Ester . The Renzi family are regular Mass-goers and are active in the Association of Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts , the largest scouting association in Italy . In addition to his native Italian , Renzi can also speak French and English . Renzi is an avid football fan and supports ACF Fiorentina , the team of his hometown Florence . At the 2014 local elections , his sister Benedetta was elected a municipal councillor for the Democratic Party in Castenaso , a small town near Bologna . Renzis father , Tiziano , was the city secretary of the Democratic Party for Rignano sullArno , near Florence , until March 2017 ; he was previously a municipal councillor for the Christian Democrats from 1985 to 1990 . Further reading . - Brighi , Elisabetta , and Lilia Giugni . Foreign Policy and the Ideology of Post-ideology : The Case of Matteo Renzis Partito Democratico . International Spectator 51.1 ( 2016 ) : 13–27 . online - Coticchia , Fabrizio , and Jason W . Davidson . Italian Foreign Policy During Matteo Renzis Government : A Domestically Focused Outsider and the World ( Rowman & Littlefield , 2019 ) . - Salvati , Eugenio . Matteo Renzi : a new leadership style for the Italian Democratic Party and Italian politics . Modern Italy 21.1 ( 2016 ) : 7-18 . External links . - Official website of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers - Renzis personal website - Renzi on his partys website
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Matteo Renzi Matteo Renzi , ( ; born 11 January 1975 ) is an Italian politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016 . He has been a Senator for Florence since 2018 . Renzi has been described as a centrist and as a liberal by political observers . Renzi has served as the leader of Italia Viva since 2019 , having been the Secretary of the Democratic Party from 2013 to 2018 , with a brief interruption in 2017 . After serving as the President of the Province of Florence from 2004 to 2009 and the Mayor of Florence from 2009 to 2014 , Renzi was elected Secretary of the Democratic Party in 2013 , becoming Prime Minister the following year . At the age of 39 years , Renzi became the youngest person to have served as Italian Prime Minister , and was at the time the youngest leader in the G7 . He was also the first serving Mayor to become Prime Minister . While in power , Renzis government implemented numerous reforms , including changes to the electoral system , a relaxation of labour and employment laws with the intention of boosting economic growth , a thorough reformation of the public administration , the simplification of civil trials , the introduction of same-sex civil unions and the abolition of many small taxes . After the rejection of his constitutional reform in the December 2016 referendum , Renzi formally resigned as Prime Minister on 12 December ; his Foreign Minister , Paolo Gentiloni , was appointed his replacement . He resigned as Secretary of the Democratic Party following defeat in the 2018 general election . In September 2019 , he left PD , founding Italia Viva , his own liberal movement . In 2021 , Renzi revoked IVs support to the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte , which brought down the government and resulted in the 2021 Italian government crisis . Early life . Renzi was born in 1975 in Florence , the second of four children . His father , Tiziano Renzi , was a small business owner and Christian Democratic municipal councillor in Rignano sullArno . Renzi grew up in an observant Catholic family in Rignano sullArno . He studied in Florence at the Classical Lyceum Dante Alighieri , where he passed his final exam with the grade of 60/60 but was nearly expelled because , as the students representative , he refused to withdraw a school newspaper in which there was harsh criticism of a maths teacher . During this time he was a Scout in the Association of Catholic Guides and Scouts of Italy ( AGESCI ) . In 1999 , he graduated from the University of Florence with a degree in law , with a thesis on Giorgio La Pira , the former Christian Democratic Mayor of Florence . He then went on to work for CHIL Srl , a marketing company focusing on leafleting owned by his family , co-ordinating the sales service of the newspaper La Nazione . During this time Renzi was also a football referee at amateur level and a futsal player . In 1994 , he participated as a competitor for five consecutive episodes in the television program La Ruota Della Fortuna ( a localised version of the U.S . game show Wheel of Fortune ) hosted by Mike Bongiorno , winning 48 million lire . Early political career . Renzis interest in politics began in high school . In 1996 he was one of the founders of the committee in support of Romano Prodis candidature as Prime Minister in the general election ; that same year he joined the centrist Italian Peoples Party , and became its Provincial Secretary in 1999 . In the same year he married Agnese Landini , with whom he later had three children . In 2001 , he joined Francesco Rutellis The Daisy party , composed by members of the disbanded Peoples Party . On 13 June 2004 he was elected President of Florence Province with 59% of the vote , as the candidate of the centre-left coalition . He was the youngest person to become President of an Italian Province . In the years as President of the Province , Renzi expressed his ideas against the political caste , and during his mandate he reduced taxes and decreased the number of the Provinces employees and managers . Mayor of Florence . After five years as the President of Florence Province , Renzi announced that he would seek election as the Mayor of Florence . On 9 June 2009 , Renzi , by now a member of the Democratic Party , won the election on a second round vote with 60% of the votes , compared to 40% for his opponent Giovanni Galli . As Mayor he halved the number of city councillors , installed 500 free WiFi access points across the city , reduced kindergarten waiting lists by 90% , and increased spending on social welfare programs and schools . One year after being sworn in as Mayor and with his popularity in national opinion polls increasing , Renzi organised a public meeting with another young party administrator , Debora Serracchiani , at Leopolda Station in Florence to discuss Italian politics , after stating that a complete change was also necessary in his party . Other prominent Democratic Party members who aligned themselves with Renzis programme were Matteo Richetti , President of the Regional Council of Emilia-Romagna , Davide Faraone , a regional councillor from the Sicilian Regional Assembly , and Giuseppe Civati , a prominent member of the Democratic Party in Lombardy and a member of the Lombard Regional Council . Following this public meeting , the Italian media gave Renzi the nickname il Rottamatore , or The Scrapper . In 2011 , Renzi organised a second public meeting , also in Florence , where he wrote down one hundred topics of discussion . During this time he began to be strongly criticised by other members of his party closer to the then-Secretary Pier Luigi Bersani , after his suggestion that Italian politicians of the same generation as then-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi should retire . In September 2012 , Renzi announced that he would seek to lead the centre-left coalition in the 2013 general election ; the other four candidates for that position were Pier Luigi Bersani , Secretary of the Democratic Party , Nichi Vendola , Leader of the Left Ecology Freedom , Laura Puppato , a Democratic Deputy from Veneto and Bruno Tabacci , Leader of the Democratic Centre . After the first round of the December election , Renzi gained 35.5% of the vote , finishing second behind Bersani and qualifying for the second ballot . Renzi eventually gained a total of 39% of the vote , against Bersanis 61% . During the subsequent campaign in the 2013 election in March , Renzi backed Bersani by organising large public rallies in his support in Florence , but come the election the Democratic Party only gained 25.5% of the vote , despite opinion polls placing the party at almost 30% . In April , during the elections for the President of the Republic , Renzi caused a minor controversy by openly criticising the candidacies of both Franco Marini and Anna Finocchiaro , two long-standing members of his Democratic Party . Party Secretary . Following the resignation of Pier Luigi Bersani in April 2013 , Renzi announced that he would stand for the position of Secretary of the Democratic Party . The PDs loss of seats led to party members doubts concerning Bersanis leadership abilities . Renzis impressive resume at such a young age , in combination with his reputation as a political outsider thanks to his scrapping , made him very electable in comparison . He was supported by a number of his former political opponents , such as former Party Secretaries Walter Veltroni and Dario Franceschini , Deputy Marina Sereni , MEP David Sassoli and Turin Mayor Piero Fassino . Other supporters of his included Deputies like Gianni Dal Moro , Francesco Sanna , Francesco Boccia , Lorenzo Basso and Enrico Borghi , all of whom were considered close to the newly elected Prime Minister Enrico Letta . The other two candidates for Party Secretary were Gianni Cuperlo , a Member of the Chamber of Deputies and former Secretary of the Italian Communist Youth Federation , and Giuseppe Civati , a left-wing-oriented Deputy from Lombardy and a former supporter of Renzi . In the December election , Renzi was elected with 68% of the popular vote , compared to 18% for Gianni Cuperlo and 14% for Giuseppe Civati . He became the new Secretary of the Democratic Party and the centre-lefts prospective candidate for Prime Minister . His victory was welcomed by Prime Minister Enrico Letta , who had been the Vice-Secretary of the party under Bersanis leadership . Throughout January and February 2014 there were multiple reports of persistent leadership tensions between Renzi and Prime Minister Letta . Many claimed that Renzi was pressuring Letta to resign in his favour , arguing that as he was now the leader of the Democratic Party he should be given the right to become Prime Minister . On 12 February , Letta acknowledged these rumours for the first time , publicly demanded that Renzi make his position clear . Renzi subsequently called a meeting of the Democratic Party leadership for the following evening . Just before the meeting took place , Renzi publicly called on Letta to resign and allow him to form a new government . Letta initially resisted the demand , but following a vote in favour of Renzis proposal during the meeting , which Letta did not attend , he announced that he would tender his resignation as Prime Minister on 14 February . Under Renzis leadership , the Democratic Party officially joined the Party of European Socialists ( PES ) as a full-time member on 28 February 2014 . Prime Minister of Italy ( 20142016 ) . On 17 January 2014 , while on air at Le invasioni barbariche on La7 TV channel , interviewed about the tensions between him and the Prime Minister Enrico Letta , Renzi tweeted #enricostaisereno ( Enrico dont worry ) to reassure his party colleague that he was not plotting anything against him . However , at a meeting on 13 February 2014 the Democratic Party leadership voted heavily in favour of Renzis call for a new government , a new phase and a radical programme of reform . Minutes after the Party backed the Renzi proposal by 136 votes to 16 , with two abstentions , Palazzo Chigi – the official residence of the Prime Minister – announced that Letta would travel to the Quirinale the following day to tender his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano . In an earlier speech , Renzi had paid tribute to Letta , saying that he was not intended to put him on trial . But , without directly proposing himself as the next Prime Minister , he said the Eurozones third-largest economy urgently needed a new phase and radical programme to push through badly-needed reforms . The motion he put forward made clear the necessity and urgency of opening a new phase with a new executive . Speaking privately to party leaders , Renzi said that Italy was at a crossroads and faced either holding fresh elections or a new government without a return to the polls . On 14 February , President Napolitano accepted Lettas resignation from the office of Prime Minister . Following Lettas resignation , Renzi formally received the task of forming a new government from President Napolitano on 17 February . Renzi held several days of talks with party leaders , all of which he broadcast live on the internet , before unveiling his Cabinet on 21 February , which contained members of his Democratic Party , the New Centre-Right , the Union of the Centre and the Civic Choice . His Cabinet became Italys youngest government to date , with an average age of 47 . It was also the first in which the number of female ministers was equal to the number of male ministers , excluding the Prime Minister . The following day , Renzi was formally sworn in as Prime Minister , becoming the fourth Prime Minister in four years and the youngest Prime Minister in the history of Italy . His rise to become Prime Minister was widely seen as a sign of much-needed generational change , and at the time he took office he enjoyed by far the highest approval rating of any politician in the country . On 25 February Renzi won a vote of confidence in the Italian Parliament , with 169 votes in the Senate and 378 in the Chamber of Deputies . On 7 February 2015 , after just under a year in power , five senators and two deputies from the Civic Choice defected to the Democratic Party , citing the leadership of Renzi as Prime Minister as the primary reason for their decision to change parties . On 20 March 2015 , Prime Minister Renzi briefly became ad interim Minister of Infrastructure and Transport following the resignation of Maurizio Lupi , due to a corruption scandal involving public works on infrastructure in which his name had been cited several times . Renzi held the office on an unofficial basis until 2 April , when Graziano Delrio was appointed as the new Minister . On 4 December 2016 , after the failure of the referendum he proposed , announced his resignation . On 7 December 2016 , Renzi officially handed over the resignation to the President Sergio Mattarella . Domestic policy . Labour reform . Upon becoming Prime Minister , Renzi said that long-overdue labour market reform would be at the top of his agenda to improve the state of the Italian economy . On 12 March 2014 , the Cabinet issued a law-decree on fixed-term contracts , called the Poletti Decree , from the name of the Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti , as well as a bill proposing major reforms to the Italian labour market called the Jobs Act . A reduction in the tax burden of about €80 was announced for those earning less than €1,500 per month . On 30 April Renzi , together with the Minister for the Public Administration Marianna Madia , presented the guidelines for the reform of the Public Administration , subsequently approved by the Cabinet on 13 June . In September the government brought the Jobs Act before Parliament , which provided for , among other things , the abolition of Article 18 of the Workers Statute , which protected workers from unjustified dismissal . The proposal was heavily criticised by the largest Italian trade union , the General Confederation of Labour ( CGIL ) and its leaders Susanna Camusso and Maurizio Landini . Moreover , the left-wing of the Democratic Party , by then led by the former National Secretary Pier Luigi Bersani , criticised the government for the reform , threatening to vote against it . On 29 September , the National Committee of the Democratic Party voted to support the Jobs Act , despite the disagreements within the party , with 130 votes in favour , 20 against and 11 abstaining . On 9 October the Italian Senate voted to approve the Jobs Act , and the landmark reform passed with 165 votes in favour to 111 against , marking the first step for the most ambitious economic legislation of the eight-month-old government . Before the vote Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti was forced to cut his speech short due to the loud protests of the Five Star Movement and Lega Nord oppositions , some of whom threw coins and papers . German Chancellor Angela Merkel , who was visiting Milan and had been among the most vocal politicians regarding Italys need for speedy economic reforms , said the labour law marked an important step to reduce employment barriers in the Eurozones third-largest economy . On 25 October , almost one million people took part in a mass protest in Rome , organised by the CGIL in opposition to the labour reforms of the government . Some high-profile members of the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party , including Gianni Cuperlo , Stefano Fassina and Pippo Civati , also participated in the protest . On 8 November more than 100,000 public employees protested in Rome in a demonstration organised by the three largest trade unions in the country , the CGIL , the CISL and the UIL . On 25 November , the Chamber of Deputies approved the Jobs Act with 316 votes , but the Five Star , Lega Nord and almost forty members of the Democratic Party abstained from the vote to protest against the reform . On 3 December the Senate gave the Jobs Act the final approval it needed to become law . Economic policies . In March 2014 the Cabinet approved the auctioning of a large number of luxury cars that were used to transport heads of state , including nine Maseratis , two Jaguars , and various other cars such as BMWs and Alfa Romeos . Out of the 1,500 cars put up for sale , 170 sold immediately over eBay . In April , as part of his wider industrial reforms , Renzi forced the chief executives of Italys biggest state-owned companies , including Eni , Terna , Finmeccanica , Enel and Poste Italiane , to resign , citing a lack of public confidence in their leadership . He subsequently appointed women to the majority of new positions , making it the first time any woman had served as a chief executive of a state-owned company in Italy . In 2014 , his cabinet introduced the so-called Renzi bonus , a monthly allowance of €80 , recognized to holders of a total annual income not exceeding €24,600 . The bonus , whose aim was to relaunch expenditures , was heavily criticised by opposition , which labeled it as an electoral baksheesh for the 2014 European election . On 1 August , Renzi launched law-decree called Unblock Italy , which was intended to facilitate the implementation of major projects , civil works and infrastructure that were suspended at the time , as well as achieving further administrative simplification . The centre of this was the Millegiorni , or the Thousand Days Programme . On 1 September Renzi launched the website passodopopasso.italia.it , which would allow citizens to monitor the progress of the Millegiorni . Later , on 9 October , Renzi presented his first Finance Bill ( Legge di Stabilità ) , which was approved by the European Commission on 28 October . In February 2015 , with the economy continuing to stagnate , the Government announced a plan to abolish rules that limit cooperative lenders shareholders to one vote each at shareholder meetings regardless of the size of their holdings . The European Commission subsequently forecast that the Italian economy would begin to grow by the spring . The Government also announced the abolition of IRAP , a regional tax on production activities and , discussing the 2016 Finance Bill , Renzi further promised to cancel IRPEF , IMU and TASI , taxes on individuals , public services and residences . In May 2015 the economy recorded growth of 0.3% , finally ending the Italian triple-dip recession . In January 2016 , Renzi highlighted an additional 500,000 jobs that he claimed had been created through his policies . Constitutional reforms . Upon becoming Prime Minister , Renzi stated that one of his most important tasks was to achieve constitutional reforms . The Italian institutional framework had remained essentially unchanged since 1 January 1948 , when the Italian Constitution first came into force after being enacted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 December 1947 . The first stage of Renzis reform package aimed to abolish the so-called perfect bicameralism , which gave identical powers to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate ; the reforms would substantially decrease the membership and power of the Senate . Under the reforms : the Senates power to force the resignation of the Government by refusing to grant a vote of confidence would be removed ; only a few types of bills , including the constitutional bills , constitutional amendments , laws regarding local interests , referendums and the protection of linguistic minorities , would need to be passed by the Senate ; the Senate could only propose amendments to bills in some cases , with the Chamber of Deputies always having the final word ; and the membership of the Senate would be changed , with regional representatives appointed in a manner virtually identical to Germanys Bundesrat . On 11 March 2014 , the Chamber of Deputies approved both the plans to overhaul the Senate and the second stage of Renzis constitutional reforms , a flagship electoral reform law that would see Italys voting system overhauled . On 26 March , despite objections raised by several parties in the coalition , the Government won a vote in the Senate on the bill reforming the provinces , with 160 voting in favour and 133 against . On 6 May , the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Senate approved the Governments bill on the reform of the Senate . Due to the ambitious reforms that provided for the abolition of Senate , a new electoral law and an increase in the powers of the Prime Minister , Renzi was accused by politicians and constitutionalists like Stefano Rodotà or Fausto Bertinotti of being an authoritarian and anti-democratic leader . In April 2014 , Renzi proposed that Italy adopt what he called the Italicum voting system , a proportional representation system with a majority bonus for the party which obtained over 40% of the vote , in order to provide for stable and long-term government . To approve the new electoral law , which was opposed by the Five Star Movement and a minority of his own Democratic Party , Renzi gained the support of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi , who was still the leader of Forza Italia , despite having been expelled from the Senate due to his sentence for tax evasion . The alliance between Renzi and Berlusconi was named the Nazareno Pact , from the name of the street in Rome where the headquarters of the Democratic Party are located , where the two leaders met for the first time to discuss the reform . Renzi was harshly criticised by many within the Democratic Partys left-wing minority for the deal with Berlusconi , as well as by the Five Star Movement of Beppe Grillo who said the Nazareno Pact was the proof that there are no differences between the Italian centre-left and centre-right . Despite concern from some within the Democratic Party , the Italicum was given final approval by the Italian Senate on 27 January 2015 , thanks to support from Forza Italia Senators . On 28 April 2015 , concerned that the reform may not pass , Renzi announced he would hold a confidence vote to approve the electoral reform changes . The Five Star Movement , Forza Italia and some left-wing Democratic Party members strongly opposed this decision , with some seeking to draw comparisons between Renzi and Benito Mussolini . It would be only the third time that an electoral law was twinned with a confidence vote , after Mussolinis Acerbo law and Alcide De Gasperis Scam law . On 4 May the Chamber of Deputies finally approved Renzis flagship electoral changes with 334 votes for and 61 votes against , the latter including a faction of the PD . The reforms took full effect in July 2016 . Having easily passed the Chamber of Deputies on 11 March 2015 , in a first stage , the reforms to the Italian Senate that would see its power greatly diminished and membership drastically changed were finally passed by the Senate on 13 October 2015 . The vote was won by 176 votes to 16 , with a large number of senators abstaining from the vote in protest at having to vote on abolishing many of their own powers . The last vote was held on 12 April 2016 , when the Chamber finally approved the reform with 361 votes while all the oppositions abandoned the house . On 4 December 2016 , the reform was rejected in a constitutional referendum . Immigration . As a result of the Libyan and Syrian Civil Wars , a major problem faced by Renzi upon becoming Prime Minister in 2014 was the high levels of illegal immigration to Italy . 2014 saw an increase in the number of migrants rescued at sea being brought to southern Italian ports , with the increase in the number of migrants prompting criticism of Renzi by the anti-immigration Lega Nord , the Five Star Movement and Silvio Berlusconis Forza Italia party . On 8 August 2014 , the Cabinet approved a law-decree providing for the international protection of migrants . In November 2014 , Renzi ordered the Italian-run rescue option Operation Mare Nostrum to be replaced by Frontexs Operation Triton due to the refusal of several EU governments to fund it . In 2014 , 170,100 migrants arrived in Italy by sea , a 296% increase compared to 2013 . 141,484 of the travellers ferried over from Libya . Most of the migrants had come from Syria , Eritrea and various countries in West Africa . On 19 April 2015 , a huge shipwreck took place in the Mediterranean Sea , causing the death of more than 700 migrants from North Africa . Renzi , returning to Rome from a political event in Mantua for the regional elections , held an emergency meeting with ministers and spoke by telephone to French President François Hollande and Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat . The call led to an emergency meeting of European interior ministers to address the problem of migrant deaths . In a speech addressing immigration , the Italian Prime Minister condemned human trafficking as a new slave trade . From January to April 2015 , about 1,600 migrants died on the route from Libya to Lampedusa , making it the deadliest migrant route in the world . Same-sex unions . On 10 June 2015 , the Chamber of Deputies passed a motion obliging the Government to approve a bill regarding civil unions between same-sex couples . Previously all of the major parties in Italy had presented different motions on civil unions , which were all rejected except for the Democratic Partys , which also called for civil unions to be approved . Renzi had stated shortly before becoming Prime Minister that he favoured the introduction of civil unions for same-sex couples . In July 2015 , several days after the European Parliament passed a motion calling on all members of the European Union to recognise same-sex relationships , the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Italy was violating the Convention on Human Rights by not recognising same-sex couples right to family life . On 7 October 2015 , Renzi introduced a bill to Parliament that would establish same-sex civil unions and gender-neutral cohabitation agreements . The bill passed its first reading in the Senate a week later . Although Renzi secured the support of his Democratic Party and the main opposition Forza Italia party , many MPs from both criticised the bill . Despite the bill being put forward on a free vote , Renzi made it clear that he would tie the civil unions bill to a vote of confidence in his Government if it did not pass . Following months of public and parliamentary debate , on 25 February 2016 the Senate voted in favour of Renzis proposals to legalise civil unions , with 173 votes in favour and 71 against . An amendment known as the stepchild adoption provision that would have granted parental rights to a non-biological parent in a same-sex union was taken out of the bill at the last moment after it became clear a majority of senators did not support it . Although Renzi had expressed support for the amendment , the decision came after the Five Star Movement backed out of an agreement to pass it ; moreover , the amendment was opposed by the New Centre-Right . Renzi stated that the bills passage through the Senate was a victory for love , although he expressed disappointment that the adoption provision was not also adopted , and raised the possibility of introducing it in a separate bill at a later date . On 11 May 2016 , the Chamber of Deputies approved the final proposals , with 369 votes in favour and 163 against . Social policies . On 3 September 2014 during a press conference , Renzi announced an online consultation with students , teachers and citizens ahead of the major school reforms promoted by Education Minister Stefania Giannini . On 9 July 2015 , despite the opposition of an overwhelming majority of teachers and students alike to the actual design of the school reform , this was finally approved by the Chamber of Deputies , with 277 votes against 173 . On 15 December , during a ceremony at the Italian National Olympic Committee , Renzi officially launched the candidacy of Rome for the 2024 Summer Olympics . Renzi stated that , Our country too often seems hesitant . Its unacceptable not to try or to renounce playing the game . Sport in Italy is a way of life and a way of looking at the future . I dont know if we’ll make it , but the Olympic candidacy is one of the most beautiful things we can do for our kids , for us , for Italy . On 21 September 2016 , Mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi , a member of the Five Star Movement , told reporters the bid for the games would go no further . Raggi , having long been opposed to Rome hosting the games , cited ongoing financial troubles in the country as the main reason for cancelling the bid . She said hosting the games would be irresponsible and would only cause the city to fall into further debt . Universal Exposition . During Renzis premiership Milan hosted the Universal Exposition ; the themes were technology , innovation , culture and traditions concerning food . Participants to the Expo include 145 countries , three international organisations , several civil society organisations , several corporations and non-governmental organisations ( NGOs ) . The participants are hosted inside individual or grouped pavilions . The opening of the Expo on 1 May 2015 was met with protest from anti-austerity activists , black bloc , and anarchists caused criminal damage , resulting in the police using tear gas . Expo also created some tensions with the Holy See and the Italian government ; in fact Pope Francis condemned the concept of Expo , saying that it obeys the culture of waste and does not contribute to a model of equitable and sustainable development . As Vatican City invested €3 million to obtain its own pavilion at the event before his appointment to the papacy , Francis said that , although it is a good thing that the Church is involved in causes that battle hunger and promote cleaner energy , he stated that too much money was wasted on the Expo itself by Vatican City . 2016 earthquakes . At 03:36 CEST on 24 August 2016 , an earthquake measuring 6.2 on the moment magnitude scale struck Central Italy . The epicentre was close to Accumoli , in an area near the borders of the Umbria , Lazio , Abruzzo and Marche regions . The earthquake killed 298 people and left more than 4,500 homeless . On 1 September , Renzi appointed the former President of Emilia-Romagna Vasco Errani as Special Commissioner for Reconstruction . Errani had been already a Special Commissioner during the earthquake that struck his home region in 2012 . A magnitude 6.1 intraplate earthquake struck west of Visso on 26 October at 21:18 local time ( 19:18 UTC ) . The earthquake , which occurred two months after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in August , struck about to the northwest of the August earthquakes epicentre . The civil protection , however , estimated the consequences less dramatically than feared . According to official data , a man died because he had suffered a heart attack as a result of the quake . A third large , shallow earthquake of USGS preliminary magnitude 6.6 struck north of Norcia at 07:40 local time ( 06:40 UTC ) on 30 October . This quake was the largest in Italy in 36 years , since the 1980 Irpinia earthquake . The three earthquakes caused almost 100,000 homeless . Foreign affairs . During his premiership , Renzi faced several challenging foreign policy situations , such as the European debt crisis , the civil war in Libya , the Ukrainian Crisis and the insurgency of the Islamic State ( IS ) in the Middle East . Renzi formed a close relationship with US President Barack Obama , supporting the 2014 military intervention against IS with hundreds of Italian troops and four Panavia Tornado aircraft , and also supporting international sanctions against Russia after their invasion of East Ukraine . Renzi forged a positive relationship with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe , who praised the economic policies of the Renzi Government . A key ally of Renzi in the Mediterranean is Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ; the two leaders held many bilateral meetings where they discussed the problem of immigration to Italy and the increasing tensions in the Middle East and North Africa . In the European Union , Renzi has a close relationship with French President François Hollande and his Prime Minister Manuel Valls , especially with Valls , who saw Renzi as a model for his Third Way policies . Europe . Following the 2014 European Parliament elections , which saw the Democratic Party receive the highest number of votes of all the individual political parties contesting that election across the entire European Union , Renzi subsequently emerged as the most prominent leader of the European Socialists . This was in opposition to German Chancellor Angela Merkel , widely considered the de facto leader of the European Peoples Party and , according to some European Union analysts , the two leaders are together referred to as Merkenzi . Renzi and Merkel had many bilateral meetings , the first on 17 March 2014 in Berlin , just a few weeks after Renzis election as Prime Minister , where the two leaders discussed important reforms that the Italian Government planned to make both in Italy and in the EU . On 22 January 2015 , Merkel visited Renzi in his home city of Florence , where she publicly lauded the impressive reforms carried out by his government . On the following day the two leaders held a joint press conference in front of Michelangelos David . Renzi is seen as an ally of French President François Hollande of the Socialist Party . On 15 March 2014 Renzi met Hollande in Paris , agreeing with him a common economic policy focused not only on the austerity measures imposed by the so-called Troika of the European Commission , European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund , but also on more flexible policies to promote economic growth in the EU . Renzi is a close personal friend of French Prime Minister Manuel Valls , with the two leaders often regarded as being heirs of the Third Way politics espoused by the likes of Tony Blair . On 7 January 2015 , after the Islamic terrorist attack in Paris which caused the death of 17 people , Renzi expressed horror and dismay , offering his best wishes to the people of France and noting his close relationships with the French Prime Minister and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo . On 11 January , he joined more than 40 world leaders and three million people in the Republican March organised by President Hollande . Renzi built a constructive relationship with British Prime Minister David Cameron of the Conservative Party . During their first meeting on 1 April 2014 , Cameron stated that the reforms planned by Renzi were ambitious and that together the two men would be able to change the European Union . On the same day , Renzi also met former British Prime Minister Tony Blair , whom Renzi had previously called a political inspiration to him . On 2 October 2014 , Renzi held a press conference with Cameron in 10 Downing Street , with Cameron lauding their similar policies to reform the European Union and overcome the economic crisis . On 1 August 2014 , following his partys strong showing in the European Parliament elections , Renzi nominated his Foreign Minister , Federica Mogherini , as a candidate to be the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in the incoming-European Commission to be led by Jean-Claude Juncker , the former Prime Minister of Luxembourg . Mogherini was eventually successfully confirmed as the EU High Representative , ensuring that Italy controlled one of the two most senior posts in the Commission . In September , Renzi participated in the 2014 NATO Summit in Wales . Before the official start of the summit , he had discussions with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko , US President Barack Obama and the other three leaders of the European G4 to discuss the crisis with Russia . This summit was the first held after the Russian military intervention in Ukraine and the offensive by the Islamic State of the Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi . On 3 February 2015 , Renzi received newly elected Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of the Coalition of the Radical Left in Rome . The two leaders held a joint press conference expressing concerns about austerity measures imposed by the European Commission and stated that economic growth is the only way to solve the crisis . After the press conference , Renzi presented Tsipras with an Italian tie as a gift . Tsipras , who was notable for refusing to ever wear a tie , thanked Renzi and said he would wear the gift in celebration after Greece had successfully renegotiated the austerity measures . United States . Similar to his predecessors , Renzi continued the long-standing Italian policy of a close relationship with the United States , building a partnership with President Barack Obama . Italy supported the US in the military intervention against the Islamic State , and participated in the international sanctions against Russia following their invasion of East Ukraine . Renzi met Obama for the first time on 24 March 2014 , during the latters trip to Rome . Renzi also held a joint meeting with Obama , Pope Francis and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano . Obama stated afterwards that he had been impressed by the reforms Renzi wanted to undertake . Renzi himself said that he considered Obama an example for the policies he wanted to achieve . On 22 September , Renzi visited Silicon Valley , California . In San Francisco he met with young Italian emigrants who have created startups in the USA . He also visited the headquarters of Twitter , Google and Yahoo ! to hold talks with chief executives . Renzi was accompanied by former US Secretaries of State , Condoleezza Rice and George Shultz , and by the former American ambassador to Italy , Ronald P . Spogli . He later spoke at Stanford University as the guest of University President John L . Hennessy . The following day , Renzi spoke at a United Nations summit in New York City , focusing on the problem of climate change . Following the summit , Renzi met former US President Bill Clinton and his wife , former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton . At the end of his trip , Renzi participated in a reception hosted by Barack Obama . Renzi was received at the White House in April 2015 . He and President Obama discussed many issues , including Ukraine , Libya and ISIL . They discussed Europes economy , the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership , climate change and energy security . In October 2015 , the Italian Government announced that it would prolong its military presence in Afghanistan along with the US Army , in order to continue its security mission and prevent the rise of Islamist forces such as Al-Qaeda and ISIL . On 18 October 2016 , President Obama invited Renzi and his wife Agnese to attend an official state dinner at the White House . The two men held a joint press conference during which Obama , the dinner being his final state visit as president , commented that he had saved the best for last , and the two reiterated their support for one another . Asia . Renzi built up a close relations with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe ; the two Prime Ministers are both against austerity and they are reforming the constitutions of their countries . On 6 June 2014 , Renzi received Prime Minister Abe in Rome . Abe publicly congratulated Renzi for the economic and constitutional reforms being delivered by Renzis government . The two leaders also met in Tokyo in August 2015 and discussed about relations with China and the stability of East Asia . On 9 June , Renzi travelled to Hanoi , Vietnam to meet with President Trương Tấn Sang and Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng , as well as Communist Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng to sign economic treaties worth around 5 billion US dollars to the Italian economy . In doing so , Renzi became the first Italian Prime Minister to officially visit Vietnam since 1973 , when diplomacy first began between Italy and North Vietnam . During the visit Renzi placed a wreath in the mausoleum of the former North Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh . On 11 June , Renzi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing , who congratulated him for the important reforms being undertaken by his government . Xi also stated that China would continue co-operation with Italy ahead of Expo 2015 in Milan . Several months later in October , Renzi met with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang in Rome to sign twenty treaties worth a total of 8 billion euros . On 12 June , Renzi met Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana , where they discussed withdrawal of Italian troops from Afghanistan . On 18 November , Renzi travelled to Ashgabat , Turkmenistan , where with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow he signed a number of economic pacts securing increased gas supply . Africa . During his premiership , Renzi started a policy review led to the creation of the Italy-Africa initiative , which includes renewable energy co-operation and a new package of development aid in fields stretching from health care to culture ; counterterrorism has been a key part of his agenda , but the East Africa region is also important to stop the migration flows from there to Italy through North Africa , especially Libya . On 4 March , Renzi travelled to Tunisia , where he had a meeting with Mustapha Ben Jafar . With Jafar , Renzi discussed about the problem of illegal immigration to Italy from the coasts of North Africa . The trip to Tunisia was the first official one made by Renzi as Prime Minister of Italy . On 18 March 2015 , after the Bardo Museum attack in Tunis , in which 28 people died and four of whom were Italians , Renzi condemned the terrorist attack and said that Italy is close to the Tunisian government and people . On 19 July , Renzi started a major trip to Africa , meeting the Mozambique President Armando Guebuza . Renzi signed economic pacts to create investments by the Italian government-owned oil company Eni in the African country for 50 billion dollars . The following day he visited the Republic of Congo where he met President Denis Sassou Nguesso , with whom he signed a co-operation for the extraction of oil in the country . Some journalists criticised the meeting with Sassou Nguesso , who is considered one of the more corrupt dictators of Africa . Renzi later met with Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos in Luanda . During the visit , Renzi placed a memorial wreath in the mausoleum of the first Angolan President , Agostinho Neto . On 24 July , under the direction of Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini , the government worked for the release of Mariam Ibrahim , a Sudanese woman had been who sentenced to death for being a Christian . Thanks largely to the good relations between Sudan and Italy , Ibrahim was released and permitted to fly to Italy on a government plane . On 2 December , Renzi went to Algiers , where he met Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal . With the two leaders of the country , Renzi discussed the Libyan crisis , immigration from North Africa , and also about gas imports from Algeria as an alternative to Russian imports , following the tensions between the European Union and Russia . In January 2016 , Renzi continued his policy toward Africa ; the Prime Minister had a three-days trip in Nigeria , Ghana and Senegal . The main tasks of this diplomatic trip was the fight against the Islamic terrorism and the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean Sea ; with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari , Renzi signed an agreement on enhancing co-operation between the Nigerian and Italian Polices . Renzi has been one of the strongest supporters of the new Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and of his government of national union . In August 2016 the newspaper la Repubblica reported that dozens of Italian special forces were operating in Libya , for training and intelligence activities . These special forces were operating under the direct command of the Prime Ministers office . Russia . Russia had previously enjoyed a privileged relationship with Italy , particularly under the leadership of Silvio Berlusconi , who was a personal friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin . Following the Russian military intervention in Ukraine , however , relations worsened . On 2 March 2014 , Renzi accused Putin of having committed an unacceptable violation . On 19 March , during a speech to the Chamber of Deputies , Renzi stated that the Crimean status referendum was illegal and that the G8 countries must start co-operating to solve the crisis and prevent a return to the Cold War . In June , he subsequently participated in the G7 summit in Brussels , the first one held after the suspension of Russia from the G8 following the annexation of Crimea in March . Renzi phoned Putin on 28 August , asking him to stop the intolerable escalation and to reach a peace agreement with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to stop the pro-Russian conflict in that regions . Renzi and Putin also had a bilateral meeting on 16 October , when Renzi hosted the Asia–Europe Meeting ( ASEM ) in Milan with 53 other leaders of the world . On 15 November , during the G-20 summit in Brisbane , the two leaders had another meeting , where they discussed about the Ukrainian crisis , but also on the civil wars in Libya and Syria . On 5 March 2015 , Renzi met President Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow . The talks between the leaders was focused on international issues , such as settlement of the crisis in Ukraine , the situations in the Middle East and in Libya , as well as fighting terrorism . Putin guaranteed Russian support in case of a UN intervention in Libya against the Islamic State . Ahead of the bilateral meeting , Prime Minister Renzi visited and laid flowers at the Moscow bridge , near the Kremlin , on which the Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was murdered , a few days before . Through 2015 , Renzi became one of the main supporters of a reduction of international sanctions against Russia and the establishment of a political and military alliance between the Western countries and Russia against the terrorism of the Islamic State . Renzi questioned Nord Stream II , a new Russia-Germany natural gas pipeline , saying : I found it surprising that the South Stream project was blocked [ Balkan pipeline was cancelled by Russia in December 2014 following obstacles from EU ] , while now we are discussing a doubling up of Nord Stream . Middle East . On 2 August 2014 , Renzi met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo , holding talks about a variety of issues , including the Israel-Gaza conflict . Renzi stated that Italy would support the Egyptian truce proposal , with the two leaders calling for an immediate cease-fire and the beginning of peace negotiations . In making the visit , Renzi became the first Western leader to visit President el-Sisi since his election . On 15 January 2015 , after Islamic States conquests in Libya , Renzi conducted a long phone call with Sisi , to discuss the terrorist threat in the Mediterranean . The two leaders agreed that the next steps should be political and diplomatic efforts through the United Nations . On 11 July 2015 , a car bomb exploded outside the Italian consulate in Cairo , resulting in at least one death and four injured . ISIS claimed responsibility . The relations between Italy and Egypt dramatically worsened after the murder of Giulio Regeni , an Italian Cambridge University graduate student killed in Cairo following his abduction on 25 January 2016 . Giulio Regeni was a PhD student at Girton College , Cambridge , researching Egypts independent trade unions . Due to Regenis research activities and left-wing political leanings , the security services of el-Sisis government are strongly suspected of involvement in his murder , although Egypts media and government deny this and claim secret undercover agents belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood carried out the crime in order to embarrass the Egyptian government and destabilise relations between Italy and Egypt . On 20 August 2014 Renzi travelled to Iraq , in the midst of the insurgency led by the Islamic State . There he met with the Head of State , Fuad Masum , Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his immediate predecessor Nouri al-Maliki . On the same day , 20 August 2014 , Renzi travelled north to Erbil to meet the President of Iraqi Kurdistan , Masud Barzani , and Prime Minister Nechervan Barzani . Renzi later told an American journalist that what he witnessed during his trip to Iraq reminded him of the images of the Srebrenica massacre that had horrified him as a child . While Renzi was in Iraq , the Italian Parliament approved a proposal to arm the Peshmerga soldiers fighting against the Islamic State . On 23 September , during the 69th General Assembly of the United Nations , Renzi held a bilateral meeting with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan , at which they discussed climate change and increasing tensions in the Middle East . On 11 December Renzi travelled to Ankarafor a second meeting with Erdoğan , during which Renzi expressed his support for Turkish accession to the European Union . On the same day he met with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu . On 8 January 2015 , Renzi made his first official trip of the year , meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi to address issues of foreign and economic policy , including the Alitalia-Etihad deal . The two leaders discussed joint co-operation domains and enhancing trade exchange and co-operation in energy and aerospace . Renzi has had good relations with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas . On 21 and 22 July 2015 he visited first Jerusalem , where he met with Netanyahu and addressed the Knesset , and then Ramallah , where he met with Abbas . Renzi was the first leader to visit Israel after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action , the deal reached between international community and Iran . Whereas Netanyahu heavily criticised the deal , Renzi supported it , while stressing that Israels security is the security of Europe and mine as well . In January 2016 , Renzi met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Rome , the first visit to Italy by a President of Iran since 1999 . The two leaders signed business deals worth up to 17 billion euros . They also discussed the war against the Islamic State in the Middle East and Libya . On 13 and 14 April 2016 he became the first Western leader to visit Iran after the international agreement on the nuclear program of Iran . In Iran , Renzi met both President Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei . Latin America . After announcing an increase of Italian investment in Central and South America , in October 2015 Renzi undertook a number of official trips across the continent , travelling to Chile , Peru and Colombia . During his visit to Santiago , Renzi and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet launched a large number of renewable energy projects promoted by the Italian multinational Enel . Renzi also visited the European Southern Observatory of Paranal in the Atacama desert . During these trips , Renzi had numerous meetings with communities of Italian-born Latin Americans in these countries . In a surprise visit , returning from Latin America , on 28 October 2015 Renzi became the first Italian Prime Minister in history to make a state visit to Cuba . In doing so he also became the first G7 leader to meet Cuban President Raúl Castro following the 2015 normalisation of relations between the United States and Cuba . In February 2016 Renzi met Argentine President Mauricio Macri during a state visit to Buenos Aires ; Renzi became the first European leader to meet Macri after the 2015 presidential election and the first Italian Prime Minister since Romano Prodi in 1998 to visit Argentina . During his premiership , Renzi has also developed close relationship with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto . After the premiership ( 2016present ) . Following the defeat in the constitutional referendum and the subsequent resignation as Prime Minister , Renzi remained Secretary of the Democratic Party . As leader of the main party both in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic , he supported the new government led by his former Minister of Foreign Affairs Paolo Gentiloni , also a Democrat . 2017 leadership election and party split . On 19 February 2017 , during the PD National Assembly , Renzi resigned as Secretary of the party , announcing his candidacy for the next leadership election . A few days before he launched the movement In Cammino ( On the way ) in support of his candidacy . Contextually , a large portion of the partys internal left-wing , led by Enrico Rossi and Roberto Speranza , who were endorsed by former party leaders Massimo DAlema , Pier Luigi Bersani and Guglielmo Epifani , left the PD and founded the Democratic and Progressive Movement ( MDP ) , along with splinters from the Italian Left ( SI ) . On 6 March Matteo Renzi presented his electoral programme , in which he expressed his intention to renovate the party , Italy and Europe . He also announced an electoral ticket with the Agriculture Minister Maurizio Martina ; Martina would become Deputy Secretary and would probably lead the party if Renzi becomes Prime Minister again . From 10 to 12 March Renzi and his supporters participated in Lingotto 17 , a convention based in the district of Lingotto in Turin , where the Democratic Party was founded ten years before under the leadership of Walter Veltroni . During his speech he harshly condemned the Five Star Movement ( M5S ) , accused of being a populist party controlled by a private company , and Lega Nord , which uses fear to gain votes . Renzi attacked also European bureaucrats and proposed a primary election to appoint the Party of European Socialists candidate for the European Commission presidency and the direct election of the President . Among the notable participants of the pro-Renzi convention were Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni , current ministers like Pier Carlo Padoan , Dario Franceschini , Graziano Delrio , Marianna Madia , Roberta Pinotti and Secretary Maria Elena Boschi . Emma Bonino , historic Radical leader and former Foreign Affairs Minister , also participated in the rally . The other two candidates for the leadership election were President of Apulia Michele Emiliano and Minister of Justice Andrea Orlando . Emiliano is an outspoken former magistrate with strong support in the poor South , who was expected to join the dissidents in MDP but decided instead to challenge Renzi from within the mainstream party ; he is often described as a democratic socialist and populist politician . Orlando is a social democratic politician and a leading member of the party since the foundation . Orlando is often described as the candidate of the social democratic establishment of the party . After having won the vote by party members in March with almost 67% of votes , on 30 April , Renzi was re-elected Secretary of the party by a landslide with 69.2% of votes ; while Orlando received 19.9% and Emiliano 10.9% of votes . Second term as Secretary . After the rejection of the constitutional reform , the Parliament had to change the electoral law proposed by Renzis government ; in fact the so-called Italicum regulates only the election of the Chamber of Deputies , and not the one of the Senate , which , if the reform passed , would be indirectly elected by citizens . After the re-election as Secretary , Renzi proposed a new electoral law called Mattarellum bis , better known as Rosatellum , from the name of his main proponent Ettore Rosato , Democratic leader in the Chamber of Deputies . This electoral law was similar to the one which was applied in Italy from 1993 to 2004 . The Rosatellum used an additional member system , which act as a mixed system , with 36% of seats allocated using a first past the post electoral system and 64% using a proportional method , with one round of voting . The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies did not differ in the way they allocated the proportional seats , both using the DHondt method of allocating seats . The new electoral law was supported by PD and his government ally Popular Alternative , but also by the opposition parties Forza Italia and Lega Nord . Despite many protests from the Five Star Movement and the Democratic and Progressive Movement , the electoral law was approved on 12 October by the Chamber of Deputies with 375 votes in favor and 215 against , and on 26 October by the Senate with 214 votes against 61 . The electoral programme of the Democratic Party for the general election included , among the main points , the introduction of a minimum hourly wage of €10 , a measure that would affect 15% of workers , that is those workers who do not adhere to the national collective agreements ; a cut of the contributory wedge for permanent contracts ; a relocation allowance and an increase in subsidies for the unemployed ; a monthly allowance of €80 for parents for each minor child ; fiscal detraction of €240 for parents with children ; and the progressive reduction of IRPEF and IRES rates , respectively the Italian income tax and the corporate tax . Moreover , the PD advocated the re-launch of the process of European integration and federation , towards the formation of the United States of Europe . In the election , his centre-left coalition arrived third behind the centre-right alliance , in which Matteo Salvinis League was the main political force , and the Five Star Movement of Luigi Di Maio finished second . On 5 March , Renzi announced that the PD will be in opposition during this legislature and he will resign as secretary when a new cabinet is formed . Renzi officially resigned on 12 March during PDs national directorate , and his deputy secretary Martina was appointed acting leader . Leader of Italia Viva . In August 2019 , Deputy Prime Minister and Leagues leader , Matteo Salvini , announced a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte , after growing tensions within the majority . Many political analysts believe the no confidence motion was an attempt to force early elections to improve Legas standing in Parliament , ensuring Salvini could become the next Prime Minister . On 20 August , following the parliamentary debate at the Senate , in which Conte harshly accused Salvini of being a political opportunist who had triggered the political crisis only to serve his personal interest and stated this government ends here , the Prime Minister resigned his post to President Mattarella . Despite having always opposed it in the past , in August 2019 , Renzi strongly advocated the formation of a new government between the PD and the populist Five Star Movement . After days of tensions within the Democratic Party , on 28 August Nicola Zingaretti , the new PDs leader , announced his favorable position regarding a new government with the M5S , with Giuseppe Conte at its head . On same day , Mattarella summoned Conte to the Quirinal Palace for the 29 August to give him the task of forming a new cabinet . Renzi was seen by many political analysts and journalists as the real kingmaker of the new parliamentary majority . On 17 September , in an interview to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica , Renzi announced his intention to leave the PD , creating new parliamentary groups led by him . On the same day , interviewed by Bruno Vespa in his TV show Porta a Porta , he officially launched the political movement Italia Viva ( IV ) . Between December 2020 and January 2021 , discussions arose within the government coalition between Renzi and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte . Renzi called for radical changes to the governments economic recovery plans after the COVID-19 pandemic , and also demanded that Conte cede his mandate over the secret services coordination task . During his end-of-year press conference , Conte declined Renzis requests , asserting that he still had a majority in the Parliament . After a few days , Renzi threatened to pull back IVs two ministers , Teresa Bellanova and Elena Bonetti , from the upcoming Council of Minister , summoned to approve the Recovery Plan . On 13 January 2021 , during a press conference , Renzi announced the resignation of Italia Vivas ministers Bellanova and Bonetti , officially opening a government crisis . Elections . 2014 European election . In the European Parliament election held on 25 May 2014 , the first national election Renzi had faced since becoming Prime Minister , his Democratic Party won 40.8% of the vote with 11,203,231 votes , becoming by far the largest party in the country with 31 MEPs . The PD won the most votes of any single party across the whole of the European Union , won the largest number of MEPs for any single party , and became the largest group in the Socialists and Democrats European Parliament group . The Democratic Partys vote share was the best result for an Italian party in a nationwide election since the 1958 general election , when the Christian Democracy won 42.4% of the vote . The positive electoral result enabled Renzi to successfully nominate his Foreign Minister , Federica Mogherini , as the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy , ensuring that an Italian would occupy one of the EUs two most powerful political positions . 2015 presidential election . Giorgio Napolitano announced his immediate retirement as President of Italy on 14 January 2015 . Napolitano had been convinced to stand again as president following the political uncertainty generated by the 2013 general election , but had made it clear he would retire at some point before June 2015 . On 29 January , during the National Assembly of the Democratic Party , Renzi officially announced that he would endorse Sergio Mattarella , a judge on the Constitutional Court and a former Minister of Defence , as his candidate for the Italian presidential election to replace Napolitano . It had been thought , due to the high threshold a candidate requires in the first three rounds of balloting in a presidential election , that Renzi would be forced to seek a compromise candidate with Silvio Berlusconi . However , despite Berlusconis stringent opposition to Mattarella , Renzi instructed the Democratic Party to abstain from the first three rounds of balloting in an attempt to force a fourth ballot which required a far lower threshold for victory . Despite the risk this strategy involved , centrist parties announced at the last moment that they would support Mattarella on the fourth ballot , and he subsequently won the presidential election with 665 votes out of 1009 from Senators and Deputies . Renzi was able to secure his chosen candidates election by also unexpectedly securing last-minute support from the conservative New Centre-Right , the socialist Left Ecology Freedom and the liberal Civic Choice . 2016 constitutional referendum . After constitutional reforms had passed both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate multiple times , Renzi announced that he would hold a constitutional referendum on 4 December 2016 to seek approval for the changes ; whilst the reform was approved by a simple majority of the Parliament , it did not achieve the two-thirds necessary to avoid a referendum , as per Article 138 of the Italian Constitution . Voters were asked whether they approved of amending the Constitution to transform the Senate of the Republic into a Senate of Regions , with 100 members made up of regional councillors and mayors of large cities , akin to Germanys Bundesrat . The reform would diminish the size of the Italian senate from 315 to 100 , making all senators indirectly elected by regional councils and mayors . In addition , the reform makes it harder for the senate to veto legislation . Following early results which indicated that the No side was clearly ahead , Renzi conceded defeat and resigned . 2018 general election . The 2018 Italian general election was held on 4 March 2018 after the Italian Parliament was dissolved by President Sergio Mattarella on 28 December 2017 . Renzi led a centre-left coalition composed by his Democratic Party , the liberal More Europe of Emma Bonino , the centrist Popular Civic List of Beatrice Lorenzin and the progressive Together of Giulio Santagata . The centre-left was affected by a political schism , when many members of PDs left-wing faction , like Bersani , DAlema and Speranza , left the party founding another movement , known as Democrats and Progressives ( MDP ) ; in the election MDP run under the joint list Free and Equal led by Pietro Grasso . In March election , the centre-right alliance , in which Matteo Salvinis League emerged as the main political , won a plurality of seats in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate with 37.0% of votes , while the anti-establishment Five Star Movement led by Luigi Di Maio became the party with the largest number of votes ( 32.7% ) . Renzis centre-left coalition came only third with 22.9% of votes . However , no political group or party won an outright majority , resulting in a hung parliament . Political views . The nature of Renzis progressivism is a matter of debate and has been linked both to liberalism and populism . According to Maria Teresa Meli of Corriere della Sera , Renzi pursues a precise model , borrowed from the British Labour Party and Bill Clintons Democratic Party , comprising a strange mix ( for Italy ) of liberal policy in the economic sphere and populism . This means that , on one side , he will attack the privileges of trade unions , especially of the CGIL , which defends only the already protected , while , on the other , he will sharply attack the vested powers , bankers , Confindustria and a certain type of capitalism . The Telegraph referred to Renzi as a prominent centrist voice in Europe . Renzi has occasionally been compared to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for his political views . Renzi himself has previously cited Blair as an inspiration for him , and claims to be a supporter of Blairs ideology of the Third Way , which attempts to synthesise liberal economics and left-wing social policies . In an interview with the Italian talk show , Che tempo che fa , Renzi stated that his meeting with Bill and Hillary Clinton was the most interesting part of his trip to the United States , because he considered them as models of the progressive left-wing . In 2016 , Renzi endorsed Hillary Clintons campaign to be elected President of the United States , in an interview where he also expressed admiration for the policies of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama . Renzi is in favour of the recognition of civil unions for same-sex couples and stepchild adoptions , a situation which occurs when at least one parent has children , from a previous relationship , that are not genetically related to the other parent . For this Renzi was criticised by the participants of the Family Day , an anti-LGBT rights demonstration which took place three times in Italy ; the Prime Minister was accused of having changed his opinion about the recognition of same-sex couples . Renzi participated in the first Family Day in 2007 , while he was President of Florence Province and a member of the centrist The Daisy party . Renzi was sometimes described as the de facto leader of the Party of European Socialists , in opposition to the European Peoples Party associated with Angela Merkel ; the two leaders were together often referred to as Merkenzi . Public image . According to public opinion surveys in May 2014 , just after the European election , Renzis approval rating was 74% , the highest ever rating for an Italian politician serving as Prime Minister ( the highest absolute consensus , 84% was recorded in November 2011 by Professor Mario Monti , who presided over a technical , bipartisan government ) . His lowest approval in office was in June 2015 , with just over 35% , however upon leaving the office of Prime Minister , his approval rating shrank , arriving to 15% in 2020 . Italy is currently undergoing a wave of populism and post-modern leadership likened to Renzis style . As a master of telepolitics , Renzi uses his own skills and accomplishments as evidence of his ability to lead , promotes the Internet as a platform for democracy , and uses heavy emotional appeals along with relatable , persuasive language to advocate for his positions . In 2014 , Renzi was ranked as the third most influential person under 40 in the world by the American magazine Fortune , and in the Top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy . Both as Prime Minister and Mayor of Florence , Renzi has been renowned as an assiduous user of social networks , especially Twitter where he is followed by more than two million people . Renzi cited his use of social networks as a contributing factor to his victory in the Democratic Party leadership election in 2013 . Renzi has stated that he is a fan of the American TV series House of Cards ; some journalists had noted similarities between the rise to power of the character Francis Underwood , played by Kevin Spacey , and the manner in which Renzi replaced Enrico Letta as Prime Minister in 2014 . This comparison surfaced in the media again when , in June 2015 , a phone conversation from January 2014 between Renzi and a general of the Finance Guard , Michele Adinolfi , was leaked to the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano . During the conversation , Renzi described Letta as incapable and told Adinolfi that he would replace him as Prime Minister , which would happen less than a month later . In December 2018 , Renzi presented a TV Series called Firenze secondo me ( Florence according to me ) , broadcast by Nove TV Channel . It is a historical and artistic documentary , in which Renzi presents the city of Florence , narrating historical events and showing the most famous sites of cultural interest , like Palazzo Vecchio , the Uffizi Gallery , the Vasari Corridor , the Basilica of Santa Croce , Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens . Personal life . In 1999 Renzi married Agnese Landini , a teacher , with whom he has three children : two sons , Francesco and Emanuele , and a daughter , Ester . The Renzi family are regular Mass-goers and are active in the Association of Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts , the largest scouting association in Italy . In addition to his native Italian , Renzi can also speak French and English . Renzi is an avid football fan and supports ACF Fiorentina , the team of his hometown Florence . At the 2014 local elections , his sister Benedetta was elected a municipal councillor for the Democratic Party in Castenaso , a small town near Bologna . Renzis father , Tiziano , was the city secretary of the Democratic Party for Rignano sullArno , near Florence , until March 2017 ; he was previously a municipal councillor for the Christian Democrats from 1985 to 1990 . Further reading . - Brighi , Elisabetta , and Lilia Giugni . Foreign Policy and the Ideology of Post-ideology : The Case of Matteo Renzis Partito Democratico . International Spectator 51.1 ( 2016 ) : 13–27 . online - Coticchia , Fabrizio , and Jason W . Davidson . Italian Foreign Policy During Matteo Renzis Government : A Domestically Focused Outsider and the World ( Rowman & Littlefield , 2019 ) . - Salvati , Eugenio . Matteo Renzi : a new leadership style for the Italian Democratic Party and Italian politics . Modern Italy 21.1 ( 2016 ) : 7-18 . External links . - Official website of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers - Renzis personal website - Renzi on his partys website
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Matteo Renzi Matteo Renzi , ( ; born 11 January 1975 ) is an Italian politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016 . He has been a Senator for Florence since 2018 . Renzi has been described as a centrist and as a liberal by political observers . Renzi has served as the leader of Italia Viva since 2019 , having been the Secretary of the Democratic Party from 2013 to 2018 , with a brief interruption in 2017 . After serving as the President of the Province of Florence from 2004 to 2009 and the Mayor of Florence from 2009 to 2014 , Renzi was elected Secretary of the Democratic Party in 2013 , becoming Prime Minister the following year . At the age of 39 years , Renzi became the youngest person to have served as Italian Prime Minister , and was at the time the youngest leader in the G7 . He was also the first serving Mayor to become Prime Minister . While in power , Renzis government implemented numerous reforms , including changes to the electoral system , a relaxation of labour and employment laws with the intention of boosting economic growth , a thorough reformation of the public administration , the simplification of civil trials , the introduction of same-sex civil unions and the abolition of many small taxes . After the rejection of his constitutional reform in the December 2016 referendum , Renzi formally resigned as Prime Minister on 12 December ; his Foreign Minister , Paolo Gentiloni , was appointed his replacement . He resigned as Secretary of the Democratic Party following defeat in the 2018 general election . In September 2019 , he left PD , founding Italia Viva , his own liberal movement . In 2021 , Renzi revoked IVs support to the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte , which brought down the government and resulted in the 2021 Italian government crisis . Early life . Renzi was born in 1975 in Florence , the second of four children . His father , Tiziano Renzi , was a small business owner and Christian Democratic municipal councillor in Rignano sullArno . Renzi grew up in an observant Catholic family in Rignano sullArno . He studied in Florence at the Classical Lyceum Dante Alighieri , where he passed his final exam with the grade of 60/60 but was nearly expelled because , as the students representative , he refused to withdraw a school newspaper in which there was harsh criticism of a maths teacher . During this time he was a Scout in the Association of Catholic Guides and Scouts of Italy ( AGESCI ) . In 1999 , he graduated from the University of Florence with a degree in law , with a thesis on Giorgio La Pira , the former Christian Democratic Mayor of Florence . He then went on to work for CHIL Srl , a marketing company focusing on leafleting owned by his family , co-ordinating the sales service of the newspaper La Nazione . During this time Renzi was also a football referee at amateur level and a futsal player . In 1994 , he participated as a competitor for five consecutive episodes in the television program La Ruota Della Fortuna ( a localised version of the U.S . game show Wheel of Fortune ) hosted by Mike Bongiorno , winning 48 million lire . Early political career . Renzis interest in politics began in high school . In 1996 he was one of the founders of the committee in support of Romano Prodis candidature as Prime Minister in the general election ; that same year he joined the centrist Italian Peoples Party , and became its Provincial Secretary in 1999 . In the same year he married Agnese Landini , with whom he later had three children . In 2001 , he joined Francesco Rutellis The Daisy party , composed by members of the disbanded Peoples Party . On 13 June 2004 he was elected President of Florence Province with 59% of the vote , as the candidate of the centre-left coalition . He was the youngest person to become President of an Italian Province . In the years as President of the Province , Renzi expressed his ideas against the political caste , and during his mandate he reduced taxes and decreased the number of the Provinces employees and managers . Mayor of Florence . After five years as the President of Florence Province , Renzi announced that he would seek election as the Mayor of Florence . On 9 June 2009 , Renzi , by now a member of the Democratic Party , won the election on a second round vote with 60% of the votes , compared to 40% for his opponent Giovanni Galli . As Mayor he halved the number of city councillors , installed 500 free WiFi access points across the city , reduced kindergarten waiting lists by 90% , and increased spending on social welfare programs and schools . One year after being sworn in as Mayor and with his popularity in national opinion polls increasing , Renzi organised a public meeting with another young party administrator , Debora Serracchiani , at Leopolda Station in Florence to discuss Italian politics , after stating that a complete change was also necessary in his party . Other prominent Democratic Party members who aligned themselves with Renzis programme were Matteo Richetti , President of the Regional Council of Emilia-Romagna , Davide Faraone , a regional councillor from the Sicilian Regional Assembly , and Giuseppe Civati , a prominent member of the Democratic Party in Lombardy and a member of the Lombard Regional Council . Following this public meeting , the Italian media gave Renzi the nickname il Rottamatore , or The Scrapper . In 2011 , Renzi organised a second public meeting , also in Florence , where he wrote down one hundred topics of discussion . During this time he began to be strongly criticised by other members of his party closer to the then-Secretary Pier Luigi Bersani , after his suggestion that Italian politicians of the same generation as then-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi should retire . In September 2012 , Renzi announced that he would seek to lead the centre-left coalition in the 2013 general election ; the other four candidates for that position were Pier Luigi Bersani , Secretary of the Democratic Party , Nichi Vendola , Leader of the Left Ecology Freedom , Laura Puppato , a Democratic Deputy from Veneto and Bruno Tabacci , Leader of the Democratic Centre . After the first round of the December election , Renzi gained 35.5% of the vote , finishing second behind Bersani and qualifying for the second ballot . Renzi eventually gained a total of 39% of the vote , against Bersanis 61% . During the subsequent campaign in the 2013 election in March , Renzi backed Bersani by organising large public rallies in his support in Florence , but come the election the Democratic Party only gained 25.5% of the vote , despite opinion polls placing the party at almost 30% . In April , during the elections for the President of the Republic , Renzi caused a minor controversy by openly criticising the candidacies of both Franco Marini and Anna Finocchiaro , two long-standing members of his Democratic Party . Party Secretary . Following the resignation of Pier Luigi Bersani in April 2013 , Renzi announced that he would stand for the position of Secretary of the Democratic Party . The PDs loss of seats led to party members doubts concerning Bersanis leadership abilities . Renzis impressive resume at such a young age , in combination with his reputation as a political outsider thanks to his scrapping , made him very electable in comparison . He was supported by a number of his former political opponents , such as former Party Secretaries Walter Veltroni and Dario Franceschini , Deputy Marina Sereni , MEP David Sassoli and Turin Mayor Piero Fassino . Other supporters of his included Deputies like Gianni Dal Moro , Francesco Sanna , Francesco Boccia , Lorenzo Basso and Enrico Borghi , all of whom were considered close to the newly elected Prime Minister Enrico Letta . The other two candidates for Party Secretary were Gianni Cuperlo , a Member of the Chamber of Deputies and former Secretary of the Italian Communist Youth Federation , and Giuseppe Civati , a left-wing-oriented Deputy from Lombardy and a former supporter of Renzi . In the December election , Renzi was elected with 68% of the popular vote , compared to 18% for Gianni Cuperlo and 14% for Giuseppe Civati . He became the new Secretary of the Democratic Party and the centre-lefts prospective candidate for Prime Minister . His victory was welcomed by Prime Minister Enrico Letta , who had been the Vice-Secretary of the party under Bersanis leadership . Throughout January and February 2014 there were multiple reports of persistent leadership tensions between Renzi and Prime Minister Letta . Many claimed that Renzi was pressuring Letta to resign in his favour , arguing that as he was now the leader of the Democratic Party he should be given the right to become Prime Minister . On 12 February , Letta acknowledged these rumours for the first time , publicly demanded that Renzi make his position clear . Renzi subsequently called a meeting of the Democratic Party leadership for the following evening . Just before the meeting took place , Renzi publicly called on Letta to resign and allow him to form a new government . Letta initially resisted the demand , but following a vote in favour of Renzis proposal during the meeting , which Letta did not attend , he announced that he would tender his resignation as Prime Minister on 14 February . Under Renzis leadership , the Democratic Party officially joined the Party of European Socialists ( PES ) as a full-time member on 28 February 2014 . Prime Minister of Italy ( 20142016 ) . On 17 January 2014 , while on air at Le invasioni barbariche on La7 TV channel , interviewed about the tensions between him and the Prime Minister Enrico Letta , Renzi tweeted #enricostaisereno ( Enrico dont worry ) to reassure his party colleague that he was not plotting anything against him . However , at a meeting on 13 February 2014 the Democratic Party leadership voted heavily in favour of Renzis call for a new government , a new phase and a radical programme of reform . Minutes after the Party backed the Renzi proposal by 136 votes to 16 , with two abstentions , Palazzo Chigi – the official residence of the Prime Minister – announced that Letta would travel to the Quirinale the following day to tender his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano . In an earlier speech , Renzi had paid tribute to Letta , saying that he was not intended to put him on trial . But , without directly proposing himself as the next Prime Minister , he said the Eurozones third-largest economy urgently needed a new phase and radical programme to push through badly-needed reforms . The motion he put forward made clear the necessity and urgency of opening a new phase with a new executive . Speaking privately to party leaders , Renzi said that Italy was at a crossroads and faced either holding fresh elections or a new government without a return to the polls . On 14 February , President Napolitano accepted Lettas resignation from the office of Prime Minister . Following Lettas resignation , Renzi formally received the task of forming a new government from President Napolitano on 17 February . Renzi held several days of talks with party leaders , all of which he broadcast live on the internet , before unveiling his Cabinet on 21 February , which contained members of his Democratic Party , the New Centre-Right , the Union of the Centre and the Civic Choice . His Cabinet became Italys youngest government to date , with an average age of 47 . It was also the first in which the number of female ministers was equal to the number of male ministers , excluding the Prime Minister . The following day , Renzi was formally sworn in as Prime Minister , becoming the fourth Prime Minister in four years and the youngest Prime Minister in the history of Italy . His rise to become Prime Minister was widely seen as a sign of much-needed generational change , and at the time he took office he enjoyed by far the highest approval rating of any politician in the country . On 25 February Renzi won a vote of confidence in the Italian Parliament , with 169 votes in the Senate and 378 in the Chamber of Deputies . On 7 February 2015 , after just under a year in power , five senators and two deputies from the Civic Choice defected to the Democratic Party , citing the leadership of Renzi as Prime Minister as the primary reason for their decision to change parties . On 20 March 2015 , Prime Minister Renzi briefly became ad interim Minister of Infrastructure and Transport following the resignation of Maurizio Lupi , due to a corruption scandal involving public works on infrastructure in which his name had been cited several times . Renzi held the office on an unofficial basis until 2 April , when Graziano Delrio was appointed as the new Minister . On 4 December 2016 , after the failure of the referendum he proposed , announced his resignation . On 7 December 2016 , Renzi officially handed over the resignation to the President Sergio Mattarella . Domestic policy . Labour reform . Upon becoming Prime Minister , Renzi said that long-overdue labour market reform would be at the top of his agenda to improve the state of the Italian economy . On 12 March 2014 , the Cabinet issued a law-decree on fixed-term contracts , called the Poletti Decree , from the name of the Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti , as well as a bill proposing major reforms to the Italian labour market called the Jobs Act . A reduction in the tax burden of about €80 was announced for those earning less than €1,500 per month . On 30 April Renzi , together with the Minister for the Public Administration Marianna Madia , presented the guidelines for the reform of the Public Administration , subsequently approved by the Cabinet on 13 June . In September the government brought the Jobs Act before Parliament , which provided for , among other things , the abolition of Article 18 of the Workers Statute , which protected workers from unjustified dismissal . The proposal was heavily criticised by the largest Italian trade union , the General Confederation of Labour ( CGIL ) and its leaders Susanna Camusso and Maurizio Landini . Moreover , the left-wing of the Democratic Party , by then led by the former National Secretary Pier Luigi Bersani , criticised the government for the reform , threatening to vote against it . On 29 September , the National Committee of the Democratic Party voted to support the Jobs Act , despite the disagreements within the party , with 130 votes in favour , 20 against and 11 abstaining . On 9 October the Italian Senate voted to approve the Jobs Act , and the landmark reform passed with 165 votes in favour to 111 against , marking the first step for the most ambitious economic legislation of the eight-month-old government . Before the vote Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti was forced to cut his speech short due to the loud protests of the Five Star Movement and Lega Nord oppositions , some of whom threw coins and papers . German Chancellor Angela Merkel , who was visiting Milan and had been among the most vocal politicians regarding Italys need for speedy economic reforms , said the labour law marked an important step to reduce employment barriers in the Eurozones third-largest economy . On 25 October , almost one million people took part in a mass protest in Rome , organised by the CGIL in opposition to the labour reforms of the government . Some high-profile members of the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party , including Gianni Cuperlo , Stefano Fassina and Pippo Civati , also participated in the protest . On 8 November more than 100,000 public employees protested in Rome in a demonstration organised by the three largest trade unions in the country , the CGIL , the CISL and the UIL . On 25 November , the Chamber of Deputies approved the Jobs Act with 316 votes , but the Five Star , Lega Nord and almost forty members of the Democratic Party abstained from the vote to protest against the reform . On 3 December the Senate gave the Jobs Act the final approval it needed to become law . Economic policies . In March 2014 the Cabinet approved the auctioning of a large number of luxury cars that were used to transport heads of state , including nine Maseratis , two Jaguars , and various other cars such as BMWs and Alfa Romeos . Out of the 1,500 cars put up for sale , 170 sold immediately over eBay . In April , as part of his wider industrial reforms , Renzi forced the chief executives of Italys biggest state-owned companies , including Eni , Terna , Finmeccanica , Enel and Poste Italiane , to resign , citing a lack of public confidence in their leadership . He subsequently appointed women to the majority of new positions , making it the first time any woman had served as a chief executive of a state-owned company in Italy . In 2014 , his cabinet introduced the so-called Renzi bonus , a monthly allowance of €80 , recognized to holders of a total annual income not exceeding €24,600 . The bonus , whose aim was to relaunch expenditures , was heavily criticised by opposition , which labeled it as an electoral baksheesh for the 2014 European election . On 1 August , Renzi launched law-decree called Unblock Italy , which was intended to facilitate the implementation of major projects , civil works and infrastructure that were suspended at the time , as well as achieving further administrative simplification . The centre of this was the Millegiorni , or the Thousand Days Programme . On 1 September Renzi launched the website passodopopasso.italia.it , which would allow citizens to monitor the progress of the Millegiorni . Later , on 9 October , Renzi presented his first Finance Bill ( Legge di Stabilità ) , which was approved by the European Commission on 28 October . In February 2015 , with the economy continuing to stagnate , the Government announced a plan to abolish rules that limit cooperative lenders shareholders to one vote each at shareholder meetings regardless of the size of their holdings . The European Commission subsequently forecast that the Italian economy would begin to grow by the spring . The Government also announced the abolition of IRAP , a regional tax on production activities and , discussing the 2016 Finance Bill , Renzi further promised to cancel IRPEF , IMU and TASI , taxes on individuals , public services and residences . In May 2015 the economy recorded growth of 0.3% , finally ending the Italian triple-dip recession . In January 2016 , Renzi highlighted an additional 500,000 jobs that he claimed had been created through his policies . Constitutional reforms . Upon becoming Prime Minister , Renzi stated that one of his most important tasks was to achieve constitutional reforms . The Italian institutional framework had remained essentially unchanged since 1 January 1948 , when the Italian Constitution first came into force after being enacted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 December 1947 . The first stage of Renzis reform package aimed to abolish the so-called perfect bicameralism , which gave identical powers to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate ; the reforms would substantially decrease the membership and power of the Senate . Under the reforms : the Senates power to force the resignation of the Government by refusing to grant a vote of confidence would be removed ; only a few types of bills , including the constitutional bills , constitutional amendments , laws regarding local interests , referendums and the protection of linguistic minorities , would need to be passed by the Senate ; the Senate could only propose amendments to bills in some cases , with the Chamber of Deputies always having the final word ; and the membership of the Senate would be changed , with regional representatives appointed in a manner virtually identical to Germanys Bundesrat . On 11 March 2014 , the Chamber of Deputies approved both the plans to overhaul the Senate and the second stage of Renzis constitutional reforms , a flagship electoral reform law that would see Italys voting system overhauled . On 26 March , despite objections raised by several parties in the coalition , the Government won a vote in the Senate on the bill reforming the provinces , with 160 voting in favour and 133 against . On 6 May , the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Senate approved the Governments bill on the reform of the Senate . Due to the ambitious reforms that provided for the abolition of Senate , a new electoral law and an increase in the powers of the Prime Minister , Renzi was accused by politicians and constitutionalists like Stefano Rodotà or Fausto Bertinotti of being an authoritarian and anti-democratic leader . In April 2014 , Renzi proposed that Italy adopt what he called the Italicum voting system , a proportional representation system with a majority bonus for the party which obtained over 40% of the vote , in order to provide for stable and long-term government . To approve the new electoral law , which was opposed by the Five Star Movement and a minority of his own Democratic Party , Renzi gained the support of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi , who was still the leader of Forza Italia , despite having been expelled from the Senate due to his sentence for tax evasion . The alliance between Renzi and Berlusconi was named the Nazareno Pact , from the name of the street in Rome where the headquarters of the Democratic Party are located , where the two leaders met for the first time to discuss the reform . Renzi was harshly criticised by many within the Democratic Partys left-wing minority for the deal with Berlusconi , as well as by the Five Star Movement of Beppe Grillo who said the Nazareno Pact was the proof that there are no differences between the Italian centre-left and centre-right . Despite concern from some within the Democratic Party , the Italicum was given final approval by the Italian Senate on 27 January 2015 , thanks to support from Forza Italia Senators . On 28 April 2015 , concerned that the reform may not pass , Renzi announced he would hold a confidence vote to approve the electoral reform changes . The Five Star Movement , Forza Italia and some left-wing Democratic Party members strongly opposed this decision , with some seeking to draw comparisons between Renzi and Benito Mussolini . It would be only the third time that an electoral law was twinned with a confidence vote , after Mussolinis Acerbo law and Alcide De Gasperis Scam law . On 4 May the Chamber of Deputies finally approved Renzis flagship electoral changes with 334 votes for and 61 votes against , the latter including a faction of the PD . The reforms took full effect in July 2016 . Having easily passed the Chamber of Deputies on 11 March 2015 , in a first stage , the reforms to the Italian Senate that would see its power greatly diminished and membership drastically changed were finally passed by the Senate on 13 October 2015 . The vote was won by 176 votes to 16 , with a large number of senators abstaining from the vote in protest at having to vote on abolishing many of their own powers . The last vote was held on 12 April 2016 , when the Chamber finally approved the reform with 361 votes while all the oppositions abandoned the house . On 4 December 2016 , the reform was rejected in a constitutional referendum . Immigration . As a result of the Libyan and Syrian Civil Wars , a major problem faced by Renzi upon becoming Prime Minister in 2014 was the high levels of illegal immigration to Italy . 2014 saw an increase in the number of migrants rescued at sea being brought to southern Italian ports , with the increase in the number of migrants prompting criticism of Renzi by the anti-immigration Lega Nord , the Five Star Movement and Silvio Berlusconis Forza Italia party . On 8 August 2014 , the Cabinet approved a law-decree providing for the international protection of migrants . In November 2014 , Renzi ordered the Italian-run rescue option Operation Mare Nostrum to be replaced by Frontexs Operation Triton due to the refusal of several EU governments to fund it . In 2014 , 170,100 migrants arrived in Italy by sea , a 296% increase compared to 2013 . 141,484 of the travellers ferried over from Libya . Most of the migrants had come from Syria , Eritrea and various countries in West Africa . On 19 April 2015 , a huge shipwreck took place in the Mediterranean Sea , causing the death of more than 700 migrants from North Africa . Renzi , returning to Rome from a political event in Mantua for the regional elections , held an emergency meeting with ministers and spoke by telephone to French President François Hollande and Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat . The call led to an emergency meeting of European interior ministers to address the problem of migrant deaths . In a speech addressing immigration , the Italian Prime Minister condemned human trafficking as a new slave trade . From January to April 2015 , about 1,600 migrants died on the route from Libya to Lampedusa , making it the deadliest migrant route in the world . Same-sex unions . On 10 June 2015 , the Chamber of Deputies passed a motion obliging the Government to approve a bill regarding civil unions between same-sex couples . Previously all of the major parties in Italy had presented different motions on civil unions , which were all rejected except for the Democratic Partys , which also called for civil unions to be approved . Renzi had stated shortly before becoming Prime Minister that he favoured the introduction of civil unions for same-sex couples . In July 2015 , several days after the European Parliament passed a motion calling on all members of the European Union to recognise same-sex relationships , the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Italy was violating the Convention on Human Rights by not recognising same-sex couples right to family life . On 7 October 2015 , Renzi introduced a bill to Parliament that would establish same-sex civil unions and gender-neutral cohabitation agreements . The bill passed its first reading in the Senate a week later . Although Renzi secured the support of his Democratic Party and the main opposition Forza Italia party , many MPs from both criticised the bill . Despite the bill being put forward on a free vote , Renzi made it clear that he would tie the civil unions bill to a vote of confidence in his Government if it did not pass . Following months of public and parliamentary debate , on 25 February 2016 the Senate voted in favour of Renzis proposals to legalise civil unions , with 173 votes in favour and 71 against . An amendment known as the stepchild adoption provision that would have granted parental rights to a non-biological parent in a same-sex union was taken out of the bill at the last moment after it became clear a majority of senators did not support it . Although Renzi had expressed support for the amendment , the decision came after the Five Star Movement backed out of an agreement to pass it ; moreover , the amendment was opposed by the New Centre-Right . Renzi stated that the bills passage through the Senate was a victory for love , although he expressed disappointment that the adoption provision was not also adopted , and raised the possibility of introducing it in a separate bill at a later date . On 11 May 2016 , the Chamber of Deputies approved the final proposals , with 369 votes in favour and 163 against . Social policies . On 3 September 2014 during a press conference , Renzi announced an online consultation with students , teachers and citizens ahead of the major school reforms promoted by Education Minister Stefania Giannini . On 9 July 2015 , despite the opposition of an overwhelming majority of teachers and students alike to the actual design of the school reform , this was finally approved by the Chamber of Deputies , with 277 votes against 173 . On 15 December , during a ceremony at the Italian National Olympic Committee , Renzi officially launched the candidacy of Rome for the 2024 Summer Olympics . Renzi stated that , Our country too often seems hesitant . Its unacceptable not to try or to renounce playing the game . Sport in Italy is a way of life and a way of looking at the future . I dont know if we’ll make it , but the Olympic candidacy is one of the most beautiful things we can do for our kids , for us , for Italy . On 21 September 2016 , Mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi , a member of the Five Star Movement , told reporters the bid for the games would go no further . Raggi , having long been opposed to Rome hosting the games , cited ongoing financial troubles in the country as the main reason for cancelling the bid . She said hosting the games would be irresponsible and would only cause the city to fall into further debt . Universal Exposition . During Renzis premiership Milan hosted the Universal Exposition ; the themes were technology , innovation , culture and traditions concerning food . Participants to the Expo include 145 countries , three international organisations , several civil society organisations , several corporations and non-governmental organisations ( NGOs ) . The participants are hosted inside individual or grouped pavilions . The opening of the Expo on 1 May 2015 was met with protest from anti-austerity activists , black bloc , and anarchists caused criminal damage , resulting in the police using tear gas . Expo also created some tensions with the Holy See and the Italian government ; in fact Pope Francis condemned the concept of Expo , saying that it obeys the culture of waste and does not contribute to a model of equitable and sustainable development . As Vatican City invested €3 million to obtain its own pavilion at the event before his appointment to the papacy , Francis said that , although it is a good thing that the Church is involved in causes that battle hunger and promote cleaner energy , he stated that too much money was wasted on the Expo itself by Vatican City . 2016 earthquakes . At 03:36 CEST on 24 August 2016 , an earthquake measuring 6.2 on the moment magnitude scale struck Central Italy . The epicentre was close to Accumoli , in an area near the borders of the Umbria , Lazio , Abruzzo and Marche regions . The earthquake killed 298 people and left more than 4,500 homeless . On 1 September , Renzi appointed the former President of Emilia-Romagna Vasco Errani as Special Commissioner for Reconstruction . Errani had been already a Special Commissioner during the earthquake that struck his home region in 2012 . A magnitude 6.1 intraplate earthquake struck west of Visso on 26 October at 21:18 local time ( 19:18 UTC ) . The earthquake , which occurred two months after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in August , struck about to the northwest of the August earthquakes epicentre . The civil protection , however , estimated the consequences less dramatically than feared . According to official data , a man died because he had suffered a heart attack as a result of the quake . A third large , shallow earthquake of USGS preliminary magnitude 6.6 struck north of Norcia at 07:40 local time ( 06:40 UTC ) on 30 October . This quake was the largest in Italy in 36 years , since the 1980 Irpinia earthquake . The three earthquakes caused almost 100,000 homeless . Foreign affairs . During his premiership , Renzi faced several challenging foreign policy situations , such as the European debt crisis , the civil war in Libya , the Ukrainian Crisis and the insurgency of the Islamic State ( IS ) in the Middle East . Renzi formed a close relationship with US President Barack Obama , supporting the 2014 military intervention against IS with hundreds of Italian troops and four Panavia Tornado aircraft , and also supporting international sanctions against Russia after their invasion of East Ukraine . Renzi forged a positive relationship with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe , who praised the economic policies of the Renzi Government . A key ally of Renzi in the Mediterranean is Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ; the two leaders held many bilateral meetings where they discussed the problem of immigration to Italy and the increasing tensions in the Middle East and North Africa . In the European Union , Renzi has a close relationship with French President François Hollande and his Prime Minister Manuel Valls , especially with Valls , who saw Renzi as a model for his Third Way policies . Europe . Following the 2014 European Parliament elections , which saw the Democratic Party receive the highest number of votes of all the individual political parties contesting that election across the entire European Union , Renzi subsequently emerged as the most prominent leader of the European Socialists . This was in opposition to German Chancellor Angela Merkel , widely considered the de facto leader of the European Peoples Party and , according to some European Union analysts , the two leaders are together referred to as Merkenzi . Renzi and Merkel had many bilateral meetings , the first on 17 March 2014 in Berlin , just a few weeks after Renzis election as Prime Minister , where the two leaders discussed important reforms that the Italian Government planned to make both in Italy and in the EU . On 22 January 2015 , Merkel visited Renzi in his home city of Florence , where she publicly lauded the impressive reforms carried out by his government . On the following day the two leaders held a joint press conference in front of Michelangelos David . Renzi is seen as an ally of French President François Hollande of the Socialist Party . On 15 March 2014 Renzi met Hollande in Paris , agreeing with him a common economic policy focused not only on the austerity measures imposed by the so-called Troika of the European Commission , European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund , but also on more flexible policies to promote economic growth in the EU . Renzi is a close personal friend of French Prime Minister Manuel Valls , with the two leaders often regarded as being heirs of the Third Way politics espoused by the likes of Tony Blair . On 7 January 2015 , after the Islamic terrorist attack in Paris which caused the death of 17 people , Renzi expressed horror and dismay , offering his best wishes to the people of France and noting his close relationships with the French Prime Minister and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo . On 11 January , he joined more than 40 world leaders and three million people in the Republican March organised by President Hollande . Renzi built a constructive relationship with British Prime Minister David Cameron of the Conservative Party . During their first meeting on 1 April 2014 , Cameron stated that the reforms planned by Renzi were ambitious and that together the two men would be able to change the European Union . On the same day , Renzi also met former British Prime Minister Tony Blair , whom Renzi had previously called a political inspiration to him . On 2 October 2014 , Renzi held a press conference with Cameron in 10 Downing Street , with Cameron lauding their similar policies to reform the European Union and overcome the economic crisis . On 1 August 2014 , following his partys strong showing in the European Parliament elections , Renzi nominated his Foreign Minister , Federica Mogherini , as a candidate to be the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in the incoming-European Commission to be led by Jean-Claude Juncker , the former Prime Minister of Luxembourg . Mogherini was eventually successfully confirmed as the EU High Representative , ensuring that Italy controlled one of the two most senior posts in the Commission . In September , Renzi participated in the 2014 NATO Summit in Wales . Before the official start of the summit , he had discussions with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko , US President Barack Obama and the other three leaders of the European G4 to discuss the crisis with Russia . This summit was the first held after the Russian military intervention in Ukraine and the offensive by the Islamic State of the Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi . On 3 February 2015 , Renzi received newly elected Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of the Coalition of the Radical Left in Rome . The two leaders held a joint press conference expressing concerns about austerity measures imposed by the European Commission and stated that economic growth is the only way to solve the crisis . After the press conference , Renzi presented Tsipras with an Italian tie as a gift . Tsipras , who was notable for refusing to ever wear a tie , thanked Renzi and said he would wear the gift in celebration after Greece had successfully renegotiated the austerity measures . United States . Similar to his predecessors , Renzi continued the long-standing Italian policy of a close relationship with the United States , building a partnership with President Barack Obama . Italy supported the US in the military intervention against the Islamic State , and participated in the international sanctions against Russia following their invasion of East Ukraine . Renzi met Obama for the first time on 24 March 2014 , during the latters trip to Rome . Renzi also held a joint meeting with Obama , Pope Francis and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano . Obama stated afterwards that he had been impressed by the reforms Renzi wanted to undertake . Renzi himself said that he considered Obama an example for the policies he wanted to achieve . On 22 September , Renzi visited Silicon Valley , California . In San Francisco he met with young Italian emigrants who have created startups in the USA . He also visited the headquarters of Twitter , Google and Yahoo ! to hold talks with chief executives . Renzi was accompanied by former US Secretaries of State , Condoleezza Rice and George Shultz , and by the former American ambassador to Italy , Ronald P . Spogli . He later spoke at Stanford University as the guest of University President John L . Hennessy . The following day , Renzi spoke at a United Nations summit in New York City , focusing on the problem of climate change . Following the summit , Renzi met former US President Bill Clinton and his wife , former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton . At the end of his trip , Renzi participated in a reception hosted by Barack Obama . Renzi was received at the White House in April 2015 . He and President Obama discussed many issues , including Ukraine , Libya and ISIL . They discussed Europes economy , the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership , climate change and energy security . In October 2015 , the Italian Government announced that it would prolong its military presence in Afghanistan along with the US Army , in order to continue its security mission and prevent the rise of Islamist forces such as Al-Qaeda and ISIL . On 18 October 2016 , President Obama invited Renzi and his wife Agnese to attend an official state dinner at the White House . The two men held a joint press conference during which Obama , the dinner being his final state visit as president , commented that he had saved the best for last , and the two reiterated their support for one another . Asia . Renzi built up a close relations with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe ; the two Prime Ministers are both against austerity and they are reforming the constitutions of their countries . On 6 June 2014 , Renzi received Prime Minister Abe in Rome . Abe publicly congratulated Renzi for the economic and constitutional reforms being delivered by Renzis government . The two leaders also met in Tokyo in August 2015 and discussed about relations with China and the stability of East Asia . On 9 June , Renzi travelled to Hanoi , Vietnam to meet with President Trương Tấn Sang and Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng , as well as Communist Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng to sign economic treaties worth around 5 billion US dollars to the Italian economy . In doing so , Renzi became the first Italian Prime Minister to officially visit Vietnam since 1973 , when diplomacy first began between Italy and North Vietnam . During the visit Renzi placed a wreath in the mausoleum of the former North Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh . On 11 June , Renzi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing , who congratulated him for the important reforms being undertaken by his government . Xi also stated that China would continue co-operation with Italy ahead of Expo 2015 in Milan . Several months later in October , Renzi met with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang in Rome to sign twenty treaties worth a total of 8 billion euros . On 12 June , Renzi met Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana , where they discussed withdrawal of Italian troops from Afghanistan . On 18 November , Renzi travelled to Ashgabat , Turkmenistan , where with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow he signed a number of economic pacts securing increased gas supply . Africa . During his premiership , Renzi started a policy review led to the creation of the Italy-Africa initiative , which includes renewable energy co-operation and a new package of development aid in fields stretching from health care to culture ; counterterrorism has been a key part of his agenda , but the East Africa region is also important to stop the migration flows from there to Italy through North Africa , especially Libya . On 4 March , Renzi travelled to Tunisia , where he had a meeting with Mustapha Ben Jafar . With Jafar , Renzi discussed about the problem of illegal immigration to Italy from the coasts of North Africa . The trip to Tunisia was the first official one made by Renzi as Prime Minister of Italy . On 18 March 2015 , after the Bardo Museum attack in Tunis , in which 28 people died and four of whom were Italians , Renzi condemned the terrorist attack and said that Italy is close to the Tunisian government and people . On 19 July , Renzi started a major trip to Africa , meeting the Mozambique President Armando Guebuza . Renzi signed economic pacts to create investments by the Italian government-owned oil company Eni in the African country for 50 billion dollars . The following day he visited the Republic of Congo where he met President Denis Sassou Nguesso , with whom he signed a co-operation for the extraction of oil in the country . Some journalists criticised the meeting with Sassou Nguesso , who is considered one of the more corrupt dictators of Africa . Renzi later met with Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos in Luanda . During the visit , Renzi placed a memorial wreath in the mausoleum of the first Angolan President , Agostinho Neto . On 24 July , under the direction of Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini , the government worked for the release of Mariam Ibrahim , a Sudanese woman had been who sentenced to death for being a Christian . Thanks largely to the good relations between Sudan and Italy , Ibrahim was released and permitted to fly to Italy on a government plane . On 2 December , Renzi went to Algiers , where he met Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal . With the two leaders of the country , Renzi discussed the Libyan crisis , immigration from North Africa , and also about gas imports from Algeria as an alternative to Russian imports , following the tensions between the European Union and Russia . In January 2016 , Renzi continued his policy toward Africa ; the Prime Minister had a three-days trip in Nigeria , Ghana and Senegal . The main tasks of this diplomatic trip was the fight against the Islamic terrorism and the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean Sea ; with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari , Renzi signed an agreement on enhancing co-operation between the Nigerian and Italian Polices . Renzi has been one of the strongest supporters of the new Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and of his government of national union . In August 2016 the newspaper la Repubblica reported that dozens of Italian special forces were operating in Libya , for training and intelligence activities . These special forces were operating under the direct command of the Prime Ministers office . Russia . Russia had previously enjoyed a privileged relationship with Italy , particularly under the leadership of Silvio Berlusconi , who was a personal friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin . Following the Russian military intervention in Ukraine , however , relations worsened . On 2 March 2014 , Renzi accused Putin of having committed an unacceptable violation . On 19 March , during a speech to the Chamber of Deputies , Renzi stated that the Crimean status referendum was illegal and that the G8 countries must start co-operating to solve the crisis and prevent a return to the Cold War . In June , he subsequently participated in the G7 summit in Brussels , the first one held after the suspension of Russia from the G8 following the annexation of Crimea in March . Renzi phoned Putin on 28 August , asking him to stop the intolerable escalation and to reach a peace agreement with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to stop the pro-Russian conflict in that regions . Renzi and Putin also had a bilateral meeting on 16 October , when Renzi hosted the Asia–Europe Meeting ( ASEM ) in Milan with 53 other leaders of the world . On 15 November , during the G-20 summit in Brisbane , the two leaders had another meeting , where they discussed about the Ukrainian crisis , but also on the civil wars in Libya and Syria . On 5 March 2015 , Renzi met President Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow . The talks between the leaders was focused on international issues , such as settlement of the crisis in Ukraine , the situations in the Middle East and in Libya , as well as fighting terrorism . Putin guaranteed Russian support in case of a UN intervention in Libya against the Islamic State . Ahead of the bilateral meeting , Prime Minister Renzi visited and laid flowers at the Moscow bridge , near the Kremlin , on which the Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was murdered , a few days before . Through 2015 , Renzi became one of the main supporters of a reduction of international sanctions against Russia and the establishment of a political and military alliance between the Western countries and Russia against the terrorism of the Islamic State . Renzi questioned Nord Stream II , a new Russia-Germany natural gas pipeline , saying : I found it surprising that the South Stream project was blocked [ Balkan pipeline was cancelled by Russia in December 2014 following obstacles from EU ] , while now we are discussing a doubling up of Nord Stream . Middle East . On 2 August 2014 , Renzi met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo , holding talks about a variety of issues , including the Israel-Gaza conflict . Renzi stated that Italy would support the Egyptian truce proposal , with the two leaders calling for an immediate cease-fire and the beginning of peace negotiations . In making the visit , Renzi became the first Western leader to visit President el-Sisi since his election . On 15 January 2015 , after Islamic States conquests in Libya , Renzi conducted a long phone call with Sisi , to discuss the terrorist threat in the Mediterranean . The two leaders agreed that the next steps should be political and diplomatic efforts through the United Nations . On 11 July 2015 , a car bomb exploded outside the Italian consulate in Cairo , resulting in at least one death and four injured . ISIS claimed responsibility . The relations between Italy and Egypt dramatically worsened after the murder of Giulio Regeni , an Italian Cambridge University graduate student killed in Cairo following his abduction on 25 January 2016 . Giulio Regeni was a PhD student at Girton College , Cambridge , researching Egypts independent trade unions . Due to Regenis research activities and left-wing political leanings , the security services of el-Sisis government are strongly suspected of involvement in his murder , although Egypts media and government deny this and claim secret undercover agents belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood carried out the crime in order to embarrass the Egyptian government and destabilise relations between Italy and Egypt . On 20 August 2014 Renzi travelled to Iraq , in the midst of the insurgency led by the Islamic State . There he met with the Head of State , Fuad Masum , Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his immediate predecessor Nouri al-Maliki . On the same day , 20 August 2014 , Renzi travelled north to Erbil to meet the President of Iraqi Kurdistan , Masud Barzani , and Prime Minister Nechervan Barzani . Renzi later told an American journalist that what he witnessed during his trip to Iraq reminded him of the images of the Srebrenica massacre that had horrified him as a child . While Renzi was in Iraq , the Italian Parliament approved a proposal to arm the Peshmerga soldiers fighting against the Islamic State . On 23 September , during the 69th General Assembly of the United Nations , Renzi held a bilateral meeting with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan , at which they discussed climate change and increasing tensions in the Middle East . On 11 December Renzi travelled to Ankarafor a second meeting with Erdoğan , during which Renzi expressed his support for Turkish accession to the European Union . On the same day he met with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu . On 8 January 2015 , Renzi made his first official trip of the year , meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi to address issues of foreign and economic policy , including the Alitalia-Etihad deal . The two leaders discussed joint co-operation domains and enhancing trade exchange and co-operation in energy and aerospace . Renzi has had good relations with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas . On 21 and 22 July 2015 he visited first Jerusalem , where he met with Netanyahu and addressed the Knesset , and then Ramallah , where he met with Abbas . Renzi was the first leader to visit Israel after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action , the deal reached between international community and Iran . Whereas Netanyahu heavily criticised the deal , Renzi supported it , while stressing that Israels security is the security of Europe and mine as well . In January 2016 , Renzi met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Rome , the first visit to Italy by a President of Iran since 1999 . The two leaders signed business deals worth up to 17 billion euros . They also discussed the war against the Islamic State in the Middle East and Libya . On 13 and 14 April 2016 he became the first Western leader to visit Iran after the international agreement on the nuclear program of Iran . In Iran , Renzi met both President Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei . Latin America . After announcing an increase of Italian investment in Central and South America , in October 2015 Renzi undertook a number of official trips across the continent , travelling to Chile , Peru and Colombia . During his visit to Santiago , Renzi and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet launched a large number of renewable energy projects promoted by the Italian multinational Enel . Renzi also visited the European Southern Observatory of Paranal in the Atacama desert . During these trips , Renzi had numerous meetings with communities of Italian-born Latin Americans in these countries . In a surprise visit , returning from Latin America , on 28 October 2015 Renzi became the first Italian Prime Minister in history to make a state visit to Cuba . In doing so he also became the first G7 leader to meet Cuban President Raúl Castro following the 2015 normalisation of relations between the United States and Cuba . In February 2016 Renzi met Argentine President Mauricio Macri during a state visit to Buenos Aires ; Renzi became the first European leader to meet Macri after the 2015 presidential election and the first Italian Prime Minister since Romano Prodi in 1998 to visit Argentina . During his premiership , Renzi has also developed close relationship with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto . After the premiership ( 2016present ) . Following the defeat in the constitutional referendum and the subsequent resignation as Prime Minister , Renzi remained Secretary of the Democratic Party . As leader of the main party both in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic , he supported the new government led by his former Minister of Foreign Affairs Paolo Gentiloni , also a Democrat . 2017 leadership election and party split . On 19 February 2017 , during the PD National Assembly , Renzi resigned as Secretary of the party , announcing his candidacy for the next leadership election . A few days before he launched the movement In Cammino ( On the way ) in support of his candidacy . Contextually , a large portion of the partys internal left-wing , led by Enrico Rossi and Roberto Speranza , who were endorsed by former party leaders Massimo DAlema , Pier Luigi Bersani and Guglielmo Epifani , left the PD and founded the Democratic and Progressive Movement ( MDP ) , along with splinters from the Italian Left ( SI ) . On 6 March Matteo Renzi presented his electoral programme , in which he expressed his intention to renovate the party , Italy and Europe . He also announced an electoral ticket with the Agriculture Minister Maurizio Martina ; Martina would become Deputy Secretary and would probably lead the party if Renzi becomes Prime Minister again . From 10 to 12 March Renzi and his supporters participated in Lingotto 17 , a convention based in the district of Lingotto in Turin , where the Democratic Party was founded ten years before under the leadership of Walter Veltroni . During his speech he harshly condemned the Five Star Movement ( M5S ) , accused of being a populist party controlled by a private company , and Lega Nord , which uses fear to gain votes . Renzi attacked also European bureaucrats and proposed a primary election to appoint the Party of European Socialists candidate for the European Commission presidency and the direct election of the President . Among the notable participants of the pro-Renzi convention were Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni , current ministers like Pier Carlo Padoan , Dario Franceschini , Graziano Delrio , Marianna Madia , Roberta Pinotti and Secretary Maria Elena Boschi . Emma Bonino , historic Radical leader and former Foreign Affairs Minister , also participated in the rally . The other two candidates for the leadership election were President of Apulia Michele Emiliano and Minister of Justice Andrea Orlando . Emiliano is an outspoken former magistrate with strong support in the poor South , who was expected to join the dissidents in MDP but decided instead to challenge Renzi from within the mainstream party ; he is often described as a democratic socialist and populist politician . Orlando is a social democratic politician and a leading member of the party since the foundation . Orlando is often described as the candidate of the social democratic establishment of the party . After having won the vote by party members in March with almost 67% of votes , on 30 April , Renzi was re-elected Secretary of the party by a landslide with 69.2% of votes ; while Orlando received 19.9% and Emiliano 10.9% of votes . Second term as Secretary . After the rejection of the constitutional reform , the Parliament had to change the electoral law proposed by Renzis government ; in fact the so-called Italicum regulates only the election of the Chamber of Deputies , and not the one of the Senate , which , if the reform passed , would be indirectly elected by citizens . After the re-election as Secretary , Renzi proposed a new electoral law called Mattarellum bis , better known as Rosatellum , from the name of his main proponent Ettore Rosato , Democratic leader in the Chamber of Deputies . This electoral law was similar to the one which was applied in Italy from 1993 to 2004 . The Rosatellum used an additional member system , which act as a mixed system , with 36% of seats allocated using a first past the post electoral system and 64% using a proportional method , with one round of voting . The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies did not differ in the way they allocated the proportional seats , both using the DHondt method of allocating seats . The new electoral law was supported by PD and his government ally Popular Alternative , but also by the opposition parties Forza Italia and Lega Nord . Despite many protests from the Five Star Movement and the Democratic and Progressive Movement , the electoral law was approved on 12 October by the Chamber of Deputies with 375 votes in favor and 215 against , and on 26 October by the Senate with 214 votes against 61 . The electoral programme of the Democratic Party for the general election included , among the main points , the introduction of a minimum hourly wage of €10 , a measure that would affect 15% of workers , that is those workers who do not adhere to the national collective agreements ; a cut of the contributory wedge for permanent contracts ; a relocation allowance and an increase in subsidies for the unemployed ; a monthly allowance of €80 for parents for each minor child ; fiscal detraction of €240 for parents with children ; and the progressive reduction of IRPEF and IRES rates , respectively the Italian income tax and the corporate tax . Moreover , the PD advocated the re-launch of the process of European integration and federation , towards the formation of the United States of Europe . In the election , his centre-left coalition arrived third behind the centre-right alliance , in which Matteo Salvinis League was the main political force , and the Five Star Movement of Luigi Di Maio finished second . On 5 March , Renzi announced that the PD will be in opposition during this legislature and he will resign as secretary when a new cabinet is formed . Renzi officially resigned on 12 March during PDs national directorate , and his deputy secretary Martina was appointed acting leader . Leader of Italia Viva . In August 2019 , Deputy Prime Minister and Leagues leader , Matteo Salvini , announced a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte , after growing tensions within the majority . Many political analysts believe the no confidence motion was an attempt to force early elections to improve Legas standing in Parliament , ensuring Salvini could become the next Prime Minister . On 20 August , following the parliamentary debate at the Senate , in which Conte harshly accused Salvini of being a political opportunist who had triggered the political crisis only to serve his personal interest and stated this government ends here , the Prime Minister resigned his post to President Mattarella . Despite having always opposed it in the past , in August 2019 , Renzi strongly advocated the formation of a new government between the PD and the populist Five Star Movement . After days of tensions within the Democratic Party , on 28 August Nicola Zingaretti , the new PDs leader , announced his favorable position regarding a new government with the M5S , with Giuseppe Conte at its head . On same day , Mattarella summoned Conte to the Quirinal Palace for the 29 August to give him the task of forming a new cabinet . Renzi was seen by many political analysts and journalists as the real kingmaker of the new parliamentary majority . On 17 September , in an interview to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica , Renzi announced his intention to leave the PD , creating new parliamentary groups led by him . On the same day , interviewed by Bruno Vespa in his TV show Porta a Porta , he officially launched the political movement Italia Viva ( IV ) . Between December 2020 and January 2021 , discussions arose within the government coalition between Renzi and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte . Renzi called for radical changes to the governments economic recovery plans after the COVID-19 pandemic , and also demanded that Conte cede his mandate over the secret services coordination task . During his end-of-year press conference , Conte declined Renzis requests , asserting that he still had a majority in the Parliament . After a few days , Renzi threatened to pull back IVs two ministers , Teresa Bellanova and Elena Bonetti , from the upcoming Council of Minister , summoned to approve the Recovery Plan . On 13 January 2021 , during a press conference , Renzi announced the resignation of Italia Vivas ministers Bellanova and Bonetti , officially opening a government crisis . Elections . 2014 European election . In the European Parliament election held on 25 May 2014 , the first national election Renzi had faced since becoming Prime Minister , his Democratic Party won 40.8% of the vote with 11,203,231 votes , becoming by far the largest party in the country with 31 MEPs . The PD won the most votes of any single party across the whole of the European Union , won the largest number of MEPs for any single party , and became the largest group in the Socialists and Democrats European Parliament group . The Democratic Partys vote share was the best result for an Italian party in a nationwide election since the 1958 general election , when the Christian Democracy won 42.4% of the vote . The positive electoral result enabled Renzi to successfully nominate his Foreign Minister , Federica Mogherini , as the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy , ensuring that an Italian would occupy one of the EUs two most powerful political positions . 2015 presidential election . Giorgio Napolitano announced his immediate retirement as President of Italy on 14 January 2015 . Napolitano had been convinced to stand again as president following the political uncertainty generated by the 2013 general election , but had made it clear he would retire at some point before June 2015 . On 29 January , during the National Assembly of the Democratic Party , Renzi officially announced that he would endorse Sergio Mattarella , a judge on the Constitutional Court and a former Minister of Defence , as his candidate for the Italian presidential election to replace Napolitano . It had been thought , due to the high threshold a candidate requires in the first three rounds of balloting in a presidential election , that Renzi would be forced to seek a compromise candidate with Silvio Berlusconi . However , despite Berlusconis stringent opposition to Mattarella , Renzi instructed the Democratic Party to abstain from the first three rounds of balloting in an attempt to force a fourth ballot which required a far lower threshold for victory . Despite the risk this strategy involved , centrist parties announced at the last moment that they would support Mattarella on the fourth ballot , and he subsequently won the presidential election with 665 votes out of 1009 from Senators and Deputies . Renzi was able to secure his chosen candidates election by also unexpectedly securing last-minute support from the conservative New Centre-Right , the socialist Left Ecology Freedom and the liberal Civic Choice . 2016 constitutional referendum . After constitutional reforms had passed both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate multiple times , Renzi announced that he would hold a constitutional referendum on 4 December 2016 to seek approval for the changes ; whilst the reform was approved by a simple majority of the Parliament , it did not achieve the two-thirds necessary to avoid a referendum , as per Article 138 of the Italian Constitution . Voters were asked whether they approved of amending the Constitution to transform the Senate of the Republic into a Senate of Regions , with 100 members made up of regional councillors and mayors of large cities , akin to Germanys Bundesrat . The reform would diminish the size of the Italian senate from 315 to 100 , making all senators indirectly elected by regional councils and mayors . In addition , the reform makes it harder for the senate to veto legislation . Following early results which indicated that the No side was clearly ahead , Renzi conceded defeat and resigned . 2018 general election . The 2018 Italian general election was held on 4 March 2018 after the Italian Parliament was dissolved by President Sergio Mattarella on 28 December 2017 . Renzi led a centre-left coalition composed by his Democratic Party , the liberal More Europe of Emma Bonino , the centrist Popular Civic List of Beatrice Lorenzin and the progressive Together of Giulio Santagata . The centre-left was affected by a political schism , when many members of PDs left-wing faction , like Bersani , DAlema and Speranza , left the party founding another movement , known as Democrats and Progressives ( MDP ) ; in the election MDP run under the joint list Free and Equal led by Pietro Grasso . In March election , the centre-right alliance , in which Matteo Salvinis League emerged as the main political , won a plurality of seats in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate with 37.0% of votes , while the anti-establishment Five Star Movement led by Luigi Di Maio became the party with the largest number of votes ( 32.7% ) . Renzis centre-left coalition came only third with 22.9% of votes . However , no political group or party won an outright majority , resulting in a hung parliament . Political views . The nature of Renzis progressivism is a matter of debate and has been linked both to liberalism and populism . According to Maria Teresa Meli of Corriere della Sera , Renzi pursues a precise model , borrowed from the British Labour Party and Bill Clintons Democratic Party , comprising a strange mix ( for Italy ) of liberal policy in the economic sphere and populism . This means that , on one side , he will attack the privileges of trade unions , especially of the CGIL , which defends only the already protected , while , on the other , he will sharply attack the vested powers , bankers , Confindustria and a certain type of capitalism . The Telegraph referred to Renzi as a prominent centrist voice in Europe . Renzi has occasionally been compared to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for his political views . Renzi himself has previously cited Blair as an inspiration for him , and claims to be a supporter of Blairs ideology of the Third Way , which attempts to synthesise liberal economics and left-wing social policies . In an interview with the Italian talk show , Che tempo che fa , Renzi stated that his meeting with Bill and Hillary Clinton was the most interesting part of his trip to the United States , because he considered them as models of the progressive left-wing . In 2016 , Renzi endorsed Hillary Clintons campaign to be elected President of the United States , in an interview where he also expressed admiration for the policies of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama . Renzi is in favour of the recognition of civil unions for same-sex couples and stepchild adoptions , a situation which occurs when at least one parent has children , from a previous relationship , that are not genetically related to the other parent . For this Renzi was criticised by the participants of the Family Day , an anti-LGBT rights demonstration which took place three times in Italy ; the Prime Minister was accused of having changed his opinion about the recognition of same-sex couples . Renzi participated in the first Family Day in 2007 , while he was President of Florence Province and a member of the centrist The Daisy party . Renzi was sometimes described as the de facto leader of the Party of European Socialists , in opposition to the European Peoples Party associated with Angela Merkel ; the two leaders were together often referred to as Merkenzi . Public image . According to public opinion surveys in May 2014 , just after the European election , Renzis approval rating was 74% , the highest ever rating for an Italian politician serving as Prime Minister ( the highest absolute consensus , 84% was recorded in November 2011 by Professor Mario Monti , who presided over a technical , bipartisan government ) . His lowest approval in office was in June 2015 , with just over 35% , however upon leaving the office of Prime Minister , his approval rating shrank , arriving to 15% in 2020 . Italy is currently undergoing a wave of populism and post-modern leadership likened to Renzis style . As a master of telepolitics , Renzi uses his own skills and accomplishments as evidence of his ability to lead , promotes the Internet as a platform for democracy , and uses heavy emotional appeals along with relatable , persuasive language to advocate for his positions . In 2014 , Renzi was ranked as the third most influential person under 40 in the world by the American magazine Fortune , and in the Top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy . Both as Prime Minister and Mayor of Florence , Renzi has been renowned as an assiduous user of social networks , especially Twitter where he is followed by more than two million people . Renzi cited his use of social networks as a contributing factor to his victory in the Democratic Party leadership election in 2013 . Renzi has stated that he is a fan of the American TV series House of Cards ; some journalists had noted similarities between the rise to power of the character Francis Underwood , played by Kevin Spacey , and the manner in which Renzi replaced Enrico Letta as Prime Minister in 2014 . This comparison surfaced in the media again when , in June 2015 , a phone conversation from January 2014 between Renzi and a general of the Finance Guard , Michele Adinolfi , was leaked to the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano . During the conversation , Renzi described Letta as incapable and told Adinolfi that he would replace him as Prime Minister , which would happen less than a month later . In December 2018 , Renzi presented a TV Series called Firenze secondo me ( Florence according to me ) , broadcast by Nove TV Channel . It is a historical and artistic documentary , in which Renzi presents the city of Florence , narrating historical events and showing the most famous sites of cultural interest , like Palazzo Vecchio , the Uffizi Gallery , the Vasari Corridor , the Basilica of Santa Croce , Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens . Personal life . In 1999 Renzi married Agnese Landini , a teacher , with whom he has three children : two sons , Francesco and Emanuele , and a daughter , Ester . The Renzi family are regular Mass-goers and are active in the Association of Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts , the largest scouting association in Italy . In addition to his native Italian , Renzi can also speak French and English . Renzi is an avid football fan and supports ACF Fiorentina , the team of his hometown Florence . At the 2014 local elections , his sister Benedetta was elected a municipal councillor for the Democratic Party in Castenaso , a small town near Bologna . Renzis father , Tiziano , was the city secretary of the Democratic Party for Rignano sullArno , near Florence , until March 2017 ; he was previously a municipal councillor for the Christian Democrats from 1985 to 1990 . Further reading . - Brighi , Elisabetta , and Lilia Giugni . Foreign Policy and the Ideology of Post-ideology : The Case of Matteo Renzis Partito Democratico . International Spectator 51.1 ( 2016 ) : 13–27 . online - Coticchia , Fabrizio , and Jason W . Davidson . Italian Foreign Policy During Matteo Renzis Government : A Domestically Focused Outsider and the World ( Rowman & Littlefield , 2019 ) . - Salvati , Eugenio . Matteo Renzi : a new leadership style for the Italian Democratic Party and Italian politics . Modern Italy 21.1 ( 2016 ) : 7-18 . External links . - Official website of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers - Renzis personal website - Renzi on his partys website
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Matteo Renzi Matteo Renzi , ( ; born 11 January 1975 ) is an Italian politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016 . He has been a Senator for Florence since 2018 . Renzi has been described as a centrist and as a liberal by political observers . Renzi has served as the leader of Italia Viva since 2019 , having been the Secretary of the Democratic Party from 2013 to 2018 , with a brief interruption in 2017 . After serving as the President of the Province of Florence from 2004 to 2009 and the Mayor of Florence from 2009 to 2014 , Renzi was elected Secretary of the Democratic Party in 2013 , becoming Prime Minister the following year . At the age of 39 years , Renzi became the youngest person to have served as Italian Prime Minister , and was at the time the youngest leader in the G7 . He was also the first serving Mayor to become Prime Minister . While in power , Renzis government implemented numerous reforms , including changes to the electoral system , a relaxation of labour and employment laws with the intention of boosting economic growth , a thorough reformation of the public administration , the simplification of civil trials , the introduction of same-sex civil unions and the abolition of many small taxes . After the rejection of his constitutional reform in the December 2016 referendum , Renzi formally resigned as Prime Minister on 12 December ; his Foreign Minister , Paolo Gentiloni , was appointed his replacement . He resigned as Secretary of the Democratic Party following defeat in the 2018 general election . In September 2019 , he left PD , founding Italia Viva , his own liberal movement . In 2021 , Renzi revoked IVs support to the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte , which brought down the government and resulted in the 2021 Italian government crisis . Early life . Renzi was born in 1975 in Florence , the second of four children . His father , Tiziano Renzi , was a small business owner and Christian Democratic municipal councillor in Rignano sullArno . Renzi grew up in an observant Catholic family in Rignano sullArno . He studied in Florence at the Classical Lyceum Dante Alighieri , where he passed his final exam with the grade of 60/60 but was nearly expelled because , as the students representative , he refused to withdraw a school newspaper in which there was harsh criticism of a maths teacher . During this time he was a Scout in the Association of Catholic Guides and Scouts of Italy ( AGESCI ) . In 1999 , he graduated from the University of Florence with a degree in law , with a thesis on Giorgio La Pira , the former Christian Democratic Mayor of Florence . He then went on to work for CHIL Srl , a marketing company focusing on leafleting owned by his family , co-ordinating the sales service of the newspaper La Nazione . During this time Renzi was also a football referee at amateur level and a futsal player . In 1994 , he participated as a competitor for five consecutive episodes in the television program La Ruota Della Fortuna ( a localised version of the U.S . game show Wheel of Fortune ) hosted by Mike Bongiorno , winning 48 million lire . Early political career . Renzis interest in politics began in high school . In 1996 he was one of the founders of the committee in support of Romano Prodis candidature as Prime Minister in the general election ; that same year he joined the centrist Italian Peoples Party , and became its Provincial Secretary in 1999 . In the same year he married Agnese Landini , with whom he later had three children . In 2001 , he joined Francesco Rutellis The Daisy party , composed by members of the disbanded Peoples Party . On 13 June 2004 he was elected President of Florence Province with 59% of the vote , as the candidate of the centre-left coalition . He was the youngest person to become President of an Italian Province . In the years as President of the Province , Renzi expressed his ideas against the political caste , and during his mandate he reduced taxes and decreased the number of the Provinces employees and managers . Mayor of Florence . After five years as the President of Florence Province , Renzi announced that he would seek election as the Mayor of Florence . On 9 June 2009 , Renzi , by now a member of the Democratic Party , won the election on a second round vote with 60% of the votes , compared to 40% for his opponent Giovanni Galli . As Mayor he halved the number of city councillors , installed 500 free WiFi access points across the city , reduced kindergarten waiting lists by 90% , and increased spending on social welfare programs and schools . One year after being sworn in as Mayor and with his popularity in national opinion polls increasing , Renzi organised a public meeting with another young party administrator , Debora Serracchiani , at Leopolda Station in Florence to discuss Italian politics , after stating that a complete change was also necessary in his party . Other prominent Democratic Party members who aligned themselves with Renzis programme were Matteo Richetti , President of the Regional Council of Emilia-Romagna , Davide Faraone , a regional councillor from the Sicilian Regional Assembly , and Giuseppe Civati , a prominent member of the Democratic Party in Lombardy and a member of the Lombard Regional Council . Following this public meeting , the Italian media gave Renzi the nickname il Rottamatore , or The Scrapper . In 2011 , Renzi organised a second public meeting , also in Florence , where he wrote down one hundred topics of discussion . During this time he began to be strongly criticised by other members of his party closer to the then-Secretary Pier Luigi Bersani , after his suggestion that Italian politicians of the same generation as then-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi should retire . In September 2012 , Renzi announced that he would seek to lead the centre-left coalition in the 2013 general election ; the other four candidates for that position were Pier Luigi Bersani , Secretary of the Democratic Party , Nichi Vendola , Leader of the Left Ecology Freedom , Laura Puppato , a Democratic Deputy from Veneto and Bruno Tabacci , Leader of the Democratic Centre . After the first round of the December election , Renzi gained 35.5% of the vote , finishing second behind Bersani and qualifying for the second ballot . Renzi eventually gained a total of 39% of the vote , against Bersanis 61% . During the subsequent campaign in the 2013 election in March , Renzi backed Bersani by organising large public rallies in his support in Florence , but come the election the Democratic Party only gained 25.5% of the vote , despite opinion polls placing the party at almost 30% . In April , during the elections for the President of the Republic , Renzi caused a minor controversy by openly criticising the candidacies of both Franco Marini and Anna Finocchiaro , two long-standing members of his Democratic Party . Party Secretary . Following the resignation of Pier Luigi Bersani in April 2013 , Renzi announced that he would stand for the position of Secretary of the Democratic Party . The PDs loss of seats led to party members doubts concerning Bersanis leadership abilities . Renzis impressive resume at such a young age , in combination with his reputation as a political outsider thanks to his scrapping , made him very electable in comparison . He was supported by a number of his former political opponents , such as former Party Secretaries Walter Veltroni and Dario Franceschini , Deputy Marina Sereni , MEP David Sassoli and Turin Mayor Piero Fassino . Other supporters of his included Deputies like Gianni Dal Moro , Francesco Sanna , Francesco Boccia , Lorenzo Basso and Enrico Borghi , all of whom were considered close to the newly elected Prime Minister Enrico Letta . The other two candidates for Party Secretary were Gianni Cuperlo , a Member of the Chamber of Deputies and former Secretary of the Italian Communist Youth Federation , and Giuseppe Civati , a left-wing-oriented Deputy from Lombardy and a former supporter of Renzi . In the December election , Renzi was elected with 68% of the popular vote , compared to 18% for Gianni Cuperlo and 14% for Giuseppe Civati . He became the new Secretary of the Democratic Party and the centre-lefts prospective candidate for Prime Minister . His victory was welcomed by Prime Minister Enrico Letta , who had been the Vice-Secretary of the party under Bersanis leadership . Throughout January and February 2014 there were multiple reports of persistent leadership tensions between Renzi and Prime Minister Letta . Many claimed that Renzi was pressuring Letta to resign in his favour , arguing that as he was now the leader of the Democratic Party he should be given the right to become Prime Minister . On 12 February , Letta acknowledged these rumours for the first time , publicly demanded that Renzi make his position clear . Renzi subsequently called a meeting of the Democratic Party leadership for the following evening . Just before the meeting took place , Renzi publicly called on Letta to resign and allow him to form a new government . Letta initially resisted the demand , but following a vote in favour of Renzis proposal during the meeting , which Letta did not attend , he announced that he would tender his resignation as Prime Minister on 14 February . Under Renzis leadership , the Democratic Party officially joined the Party of European Socialists ( PES ) as a full-time member on 28 February 2014 . Prime Minister of Italy ( 20142016 ) . On 17 January 2014 , while on air at Le invasioni barbariche on La7 TV channel , interviewed about the tensions between him and the Prime Minister Enrico Letta , Renzi tweeted #enricostaisereno ( Enrico dont worry ) to reassure his party colleague that he was not plotting anything against him . However , at a meeting on 13 February 2014 the Democratic Party leadership voted heavily in favour of Renzis call for a new government , a new phase and a radical programme of reform . Minutes after the Party backed the Renzi proposal by 136 votes to 16 , with two abstentions , Palazzo Chigi – the official residence of the Prime Minister – announced that Letta would travel to the Quirinale the following day to tender his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano . In an earlier speech , Renzi had paid tribute to Letta , saying that he was not intended to put him on trial . But , without directly proposing himself as the next Prime Minister , he said the Eurozones third-largest economy urgently needed a new phase and radical programme to push through badly-needed reforms . The motion he put forward made clear the necessity and urgency of opening a new phase with a new executive . Speaking privately to party leaders , Renzi said that Italy was at a crossroads and faced either holding fresh elections or a new government without a return to the polls . On 14 February , President Napolitano accepted Lettas resignation from the office of Prime Minister . Following Lettas resignation , Renzi formally received the task of forming a new government from President Napolitano on 17 February . Renzi held several days of talks with party leaders , all of which he broadcast live on the internet , before unveiling his Cabinet on 21 February , which contained members of his Democratic Party , the New Centre-Right , the Union of the Centre and the Civic Choice . His Cabinet became Italys youngest government to date , with an average age of 47 . It was also the first in which the number of female ministers was equal to the number of male ministers , excluding the Prime Minister . The following day , Renzi was formally sworn in as Prime Minister , becoming the fourth Prime Minister in four years and the youngest Prime Minister in the history of Italy . His rise to become Prime Minister was widely seen as a sign of much-needed generational change , and at the time he took office he enjoyed by far the highest approval rating of any politician in the country . On 25 February Renzi won a vote of confidence in the Italian Parliament , with 169 votes in the Senate and 378 in the Chamber of Deputies . On 7 February 2015 , after just under a year in power , five senators and two deputies from the Civic Choice defected to the Democratic Party , citing the leadership of Renzi as Prime Minister as the primary reason for their decision to change parties . On 20 March 2015 , Prime Minister Renzi briefly became ad interim Minister of Infrastructure and Transport following the resignation of Maurizio Lupi , due to a corruption scandal involving public works on infrastructure in which his name had been cited several times . Renzi held the office on an unofficial basis until 2 April , when Graziano Delrio was appointed as the new Minister . On 4 December 2016 , after the failure of the referendum he proposed , announced his resignation . On 7 December 2016 , Renzi officially handed over the resignation to the President Sergio Mattarella . Domestic policy . Labour reform . Upon becoming Prime Minister , Renzi said that long-overdue labour market reform would be at the top of his agenda to improve the state of the Italian economy . On 12 March 2014 , the Cabinet issued a law-decree on fixed-term contracts , called the Poletti Decree , from the name of the Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti , as well as a bill proposing major reforms to the Italian labour market called the Jobs Act . A reduction in the tax burden of about €80 was announced for those earning less than €1,500 per month . On 30 April Renzi , together with the Minister for the Public Administration Marianna Madia , presented the guidelines for the reform of the Public Administration , subsequently approved by the Cabinet on 13 June . In September the government brought the Jobs Act before Parliament , which provided for , among other things , the abolition of Article 18 of the Workers Statute , which protected workers from unjustified dismissal . The proposal was heavily criticised by the largest Italian trade union , the General Confederation of Labour ( CGIL ) and its leaders Susanna Camusso and Maurizio Landini . Moreover , the left-wing of the Democratic Party , by then led by the former National Secretary Pier Luigi Bersani , criticised the government for the reform , threatening to vote against it . On 29 September , the National Committee of the Democratic Party voted to support the Jobs Act , despite the disagreements within the party , with 130 votes in favour , 20 against and 11 abstaining . On 9 October the Italian Senate voted to approve the Jobs Act , and the landmark reform passed with 165 votes in favour to 111 against , marking the first step for the most ambitious economic legislation of the eight-month-old government . Before the vote Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti was forced to cut his speech short due to the loud protests of the Five Star Movement and Lega Nord oppositions , some of whom threw coins and papers . German Chancellor Angela Merkel , who was visiting Milan and had been among the most vocal politicians regarding Italys need for speedy economic reforms , said the labour law marked an important step to reduce employment barriers in the Eurozones third-largest economy . On 25 October , almost one million people took part in a mass protest in Rome , organised by the CGIL in opposition to the labour reforms of the government . Some high-profile members of the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party , including Gianni Cuperlo , Stefano Fassina and Pippo Civati , also participated in the protest . On 8 November more than 100,000 public employees protested in Rome in a demonstration organised by the three largest trade unions in the country , the CGIL , the CISL and the UIL . On 25 November , the Chamber of Deputies approved the Jobs Act with 316 votes , but the Five Star , Lega Nord and almost forty members of the Democratic Party abstained from the vote to protest against the reform . On 3 December the Senate gave the Jobs Act the final approval it needed to become law . Economic policies . In March 2014 the Cabinet approved the auctioning of a large number of luxury cars that were used to transport heads of state , including nine Maseratis , two Jaguars , and various other cars such as BMWs and Alfa Romeos . Out of the 1,500 cars put up for sale , 170 sold immediately over eBay . In April , as part of his wider industrial reforms , Renzi forced the chief executives of Italys biggest state-owned companies , including Eni , Terna , Finmeccanica , Enel and Poste Italiane , to resign , citing a lack of public confidence in their leadership . He subsequently appointed women to the majority of new positions , making it the first time any woman had served as a chief executive of a state-owned company in Italy . In 2014 , his cabinet introduced the so-called Renzi bonus , a monthly allowance of €80 , recognized to holders of a total annual income not exceeding €24,600 . The bonus , whose aim was to relaunch expenditures , was heavily criticised by opposition , which labeled it as an electoral baksheesh for the 2014 European election . On 1 August , Renzi launched law-decree called Unblock Italy , which was intended to facilitate the implementation of major projects , civil works and infrastructure that were suspended at the time , as well as achieving further administrative simplification . The centre of this was the Millegiorni , or the Thousand Days Programme . On 1 September Renzi launched the website passodopopasso.italia.it , which would allow citizens to monitor the progress of the Millegiorni . Later , on 9 October , Renzi presented his first Finance Bill ( Legge di Stabilità ) , which was approved by the European Commission on 28 October . In February 2015 , with the economy continuing to stagnate , the Government announced a plan to abolish rules that limit cooperative lenders shareholders to one vote each at shareholder meetings regardless of the size of their holdings . The European Commission subsequently forecast that the Italian economy would begin to grow by the spring . The Government also announced the abolition of IRAP , a regional tax on production activities and , discussing the 2016 Finance Bill , Renzi further promised to cancel IRPEF , IMU and TASI , taxes on individuals , public services and residences . In May 2015 the economy recorded growth of 0.3% , finally ending the Italian triple-dip recession . In January 2016 , Renzi highlighted an additional 500,000 jobs that he claimed had been created through his policies . Constitutional reforms . Upon becoming Prime Minister , Renzi stated that one of his most important tasks was to achieve constitutional reforms . The Italian institutional framework had remained essentially unchanged since 1 January 1948 , when the Italian Constitution first came into force after being enacted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 December 1947 . The first stage of Renzis reform package aimed to abolish the so-called perfect bicameralism , which gave identical powers to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate ; the reforms would substantially decrease the membership and power of the Senate . Under the reforms : the Senates power to force the resignation of the Government by refusing to grant a vote of confidence would be removed ; only a few types of bills , including the constitutional bills , constitutional amendments , laws regarding local interests , referendums and the protection of linguistic minorities , would need to be passed by the Senate ; the Senate could only propose amendments to bills in some cases , with the Chamber of Deputies always having the final word ; and the membership of the Senate would be changed , with regional representatives appointed in a manner virtually identical to Germanys Bundesrat . On 11 March 2014 , the Chamber of Deputies approved both the plans to overhaul the Senate and the second stage of Renzis constitutional reforms , a flagship electoral reform law that would see Italys voting system overhauled . On 26 March , despite objections raised by several parties in the coalition , the Government won a vote in the Senate on the bill reforming the provinces , with 160 voting in favour and 133 against . On 6 May , the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Senate approved the Governments bill on the reform of the Senate . Due to the ambitious reforms that provided for the abolition of Senate , a new electoral law and an increase in the powers of the Prime Minister , Renzi was accused by politicians and constitutionalists like Stefano Rodotà or Fausto Bertinotti of being an authoritarian and anti-democratic leader . In April 2014 , Renzi proposed that Italy adopt what he called the Italicum voting system , a proportional representation system with a majority bonus for the party which obtained over 40% of the vote , in order to provide for stable and long-term government . To approve the new electoral law , which was opposed by the Five Star Movement and a minority of his own Democratic Party , Renzi gained the support of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi , who was still the leader of Forza Italia , despite having been expelled from the Senate due to his sentence for tax evasion . The alliance between Renzi and Berlusconi was named the Nazareno Pact , from the name of the street in Rome where the headquarters of the Democratic Party are located , where the two leaders met for the first time to discuss the reform . Renzi was harshly criticised by many within the Democratic Partys left-wing minority for the deal with Berlusconi , as well as by the Five Star Movement of Beppe Grillo who said the Nazareno Pact was the proof that there are no differences between the Italian centre-left and centre-right . Despite concern from some within the Democratic Party , the Italicum was given final approval by the Italian Senate on 27 January 2015 , thanks to support from Forza Italia Senators . On 28 April 2015 , concerned that the reform may not pass , Renzi announced he would hold a confidence vote to approve the electoral reform changes . The Five Star Movement , Forza Italia and some left-wing Democratic Party members strongly opposed this decision , with some seeking to draw comparisons between Renzi and Benito Mussolini . It would be only the third time that an electoral law was twinned with a confidence vote , after Mussolinis Acerbo law and Alcide De Gasperis Scam law . On 4 May the Chamber of Deputies finally approved Renzis flagship electoral changes with 334 votes for and 61 votes against , the latter including a faction of the PD . The reforms took full effect in July 2016 . Having easily passed the Chamber of Deputies on 11 March 2015 , in a first stage , the reforms to the Italian Senate that would see its power greatly diminished and membership drastically changed were finally passed by the Senate on 13 October 2015 . The vote was won by 176 votes to 16 , with a large number of senators abstaining from the vote in protest at having to vote on abolishing many of their own powers . The last vote was held on 12 April 2016 , when the Chamber finally approved the reform with 361 votes while all the oppositions abandoned the house . On 4 December 2016 , the reform was rejected in a constitutional referendum . Immigration . As a result of the Libyan and Syrian Civil Wars , a major problem faced by Renzi upon becoming Prime Minister in 2014 was the high levels of illegal immigration to Italy . 2014 saw an increase in the number of migrants rescued at sea being brought to southern Italian ports , with the increase in the number of migrants prompting criticism of Renzi by the anti-immigration Lega Nord , the Five Star Movement and Silvio Berlusconis Forza Italia party . On 8 August 2014 , the Cabinet approved a law-decree providing for the international protection of migrants . In November 2014 , Renzi ordered the Italian-run rescue option Operation Mare Nostrum to be replaced by Frontexs Operation Triton due to the refusal of several EU governments to fund it . In 2014 , 170,100 migrants arrived in Italy by sea , a 296% increase compared to 2013 . 141,484 of the travellers ferried over from Libya . Most of the migrants had come from Syria , Eritrea and various countries in West Africa . On 19 April 2015 , a huge shipwreck took place in the Mediterranean Sea , causing the death of more than 700 migrants from North Africa . Renzi , returning to Rome from a political event in Mantua for the regional elections , held an emergency meeting with ministers and spoke by telephone to French President François Hollande and Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat . The call led to an emergency meeting of European interior ministers to address the problem of migrant deaths . In a speech addressing immigration , the Italian Prime Minister condemned human trafficking as a new slave trade . From January to April 2015 , about 1,600 migrants died on the route from Libya to Lampedusa , making it the deadliest migrant route in the world . Same-sex unions . On 10 June 2015 , the Chamber of Deputies passed a motion obliging the Government to approve a bill regarding civil unions between same-sex couples . Previously all of the major parties in Italy had presented different motions on civil unions , which were all rejected except for the Democratic Partys , which also called for civil unions to be approved . Renzi had stated shortly before becoming Prime Minister that he favoured the introduction of civil unions for same-sex couples . In July 2015 , several days after the European Parliament passed a motion calling on all members of the European Union to recognise same-sex relationships , the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Italy was violating the Convention on Human Rights by not recognising same-sex couples right to family life . On 7 October 2015 , Renzi introduced a bill to Parliament that would establish same-sex civil unions and gender-neutral cohabitation agreements . The bill passed its first reading in the Senate a week later . Although Renzi secured the support of his Democratic Party and the main opposition Forza Italia party , many MPs from both criticised the bill . Despite the bill being put forward on a free vote , Renzi made it clear that he would tie the civil unions bill to a vote of confidence in his Government if it did not pass . Following months of public and parliamentary debate , on 25 February 2016 the Senate voted in favour of Renzis proposals to legalise civil unions , with 173 votes in favour and 71 against . An amendment known as the stepchild adoption provision that would have granted parental rights to a non-biological parent in a same-sex union was taken out of the bill at the last moment after it became clear a majority of senators did not support it . Although Renzi had expressed support for the amendment , the decision came after the Five Star Movement backed out of an agreement to pass it ; moreover , the amendment was opposed by the New Centre-Right . Renzi stated that the bills passage through the Senate was a victory for love , although he expressed disappointment that the adoption provision was not also adopted , and raised the possibility of introducing it in a separate bill at a later date . On 11 May 2016 , the Chamber of Deputies approved the final proposals , with 369 votes in favour and 163 against . Social policies . On 3 September 2014 during a press conference , Renzi announced an online consultation with students , teachers and citizens ahead of the major school reforms promoted by Education Minister Stefania Giannini . On 9 July 2015 , despite the opposition of an overwhelming majority of teachers and students alike to the actual design of the school reform , this was finally approved by the Chamber of Deputies , with 277 votes against 173 . On 15 December , during a ceremony at the Italian National Olympic Committee , Renzi officially launched the candidacy of Rome for the 2024 Summer Olympics . Renzi stated that , Our country too often seems hesitant . Its unacceptable not to try or to renounce playing the game . Sport in Italy is a way of life and a way of looking at the future . I dont know if we’ll make it , but the Olympic candidacy is one of the most beautiful things we can do for our kids , for us , for Italy . On 21 September 2016 , Mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi , a member of the Five Star Movement , told reporters the bid for the games would go no further . Raggi , having long been opposed to Rome hosting the games , cited ongoing financial troubles in the country as the main reason for cancelling the bid . She said hosting the games would be irresponsible and would only cause the city to fall into further debt . Universal Exposition . During Renzis premiership Milan hosted the Universal Exposition ; the themes were technology , innovation , culture and traditions concerning food . Participants to the Expo include 145 countries , three international organisations , several civil society organisations , several corporations and non-governmental organisations ( NGOs ) . The participants are hosted inside individual or grouped pavilions . The opening of the Expo on 1 May 2015 was met with protest from anti-austerity activists , black bloc , and anarchists caused criminal damage , resulting in the police using tear gas . Expo also created some tensions with the Holy See and the Italian government ; in fact Pope Francis condemned the concept of Expo , saying that it obeys the culture of waste and does not contribute to a model of equitable and sustainable development . As Vatican City invested €3 million to obtain its own pavilion at the event before his appointment to the papacy , Francis said that , although it is a good thing that the Church is involved in causes that battle hunger and promote cleaner energy , he stated that too much money was wasted on the Expo itself by Vatican City . 2016 earthquakes . At 03:36 CEST on 24 August 2016 , an earthquake measuring 6.2 on the moment magnitude scale struck Central Italy . The epicentre was close to Accumoli , in an area near the borders of the Umbria , Lazio , Abruzzo and Marche regions . The earthquake killed 298 people and left more than 4,500 homeless . On 1 September , Renzi appointed the former President of Emilia-Romagna Vasco Errani as Special Commissioner for Reconstruction . Errani had been already a Special Commissioner during the earthquake that struck his home region in 2012 . A magnitude 6.1 intraplate earthquake struck west of Visso on 26 October at 21:18 local time ( 19:18 UTC ) . The earthquake , which occurred two months after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in August , struck about to the northwest of the August earthquakes epicentre . The civil protection , however , estimated the consequences less dramatically than feared . According to official data , a man died because he had suffered a heart attack as a result of the quake . A third large , shallow earthquake of USGS preliminary magnitude 6.6 struck north of Norcia at 07:40 local time ( 06:40 UTC ) on 30 October . This quake was the largest in Italy in 36 years , since the 1980 Irpinia earthquake . The three earthquakes caused almost 100,000 homeless . Foreign affairs . During his premiership , Renzi faced several challenging foreign policy situations , such as the European debt crisis , the civil war in Libya , the Ukrainian Crisis and the insurgency of the Islamic State ( IS ) in the Middle East . Renzi formed a close relationship with US President Barack Obama , supporting the 2014 military intervention against IS with hundreds of Italian troops and four Panavia Tornado aircraft , and also supporting international sanctions against Russia after their invasion of East Ukraine . Renzi forged a positive relationship with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe , who praised the economic policies of the Renzi Government . A key ally of Renzi in the Mediterranean is Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ; the two leaders held many bilateral meetings where they discussed the problem of immigration to Italy and the increasing tensions in the Middle East and North Africa . In the European Union , Renzi has a close relationship with French President François Hollande and his Prime Minister Manuel Valls , especially with Valls , who saw Renzi as a model for his Third Way policies . Europe . Following the 2014 European Parliament elections , which saw the Democratic Party receive the highest number of votes of all the individual political parties contesting that election across the entire European Union , Renzi subsequently emerged as the most prominent leader of the European Socialists . This was in opposition to German Chancellor Angela Merkel , widely considered the de facto leader of the European Peoples Party and , according to some European Union analysts , the two leaders are together referred to as Merkenzi . Renzi and Merkel had many bilateral meetings , the first on 17 March 2014 in Berlin , just a few weeks after Renzis election as Prime Minister , where the two leaders discussed important reforms that the Italian Government planned to make both in Italy and in the EU . On 22 January 2015 , Merkel visited Renzi in his home city of Florence , where she publicly lauded the impressive reforms carried out by his government . On the following day the two leaders held a joint press conference in front of Michelangelos David . Renzi is seen as an ally of French President François Hollande of the Socialist Party . On 15 March 2014 Renzi met Hollande in Paris , agreeing with him a common economic policy focused not only on the austerity measures imposed by the so-called Troika of the European Commission , European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund , but also on more flexible policies to promote economic growth in the EU . Renzi is a close personal friend of French Prime Minister Manuel Valls , with the two leaders often regarded as being heirs of the Third Way politics espoused by the likes of Tony Blair . On 7 January 2015 , after the Islamic terrorist attack in Paris which caused the death of 17 people , Renzi expressed horror and dismay , offering his best wishes to the people of France and noting his close relationships with the French Prime Minister and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo . On 11 January , he joined more than 40 world leaders and three million people in the Republican March organised by President Hollande . Renzi built a constructive relationship with British Prime Minister David Cameron of the Conservative Party . During their first meeting on 1 April 2014 , Cameron stated that the reforms planned by Renzi were ambitious and that together the two men would be able to change the European Union . On the same day , Renzi also met former British Prime Minister Tony Blair , whom Renzi had previously called a political inspiration to him . On 2 October 2014 , Renzi held a press conference with Cameron in 10 Downing Street , with Cameron lauding their similar policies to reform the European Union and overcome the economic crisis . On 1 August 2014 , following his partys strong showing in the European Parliament elections , Renzi nominated his Foreign Minister , Federica Mogherini , as a candidate to be the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in the incoming-European Commission to be led by Jean-Claude Juncker , the former Prime Minister of Luxembourg . Mogherini was eventually successfully confirmed as the EU High Representative , ensuring that Italy controlled one of the two most senior posts in the Commission . In September , Renzi participated in the 2014 NATO Summit in Wales . Before the official start of the summit , he had discussions with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko , US President Barack Obama and the other three leaders of the European G4 to discuss the crisis with Russia . This summit was the first held after the Russian military intervention in Ukraine and the offensive by the Islamic State of the Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi . On 3 February 2015 , Renzi received newly elected Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of the Coalition of the Radical Left in Rome . The two leaders held a joint press conference expressing concerns about austerity measures imposed by the European Commission and stated that economic growth is the only way to solve the crisis . After the press conference , Renzi presented Tsipras with an Italian tie as a gift . Tsipras , who was notable for refusing to ever wear a tie , thanked Renzi and said he would wear the gift in celebration after Greece had successfully renegotiated the austerity measures . United States . Similar to his predecessors , Renzi continued the long-standing Italian policy of a close relationship with the United States , building a partnership with President Barack Obama . Italy supported the US in the military intervention against the Islamic State , and participated in the international sanctions against Russia following their invasion of East Ukraine . Renzi met Obama for the first time on 24 March 2014 , during the latters trip to Rome . Renzi also held a joint meeting with Obama , Pope Francis and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano . Obama stated afterwards that he had been impressed by the reforms Renzi wanted to undertake . Renzi himself said that he considered Obama an example for the policies he wanted to achieve . On 22 September , Renzi visited Silicon Valley , California . In San Francisco he met with young Italian emigrants who have created startups in the USA . He also visited the headquarters of Twitter , Google and Yahoo ! to hold talks with chief executives . Renzi was accompanied by former US Secretaries of State , Condoleezza Rice and George Shultz , and by the former American ambassador to Italy , Ronald P . Spogli . He later spoke at Stanford University as the guest of University President John L . Hennessy . The following day , Renzi spoke at a United Nations summit in New York City , focusing on the problem of climate change . Following the summit , Renzi met former US President Bill Clinton and his wife , former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton . At the end of his trip , Renzi participated in a reception hosted by Barack Obama . Renzi was received at the White House in April 2015 . He and President Obama discussed many issues , including Ukraine , Libya and ISIL . They discussed Europes economy , the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership , climate change and energy security . In October 2015 , the Italian Government announced that it would prolong its military presence in Afghanistan along with the US Army , in order to continue its security mission and prevent the rise of Islamist forces such as Al-Qaeda and ISIL . On 18 October 2016 , President Obama invited Renzi and his wife Agnese to attend an official state dinner at the White House . The two men held a joint press conference during which Obama , the dinner being his final state visit as president , commented that he had saved the best for last , and the two reiterated their support for one another . Asia . Renzi built up a close relations with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe ; the two Prime Ministers are both against austerity and they are reforming the constitutions of their countries . On 6 June 2014 , Renzi received Prime Minister Abe in Rome . Abe publicly congratulated Renzi for the economic and constitutional reforms being delivered by Renzis government . The two leaders also met in Tokyo in August 2015 and discussed about relations with China and the stability of East Asia . On 9 June , Renzi travelled to Hanoi , Vietnam to meet with President Trương Tấn Sang and Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng , as well as Communist Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng to sign economic treaties worth around 5 billion US dollars to the Italian economy . In doing so , Renzi became the first Italian Prime Minister to officially visit Vietnam since 1973 , when diplomacy first began between Italy and North Vietnam . During the visit Renzi placed a wreath in the mausoleum of the former North Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh . On 11 June , Renzi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing , who congratulated him for the important reforms being undertaken by his government . Xi also stated that China would continue co-operation with Italy ahead of Expo 2015 in Milan . Several months later in October , Renzi met with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang in Rome to sign twenty treaties worth a total of 8 billion euros . On 12 June , Renzi met Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana , where they discussed withdrawal of Italian troops from Afghanistan . On 18 November , Renzi travelled to Ashgabat , Turkmenistan , where with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow he signed a number of economic pacts securing increased gas supply . Africa . During his premiership , Renzi started a policy review led to the creation of the Italy-Africa initiative , which includes renewable energy co-operation and a new package of development aid in fields stretching from health care to culture ; counterterrorism has been a key part of his agenda , but the East Africa region is also important to stop the migration flows from there to Italy through North Africa , especially Libya . On 4 March , Renzi travelled to Tunisia , where he had a meeting with Mustapha Ben Jafar . With Jafar , Renzi discussed about the problem of illegal immigration to Italy from the coasts of North Africa . The trip to Tunisia was the first official one made by Renzi as Prime Minister of Italy . On 18 March 2015 , after the Bardo Museum attack in Tunis , in which 28 people died and four of whom were Italians , Renzi condemned the terrorist attack and said that Italy is close to the Tunisian government and people . On 19 July , Renzi started a major trip to Africa , meeting the Mozambique President Armando Guebuza . Renzi signed economic pacts to create investments by the Italian government-owned oil company Eni in the African country for 50 billion dollars . The following day he visited the Republic of Congo where he met President Denis Sassou Nguesso , with whom he signed a co-operation for the extraction of oil in the country . Some journalists criticised the meeting with Sassou Nguesso , who is considered one of the more corrupt dictators of Africa . Renzi later met with Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos in Luanda . During the visit , Renzi placed a memorial wreath in the mausoleum of the first Angolan President , Agostinho Neto . On 24 July , under the direction of Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini , the government worked for the release of Mariam Ibrahim , a Sudanese woman had been who sentenced to death for being a Christian . Thanks largely to the good relations between Sudan and Italy , Ibrahim was released and permitted to fly to Italy on a government plane . On 2 December , Renzi went to Algiers , where he met Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal . With the two leaders of the country , Renzi discussed the Libyan crisis , immigration from North Africa , and also about gas imports from Algeria as an alternative to Russian imports , following the tensions between the European Union and Russia . In January 2016 , Renzi continued his policy toward Africa ; the Prime Minister had a three-days trip in Nigeria , Ghana and Senegal . The main tasks of this diplomatic trip was the fight against the Islamic terrorism and the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean Sea ; with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari , Renzi signed an agreement on enhancing co-operation between the Nigerian and Italian Polices . Renzi has been one of the strongest supporters of the new Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and of his government of national union . In August 2016 the newspaper la Repubblica reported that dozens of Italian special forces were operating in Libya , for training and intelligence activities . These special forces were operating under the direct command of the Prime Ministers office . Russia . Russia had previously enjoyed a privileged relationship with Italy , particularly under the leadership of Silvio Berlusconi , who was a personal friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin . Following the Russian military intervention in Ukraine , however , relations worsened . On 2 March 2014 , Renzi accused Putin of having committed an unacceptable violation . On 19 March , during a speech to the Chamber of Deputies , Renzi stated that the Crimean status referendum was illegal and that the G8 countries must start co-operating to solve the crisis and prevent a return to the Cold War . In June , he subsequently participated in the G7 summit in Brussels , the first one held after the suspension of Russia from the G8 following the annexation of Crimea in March . Renzi phoned Putin on 28 August , asking him to stop the intolerable escalation and to reach a peace agreement with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to stop the pro-Russian conflict in that regions . Renzi and Putin also had a bilateral meeting on 16 October , when Renzi hosted the Asia–Europe Meeting ( ASEM ) in Milan with 53 other leaders of the world . On 15 November , during the G-20 summit in Brisbane , the two leaders had another meeting , where they discussed about the Ukrainian crisis , but also on the civil wars in Libya and Syria . On 5 March 2015 , Renzi met President Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow . The talks between the leaders was focused on international issues , such as settlement of the crisis in Ukraine , the situations in the Middle East and in Libya , as well as fighting terrorism . Putin guaranteed Russian support in case of a UN intervention in Libya against the Islamic State . Ahead of the bilateral meeting , Prime Minister Renzi visited and laid flowers at the Moscow bridge , near the Kremlin , on which the Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was murdered , a few days before . Through 2015 , Renzi became one of the main supporters of a reduction of international sanctions against Russia and the establishment of a political and military alliance between the Western countries and Russia against the terrorism of the Islamic State . Renzi questioned Nord Stream II , a new Russia-Germany natural gas pipeline , saying : I found it surprising that the South Stream project was blocked [ Balkan pipeline was cancelled by Russia in December 2014 following obstacles from EU ] , while now we are discussing a doubling up of Nord Stream . Middle East . On 2 August 2014 , Renzi met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo , holding talks about a variety of issues , including the Israel-Gaza conflict . Renzi stated that Italy would support the Egyptian truce proposal , with the two leaders calling for an immediate cease-fire and the beginning of peace negotiations . In making the visit , Renzi became the first Western leader to visit President el-Sisi since his election . On 15 January 2015 , after Islamic States conquests in Libya , Renzi conducted a long phone call with Sisi , to discuss the terrorist threat in the Mediterranean . The two leaders agreed that the next steps should be political and diplomatic efforts through the United Nations . On 11 July 2015 , a car bomb exploded outside the Italian consulate in Cairo , resulting in at least one death and four injured . ISIS claimed responsibility . The relations between Italy and Egypt dramatically worsened after the murder of Giulio Regeni , an Italian Cambridge University graduate student killed in Cairo following his abduction on 25 January 2016 . Giulio Regeni was a PhD student at Girton College , Cambridge , researching Egypts independent trade unions . Due to Regenis research activities and left-wing political leanings , the security services of el-Sisis government are strongly suspected of involvement in his murder , although Egypts media and government deny this and claim secret undercover agents belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood carried out the crime in order to embarrass the Egyptian government and destabilise relations between Italy and Egypt . On 20 August 2014 Renzi travelled to Iraq , in the midst of the insurgency led by the Islamic State . There he met with the Head of State , Fuad Masum , Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his immediate predecessor Nouri al-Maliki . On the same day , 20 August 2014 , Renzi travelled north to Erbil to meet the President of Iraqi Kurdistan , Masud Barzani , and Prime Minister Nechervan Barzani . Renzi later told an American journalist that what he witnessed during his trip to Iraq reminded him of the images of the Srebrenica massacre that had horrified him as a child . While Renzi was in Iraq , the Italian Parliament approved a proposal to arm the Peshmerga soldiers fighting against the Islamic State . On 23 September , during the 69th General Assembly of the United Nations , Renzi held a bilateral meeting with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan , at which they discussed climate change and increasing tensions in the Middle East . On 11 December Renzi travelled to Ankarafor a second meeting with Erdoğan , during which Renzi expressed his support for Turkish accession to the European Union . On the same day he met with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu . On 8 January 2015 , Renzi made his first official trip of the year , meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi to address issues of foreign and economic policy , including the Alitalia-Etihad deal . The two leaders discussed joint co-operation domains and enhancing trade exchange and co-operation in energy and aerospace . Renzi has had good relations with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas . On 21 and 22 July 2015 he visited first Jerusalem , where he met with Netanyahu and addressed the Knesset , and then Ramallah , where he met with Abbas . Renzi was the first leader to visit Israel after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action , the deal reached between international community and Iran . Whereas Netanyahu heavily criticised the deal , Renzi supported it , while stressing that Israels security is the security of Europe and mine as well . In January 2016 , Renzi met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Rome , the first visit to Italy by a President of Iran since 1999 . The two leaders signed business deals worth up to 17 billion euros . They also discussed the war against the Islamic State in the Middle East and Libya . On 13 and 14 April 2016 he became the first Western leader to visit Iran after the international agreement on the nuclear program of Iran . In Iran , Renzi met both President Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei . Latin America . After announcing an increase of Italian investment in Central and South America , in October 2015 Renzi undertook a number of official trips across the continent , travelling to Chile , Peru and Colombia . During his visit to Santiago , Renzi and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet launched a large number of renewable energy projects promoted by the Italian multinational Enel . Renzi also visited the European Southern Observatory of Paranal in the Atacama desert . During these trips , Renzi had numerous meetings with communities of Italian-born Latin Americans in these countries . In a surprise visit , returning from Latin America , on 28 October 2015 Renzi became the first Italian Prime Minister in history to make a state visit to Cuba . In doing so he also became the first G7 leader to meet Cuban President Raúl Castro following the 2015 normalisation of relations between the United States and Cuba . In February 2016 Renzi met Argentine President Mauricio Macri during a state visit to Buenos Aires ; Renzi became the first European leader to meet Macri after the 2015 presidential election and the first Italian Prime Minister since Romano Prodi in 1998 to visit Argentina . During his premiership , Renzi has also developed close relationship with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto . After the premiership ( 2016present ) . Following the defeat in the constitutional referendum and the subsequent resignation as Prime Minister , Renzi remained Secretary of the Democratic Party . As leader of the main party both in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic , he supported the new government led by his former Minister of Foreign Affairs Paolo Gentiloni , also a Democrat . 2017 leadership election and party split . On 19 February 2017 , during the PD National Assembly , Renzi resigned as Secretary of the party , announcing his candidacy for the next leadership election . A few days before he launched the movement In Cammino ( On the way ) in support of his candidacy . Contextually , a large portion of the partys internal left-wing , led by Enrico Rossi and Roberto Speranza , who were endorsed by former party leaders Massimo DAlema , Pier Luigi Bersani and Guglielmo Epifani , left the PD and founded the Democratic and Progressive Movement ( MDP ) , along with splinters from the Italian Left ( SI ) . On 6 March Matteo Renzi presented his electoral programme , in which he expressed his intention to renovate the party , Italy and Europe . He also announced an electoral ticket with the Agriculture Minister Maurizio Martina ; Martina would become Deputy Secretary and would probably lead the party if Renzi becomes Prime Minister again . From 10 to 12 March Renzi and his supporters participated in Lingotto 17 , a convention based in the district of Lingotto in Turin , where the Democratic Party was founded ten years before under the leadership of Walter Veltroni . During his speech he harshly condemned the Five Star Movement ( M5S ) , accused of being a populist party controlled by a private company , and Lega Nord , which uses fear to gain votes . Renzi attacked also European bureaucrats and proposed a primary election to appoint the Party of European Socialists candidate for the European Commission presidency and the direct election of the President . Among the notable participants of the pro-Renzi convention were Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni , current ministers like Pier Carlo Padoan , Dario Franceschini , Graziano Delrio , Marianna Madia , Roberta Pinotti and Secretary Maria Elena Boschi . Emma Bonino , historic Radical leader and former Foreign Affairs Minister , also participated in the rally . The other two candidates for the leadership election were President of Apulia Michele Emiliano and Minister of Justice Andrea Orlando . Emiliano is an outspoken former magistrate with strong support in the poor South , who was expected to join the dissidents in MDP but decided instead to challenge Renzi from within the mainstream party ; he is often described as a democratic socialist and populist politician . Orlando is a social democratic politician and a leading member of the party since the foundation . Orlando is often described as the candidate of the social democratic establishment of the party . After having won the vote by party members in March with almost 67% of votes , on 30 April , Renzi was re-elected Secretary of the party by a landslide with 69.2% of votes ; while Orlando received 19.9% and Emiliano 10.9% of votes . Second term as Secretary . After the rejection of the constitutional reform , the Parliament had to change the electoral law proposed by Renzis government ; in fact the so-called Italicum regulates only the election of the Chamber of Deputies , and not the one of the Senate , which , if the reform passed , would be indirectly elected by citizens . After the re-election as Secretary , Renzi proposed a new electoral law called Mattarellum bis , better known as Rosatellum , from the name of his main proponent Ettore Rosato , Democratic leader in the Chamber of Deputies . This electoral law was similar to the one which was applied in Italy from 1993 to 2004 . The Rosatellum used an additional member system , which act as a mixed system , with 36% of seats allocated using a first past the post electoral system and 64% using a proportional method , with one round of voting . The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies did not differ in the way they allocated the proportional seats , both using the DHondt method of allocating seats . The new electoral law was supported by PD and his government ally Popular Alternative , but also by the opposition parties Forza Italia and Lega Nord . Despite many protests from the Five Star Movement and the Democratic and Progressive Movement , the electoral law was approved on 12 October by the Chamber of Deputies with 375 votes in favor and 215 against , and on 26 October by the Senate with 214 votes against 61 . The electoral programme of the Democratic Party for the general election included , among the main points , the introduction of a minimum hourly wage of €10 , a measure that would affect 15% of workers , that is those workers who do not adhere to the national collective agreements ; a cut of the contributory wedge for permanent contracts ; a relocation allowance and an increase in subsidies for the unemployed ; a monthly allowance of €80 for parents for each minor child ; fiscal detraction of €240 for parents with children ; and the progressive reduction of IRPEF and IRES rates , respectively the Italian income tax and the corporate tax . Moreover , the PD advocated the re-launch of the process of European integration and federation , towards the formation of the United States of Europe . In the election , his centre-left coalition arrived third behind the centre-right alliance , in which Matteo Salvinis League was the main political force , and the Five Star Movement of Luigi Di Maio finished second . On 5 March , Renzi announced that the PD will be in opposition during this legislature and he will resign as secretary when a new cabinet is formed . Renzi officially resigned on 12 March during PDs national directorate , and his deputy secretary Martina was appointed acting leader . Leader of Italia Viva . In August 2019 , Deputy Prime Minister and Leagues leader , Matteo Salvini , announced a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte , after growing tensions within the majority . Many political analysts believe the no confidence motion was an attempt to force early elections to improve Legas standing in Parliament , ensuring Salvini could become the next Prime Minister . On 20 August , following the parliamentary debate at the Senate , in which Conte harshly accused Salvini of being a political opportunist who had triggered the political crisis only to serve his personal interest and stated this government ends here , the Prime Minister resigned his post to President Mattarella . Despite having always opposed it in the past , in August 2019 , Renzi strongly advocated the formation of a new government between the PD and the populist Five Star Movement . After days of tensions within the Democratic Party , on 28 August Nicola Zingaretti , the new PDs leader , announced his favorable position regarding a new government with the M5S , with Giuseppe Conte at its head . On same day , Mattarella summoned Conte to the Quirinal Palace for the 29 August to give him the task of forming a new cabinet . Renzi was seen by many political analysts and journalists as the real kingmaker of the new parliamentary majority . On 17 September , in an interview to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica , Renzi announced his intention to leave the PD , creating new parliamentary groups led by him . On the same day , interviewed by Bruno Vespa in his TV show Porta a Porta , he officially launched the political movement Italia Viva ( IV ) . Between December 2020 and January 2021 , discussions arose within the government coalition between Renzi and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte . Renzi called for radical changes to the governments economic recovery plans after the COVID-19 pandemic , and also demanded that Conte cede his mandate over the secret services coordination task . During his end-of-year press conference , Conte declined Renzis requests , asserting that he still had a majority in the Parliament . After a few days , Renzi threatened to pull back IVs two ministers , Teresa Bellanova and Elena Bonetti , from the upcoming Council of Minister , summoned to approve the Recovery Plan . On 13 January 2021 , during a press conference , Renzi announced the resignation of Italia Vivas ministers Bellanova and Bonetti , officially opening a government crisis . Elections . 2014 European election . In the European Parliament election held on 25 May 2014 , the first national election Renzi had faced since becoming Prime Minister , his Democratic Party won 40.8% of the vote with 11,203,231 votes , becoming by far the largest party in the country with 31 MEPs . The PD won the most votes of any single party across the whole of the European Union , won the largest number of MEPs for any single party , and became the largest group in the Socialists and Democrats European Parliament group . The Democratic Partys vote share was the best result for an Italian party in a nationwide election since the 1958 general election , when the Christian Democracy won 42.4% of the vote . The positive electoral result enabled Renzi to successfully nominate his Foreign Minister , Federica Mogherini , as the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy , ensuring that an Italian would occupy one of the EUs two most powerful political positions . 2015 presidential election . Giorgio Napolitano announced his immediate retirement as President of Italy on 14 January 2015 . Napolitano had been convinced to stand again as president following the political uncertainty generated by the 2013 general election , but had made it clear he would retire at some point before June 2015 . On 29 January , during the National Assembly of the Democratic Party , Renzi officially announced that he would endorse Sergio Mattarella , a judge on the Constitutional Court and a former Minister of Defence , as his candidate for the Italian presidential election to replace Napolitano . It had been thought , due to the high threshold a candidate requires in the first three rounds of balloting in a presidential election , that Renzi would be forced to seek a compromise candidate with Silvio Berlusconi . However , despite Berlusconis stringent opposition to Mattarella , Renzi instructed the Democratic Party to abstain from the first three rounds of balloting in an attempt to force a fourth ballot which required a far lower threshold for victory . Despite the risk this strategy involved , centrist parties announced at the last moment that they would support Mattarella on the fourth ballot , and he subsequently won the presidential election with 665 votes out of 1009 from Senators and Deputies . Renzi was able to secure his chosen candidates election by also unexpectedly securing last-minute support from the conservative New Centre-Right , the socialist Left Ecology Freedom and the liberal Civic Choice . 2016 constitutional referendum . After constitutional reforms had passed both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate multiple times , Renzi announced that he would hold a constitutional referendum on 4 December 2016 to seek approval for the changes ; whilst the reform was approved by a simple majority of the Parliament , it did not achieve the two-thirds necessary to avoid a referendum , as per Article 138 of the Italian Constitution . Voters were asked whether they approved of amending the Constitution to transform the Senate of the Republic into a Senate of Regions , with 100 members made up of regional councillors and mayors of large cities , akin to Germanys Bundesrat . The reform would diminish the size of the Italian senate from 315 to 100 , making all senators indirectly elected by regional councils and mayors . In addition , the reform makes it harder for the senate to veto legislation . Following early results which indicated that the No side was clearly ahead , Renzi conceded defeat and resigned . 2018 general election . The 2018 Italian general election was held on 4 March 2018 after the Italian Parliament was dissolved by President Sergio Mattarella on 28 December 2017 . Renzi led a centre-left coalition composed by his Democratic Party , the liberal More Europe of Emma Bonino , the centrist Popular Civic List of Beatrice Lorenzin and the progressive Together of Giulio Santagata . The centre-left was affected by a political schism , when many members of PDs left-wing faction , like Bersani , DAlema and Speranza , left the party founding another movement , known as Democrats and Progressives ( MDP ) ; in the election MDP run under the joint list Free and Equal led by Pietro Grasso . In March election , the centre-right alliance , in which Matteo Salvinis League emerged as the main political , won a plurality of seats in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate with 37.0% of votes , while the anti-establishment Five Star Movement led by Luigi Di Maio became the party with the largest number of votes ( 32.7% ) . Renzis centre-left coalition came only third with 22.9% of votes . However , no political group or party won an outright majority , resulting in a hung parliament . Political views . The nature of Renzis progressivism is a matter of debate and has been linked both to liberalism and populism . According to Maria Teresa Meli of Corriere della Sera , Renzi pursues a precise model , borrowed from the British Labour Party and Bill Clintons Democratic Party , comprising a strange mix ( for Italy ) of liberal policy in the economic sphere and populism . This means that , on one side , he will attack the privileges of trade unions , especially of the CGIL , which defends only the already protected , while , on the other , he will sharply attack the vested powers , bankers , Confindustria and a certain type of capitalism . The Telegraph referred to Renzi as a prominent centrist voice in Europe . Renzi has occasionally been compared to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for his political views . Renzi himself has previously cited Blair as an inspiration for him , and claims to be a supporter of Blairs ideology of the Third Way , which attempts to synthesise liberal economics and left-wing social policies . In an interview with the Italian talk show , Che tempo che fa , Renzi stated that his meeting with Bill and Hillary Clinton was the most interesting part of his trip to the United States , because he considered them as models of the progressive left-wing . In 2016 , Renzi endorsed Hillary Clintons campaign to be elected President of the United States , in an interview where he also expressed admiration for the policies of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama . Renzi is in favour of the recognition of civil unions for same-sex couples and stepchild adoptions , a situation which occurs when at least one parent has children , from a previous relationship , that are not genetically related to the other parent . For this Renzi was criticised by the participants of the Family Day , an anti-LGBT rights demonstration which took place three times in Italy ; the Prime Minister was accused of having changed his opinion about the recognition of same-sex couples . Renzi participated in the first Family Day in 2007 , while he was President of Florence Province and a member of the centrist The Daisy party . Renzi was sometimes described as the de facto leader of the Party of European Socialists , in opposition to the European Peoples Party associated with Angela Merkel ; the two leaders were together often referred to as Merkenzi . Public image . According to public opinion surveys in May 2014 , just after the European election , Renzis approval rating was 74% , the highest ever rating for an Italian politician serving as Prime Minister ( the highest absolute consensus , 84% was recorded in November 2011 by Professor Mario Monti , who presided over a technical , bipartisan government ) . His lowest approval in office was in June 2015 , with just over 35% , however upon leaving the office of Prime Minister , his approval rating shrank , arriving to 15% in 2020 . Italy is currently undergoing a wave of populism and post-modern leadership likened to Renzis style . As a master of telepolitics , Renzi uses his own skills and accomplishments as evidence of his ability to lead , promotes the Internet as a platform for democracy , and uses heavy emotional appeals along with relatable , persuasive language to advocate for his positions . In 2014 , Renzi was ranked as the third most influential person under 40 in the world by the American magazine Fortune , and in the Top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy . Both as Prime Minister and Mayor of Florence , Renzi has been renowned as an assiduous user of social networks , especially Twitter where he is followed by more than two million people . Renzi cited his use of social networks as a contributing factor to his victory in the Democratic Party leadership election in 2013 . Renzi has stated that he is a fan of the American TV series House of Cards ; some journalists had noted similarities between the rise to power of the character Francis Underwood , played by Kevin Spacey , and the manner in which Renzi replaced Enrico Letta as Prime Minister in 2014 . This comparison surfaced in the media again when , in June 2015 , a phone conversation from January 2014 between Renzi and a general of the Finance Guard , Michele Adinolfi , was leaked to the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano . During the conversation , Renzi described Letta as incapable and told Adinolfi that he would replace him as Prime Minister , which would happen less than a month later . In December 2018 , Renzi presented a TV Series called Firenze secondo me ( Florence according to me ) , broadcast by Nove TV Channel . It is a historical and artistic documentary , in which Renzi presents the city of Florence , narrating historical events and showing the most famous sites of cultural interest , like Palazzo Vecchio , the Uffizi Gallery , the Vasari Corridor , the Basilica of Santa Croce , Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens . Personal life . In 1999 Renzi married Agnese Landini , a teacher , with whom he has three children : two sons , Francesco and Emanuele , and a daughter , Ester . The Renzi family are regular Mass-goers and are active in the Association of Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts , the largest scouting association in Italy . In addition to his native Italian , Renzi can also speak French and English . Renzi is an avid football fan and supports ACF Fiorentina , the team of his hometown Florence . At the 2014 local elections , his sister Benedetta was elected a municipal councillor for the Democratic Party in Castenaso , a small town near Bologna . Renzis father , Tiziano , was the city secretary of the Democratic Party for Rignano sullArno , near Florence , until March 2017 ; he was previously a municipal councillor for the Christian Democrats from 1985 to 1990 . Further reading . - Brighi , Elisabetta , and Lilia Giugni . Foreign Policy and the Ideology of Post-ideology : The Case of Matteo Renzis Partito Democratico . International Spectator 51.1 ( 2016 ) : 13–27 . online - Coticchia , Fabrizio , and Jason W . Davidson . Italian Foreign Policy During Matteo Renzis Government : A Domestically Focused Outsider and the World ( Rowman & Littlefield , 2019 ) . - Salvati , Eugenio . Matteo Renzi : a new leadership style for the Italian Democratic Party and Italian politics . Modern Italy 21.1 ( 2016 ) : 7-18 . External links . - Official website of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers - Renzis personal website - Renzi on his partys website
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Matteo Renzi Matteo Renzi , ( ; born 11 January 1975 ) is an Italian politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016 . He has been a Senator for Florence since 2018 . Renzi has been described as a centrist and as a liberal by political observers . Renzi has served as the leader of Italia Viva since 2019 , having been the Secretary of the Democratic Party from 2013 to 2018 , with a brief interruption in 2017 . After serving as the President of the Province of Florence from 2004 to 2009 and the Mayor of Florence from 2009 to 2014 , Renzi was elected Secretary of the Democratic Party in 2013 , becoming Prime Minister the following year . At the age of 39 years , Renzi became the youngest person to have served as Italian Prime Minister , and was at the time the youngest leader in the G7 . He was also the first serving Mayor to become Prime Minister . While in power , Renzis government implemented numerous reforms , including changes to the electoral system , a relaxation of labour and employment laws with the intention of boosting economic growth , a thorough reformation of the public administration , the simplification of civil trials , the introduction of same-sex civil unions and the abolition of many small taxes . After the rejection of his constitutional reform in the December 2016 referendum , Renzi formally resigned as Prime Minister on 12 December ; his Foreign Minister , Paolo Gentiloni , was appointed his replacement . He resigned as Secretary of the Democratic Party following defeat in the 2018 general election . In September 2019 , he left PD , founding Italia Viva , his own liberal movement . In 2021 , Renzi revoked IVs support to the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte , which brought down the government and resulted in the 2021 Italian government crisis . Early life . Renzi was born in 1975 in Florence , the second of four children . His father , Tiziano Renzi , was a small business owner and Christian Democratic municipal councillor in Rignano sullArno . Renzi grew up in an observant Catholic family in Rignano sullArno . He studied in Florence at the Classical Lyceum Dante Alighieri , where he passed his final exam with the grade of 60/60 but was nearly expelled because , as the students representative , he refused to withdraw a school newspaper in which there was harsh criticism of a maths teacher . During this time he was a Scout in the Association of Catholic Guides and Scouts of Italy ( AGESCI ) . In 1999 , he graduated from the University of Florence with a degree in law , with a thesis on Giorgio La Pira , the former Christian Democratic Mayor of Florence . He then went on to work for CHIL Srl , a marketing company focusing on leafleting owned by his family , co-ordinating the sales service of the newspaper La Nazione . During this time Renzi was also a football referee at amateur level and a futsal player . In 1994 , he participated as a competitor for five consecutive episodes in the television program La Ruota Della Fortuna ( a localised version of the U.S . game show Wheel of Fortune ) hosted by Mike Bongiorno , winning 48 million lire . Early political career . Renzis interest in politics began in high school . In 1996 he was one of the founders of the committee in support of Romano Prodis candidature as Prime Minister in the general election ; that same year he joined the centrist Italian Peoples Party , and became its Provincial Secretary in 1999 . In the same year he married Agnese Landini , with whom he later had three children . In 2001 , he joined Francesco Rutellis The Daisy party , composed by members of the disbanded Peoples Party . On 13 June 2004 he was elected President of Florence Province with 59% of the vote , as the candidate of the centre-left coalition . He was the youngest person to become President of an Italian Province . In the years as President of the Province , Renzi expressed his ideas against the political caste , and during his mandate he reduced taxes and decreased the number of the Provinces employees and managers . Mayor of Florence . After five years as the President of Florence Province , Renzi announced that he would seek election as the Mayor of Florence . On 9 June 2009 , Renzi , by now a member of the Democratic Party , won the election on a second round vote with 60% of the votes , compared to 40% for his opponent Giovanni Galli . As Mayor he halved the number of city councillors , installed 500 free WiFi access points across the city , reduced kindergarten waiting lists by 90% , and increased spending on social welfare programs and schools . One year after being sworn in as Mayor and with his popularity in national opinion polls increasing , Renzi organised a public meeting with another young party administrator , Debora Serracchiani , at Leopolda Station in Florence to discuss Italian politics , after stating that a complete change was also necessary in his party . Other prominent Democratic Party members who aligned themselves with Renzis programme were Matteo Richetti , President of the Regional Council of Emilia-Romagna , Davide Faraone , a regional councillor from the Sicilian Regional Assembly , and Giuseppe Civati , a prominent member of the Democratic Party in Lombardy and a member of the Lombard Regional Council . Following this public meeting , the Italian media gave Renzi the nickname il Rottamatore , or The Scrapper . In 2011 , Renzi organised a second public meeting , also in Florence , where he wrote down one hundred topics of discussion . During this time he began to be strongly criticised by other members of his party closer to the then-Secretary Pier Luigi Bersani , after his suggestion that Italian politicians of the same generation as then-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi should retire . In September 2012 , Renzi announced that he would seek to lead the centre-left coalition in the 2013 general election ; the other four candidates for that position were Pier Luigi Bersani , Secretary of the Democratic Party , Nichi Vendola , Leader of the Left Ecology Freedom , Laura Puppato , a Democratic Deputy from Veneto and Bruno Tabacci , Leader of the Democratic Centre . After the first round of the December election , Renzi gained 35.5% of the vote , finishing second behind Bersani and qualifying for the second ballot . Renzi eventually gained a total of 39% of the vote , against Bersanis 61% . During the subsequent campaign in the 2013 election in March , Renzi backed Bersani by organising large public rallies in his support in Florence , but come the election the Democratic Party only gained 25.5% of the vote , despite opinion polls placing the party at almost 30% . In April , during the elections for the President of the Republic , Renzi caused a minor controversy by openly criticising the candidacies of both Franco Marini and Anna Finocchiaro , two long-standing members of his Democratic Party . Party Secretary . Following the resignation of Pier Luigi Bersani in April 2013 , Renzi announced that he would stand for the position of Secretary of the Democratic Party . The PDs loss of seats led to party members doubts concerning Bersanis leadership abilities . Renzis impressive resume at such a young age , in combination with his reputation as a political outsider thanks to his scrapping , made him very electable in comparison . He was supported by a number of his former political opponents , such as former Party Secretaries Walter Veltroni and Dario Franceschini , Deputy Marina Sereni , MEP David Sassoli and Turin Mayor Piero Fassino . Other supporters of his included Deputies like Gianni Dal Moro , Francesco Sanna , Francesco Boccia , Lorenzo Basso and Enrico Borghi , all of whom were considered close to the newly elected Prime Minister Enrico Letta . The other two candidates for Party Secretary were Gianni Cuperlo , a Member of the Chamber of Deputies and former Secretary of the Italian Communist Youth Federation , and Giuseppe Civati , a left-wing-oriented Deputy from Lombardy and a former supporter of Renzi . In the December election , Renzi was elected with 68% of the popular vote , compared to 18% for Gianni Cuperlo and 14% for Giuseppe Civati . He became the new Secretary of the Democratic Party and the centre-lefts prospective candidate for Prime Minister . His victory was welcomed by Prime Minister Enrico Letta , who had been the Vice-Secretary of the party under Bersanis leadership . Throughout January and February 2014 there were multiple reports of persistent leadership tensions between Renzi and Prime Minister Letta . Many claimed that Renzi was pressuring Letta to resign in his favour , arguing that as he was now the leader of the Democratic Party he should be given the right to become Prime Minister . On 12 February , Letta acknowledged these rumours for the first time , publicly demanded that Renzi make his position clear . Renzi subsequently called a meeting of the Democratic Party leadership for the following evening . Just before the meeting took place , Renzi publicly called on Letta to resign and allow him to form a new government . Letta initially resisted the demand , but following a vote in favour of Renzis proposal during the meeting , which Letta did not attend , he announced that he would tender his resignation as Prime Minister on 14 February . Under Renzis leadership , the Democratic Party officially joined the Party of European Socialists ( PES ) as a full-time member on 28 February 2014 . Prime Minister of Italy ( 20142016 ) . On 17 January 2014 , while on air at Le invasioni barbariche on La7 TV channel , interviewed about the tensions between him and the Prime Minister Enrico Letta , Renzi tweeted #enricostaisereno ( Enrico dont worry ) to reassure his party colleague that he was not plotting anything against him . However , at a meeting on 13 February 2014 the Democratic Party leadership voted heavily in favour of Renzis call for a new government , a new phase and a radical programme of reform . Minutes after the Party backed the Renzi proposal by 136 votes to 16 , with two abstentions , Palazzo Chigi – the official residence of the Prime Minister – announced that Letta would travel to the Quirinale the following day to tender his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano . In an earlier speech , Renzi had paid tribute to Letta , saying that he was not intended to put him on trial . But , without directly proposing himself as the next Prime Minister , he said the Eurozones third-largest economy urgently needed a new phase and radical programme to push through badly-needed reforms . The motion he put forward made clear the necessity and urgency of opening a new phase with a new executive . Speaking privately to party leaders , Renzi said that Italy was at a crossroads and faced either holding fresh elections or a new government without a return to the polls . On 14 February , President Napolitano accepted Lettas resignation from the office of Prime Minister . Following Lettas resignation , Renzi formally received the task of forming a new government from President Napolitano on 17 February . Renzi held several days of talks with party leaders , all of which he broadcast live on the internet , before unveiling his Cabinet on 21 February , which contained members of his Democratic Party , the New Centre-Right , the Union of the Centre and the Civic Choice . His Cabinet became Italys youngest government to date , with an average age of 47 . It was also the first in which the number of female ministers was equal to the number of male ministers , excluding the Prime Minister . The following day , Renzi was formally sworn in as Prime Minister , becoming the fourth Prime Minister in four years and the youngest Prime Minister in the history of Italy . His rise to become Prime Minister was widely seen as a sign of much-needed generational change , and at the time he took office he enjoyed by far the highest approval rating of any politician in the country . On 25 February Renzi won a vote of confidence in the Italian Parliament , with 169 votes in the Senate and 378 in the Chamber of Deputies . On 7 February 2015 , after just under a year in power , five senators and two deputies from the Civic Choice defected to the Democratic Party , citing the leadership of Renzi as Prime Minister as the primary reason for their decision to change parties . On 20 March 2015 , Prime Minister Renzi briefly became ad interim Minister of Infrastructure and Transport following the resignation of Maurizio Lupi , due to a corruption scandal involving public works on infrastructure in which his name had been cited several times . Renzi held the office on an unofficial basis until 2 April , when Graziano Delrio was appointed as the new Minister . On 4 December 2016 , after the failure of the referendum he proposed , announced his resignation . On 7 December 2016 , Renzi officially handed over the resignation to the President Sergio Mattarella . Domestic policy . Labour reform . Upon becoming Prime Minister , Renzi said that long-overdue labour market reform would be at the top of his agenda to improve the state of the Italian economy . On 12 March 2014 , the Cabinet issued a law-decree on fixed-term contracts , called the Poletti Decree , from the name of the Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti , as well as a bill proposing major reforms to the Italian labour market called the Jobs Act . A reduction in the tax burden of about €80 was announced for those earning less than €1,500 per month . On 30 April Renzi , together with the Minister for the Public Administration Marianna Madia , presented the guidelines for the reform of the Public Administration , subsequently approved by the Cabinet on 13 June . In September the government brought the Jobs Act before Parliament , which provided for , among other things , the abolition of Article 18 of the Workers Statute , which protected workers from unjustified dismissal . The proposal was heavily criticised by the largest Italian trade union , the General Confederation of Labour ( CGIL ) and its leaders Susanna Camusso and Maurizio Landini . Moreover , the left-wing of the Democratic Party , by then led by the former National Secretary Pier Luigi Bersani , criticised the government for the reform , threatening to vote against it . On 29 September , the National Committee of the Democratic Party voted to support the Jobs Act , despite the disagreements within the party , with 130 votes in favour , 20 against and 11 abstaining . On 9 October the Italian Senate voted to approve the Jobs Act , and the landmark reform passed with 165 votes in favour to 111 against , marking the first step for the most ambitious economic legislation of the eight-month-old government . Before the vote Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti was forced to cut his speech short due to the loud protests of the Five Star Movement and Lega Nord oppositions , some of whom threw coins and papers . German Chancellor Angela Merkel , who was visiting Milan and had been among the most vocal politicians regarding Italys need for speedy economic reforms , said the labour law marked an important step to reduce employment barriers in the Eurozones third-largest economy . On 25 October , almost one million people took part in a mass protest in Rome , organised by the CGIL in opposition to the labour reforms of the government . Some high-profile members of the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party , including Gianni Cuperlo , Stefano Fassina and Pippo Civati , also participated in the protest . On 8 November more than 100,000 public employees protested in Rome in a demonstration organised by the three largest trade unions in the country , the CGIL , the CISL and the UIL . On 25 November , the Chamber of Deputies approved the Jobs Act with 316 votes , but the Five Star , Lega Nord and almost forty members of the Democratic Party abstained from the vote to protest against the reform . On 3 December the Senate gave the Jobs Act the final approval it needed to become law . Economic policies . In March 2014 the Cabinet approved the auctioning of a large number of luxury cars that were used to transport heads of state , including nine Maseratis , two Jaguars , and various other cars such as BMWs and Alfa Romeos . Out of the 1,500 cars put up for sale , 170 sold immediately over eBay . In April , as part of his wider industrial reforms , Renzi forced the chief executives of Italys biggest state-owned companies , including Eni , Terna , Finmeccanica , Enel and Poste Italiane , to resign , citing a lack of public confidence in their leadership . He subsequently appointed women to the majority of new positions , making it the first time any woman had served as a chief executive of a state-owned company in Italy . In 2014 , his cabinet introduced the so-called Renzi bonus , a monthly allowance of €80 , recognized to holders of a total annual income not exceeding €24,600 . The bonus , whose aim was to relaunch expenditures , was heavily criticised by opposition , which labeled it as an electoral baksheesh for the 2014 European election . On 1 August , Renzi launched law-decree called Unblock Italy , which was intended to facilitate the implementation of major projects , civil works and infrastructure that were suspended at the time , as well as achieving further administrative simplification . The centre of this was the Millegiorni , or the Thousand Days Programme . On 1 September Renzi launched the website passodopopasso.italia.it , which would allow citizens to monitor the progress of the Millegiorni . Later , on 9 October , Renzi presented his first Finance Bill ( Legge di Stabilità ) , which was approved by the European Commission on 28 October . In February 2015 , with the economy continuing to stagnate , the Government announced a plan to abolish rules that limit cooperative lenders shareholders to one vote each at shareholder meetings regardless of the size of their holdings . The European Commission subsequently forecast that the Italian economy would begin to grow by the spring . The Government also announced the abolition of IRAP , a regional tax on production activities and , discussing the 2016 Finance Bill , Renzi further promised to cancel IRPEF , IMU and TASI , taxes on individuals , public services and residences . In May 2015 the economy recorded growth of 0.3% , finally ending the Italian triple-dip recession . In January 2016 , Renzi highlighted an additional 500,000 jobs that he claimed had been created through his policies . Constitutional reforms . Upon becoming Prime Minister , Renzi stated that one of his most important tasks was to achieve constitutional reforms . The Italian institutional framework had remained essentially unchanged since 1 January 1948 , when the Italian Constitution first came into force after being enacted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 December 1947 . The first stage of Renzis reform package aimed to abolish the so-called perfect bicameralism , which gave identical powers to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate ; the reforms would substantially decrease the membership and power of the Senate . Under the reforms : the Senates power to force the resignation of the Government by refusing to grant a vote of confidence would be removed ; only a few types of bills , including the constitutional bills , constitutional amendments , laws regarding local interests , referendums and the protection of linguistic minorities , would need to be passed by the Senate ; the Senate could only propose amendments to bills in some cases , with the Chamber of Deputies always having the final word ; and the membership of the Senate would be changed , with regional representatives appointed in a manner virtually identical to Germanys Bundesrat . On 11 March 2014 , the Chamber of Deputies approved both the plans to overhaul the Senate and the second stage of Renzis constitutional reforms , a flagship electoral reform law that would see Italys voting system overhauled . On 26 March , despite objections raised by several parties in the coalition , the Government won a vote in the Senate on the bill reforming the provinces , with 160 voting in favour and 133 against . On 6 May , the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Senate approved the Governments bill on the reform of the Senate . Due to the ambitious reforms that provided for the abolition of Senate , a new electoral law and an increase in the powers of the Prime Minister , Renzi was accused by politicians and constitutionalists like Stefano Rodotà or Fausto Bertinotti of being an authoritarian and anti-democratic leader . In April 2014 , Renzi proposed that Italy adopt what he called the Italicum voting system , a proportional representation system with a majority bonus for the party which obtained over 40% of the vote , in order to provide for stable and long-term government . To approve the new electoral law , which was opposed by the Five Star Movement and a minority of his own Democratic Party , Renzi gained the support of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi , who was still the leader of Forza Italia , despite having been expelled from the Senate due to his sentence for tax evasion . The alliance between Renzi and Berlusconi was named the Nazareno Pact , from the name of the street in Rome where the headquarters of the Democratic Party are located , where the two leaders met for the first time to discuss the reform . Renzi was harshly criticised by many within the Democratic Partys left-wing minority for the deal with Berlusconi , as well as by the Five Star Movement of Beppe Grillo who said the Nazareno Pact was the proof that there are no differences between the Italian centre-left and centre-right . Despite concern from some within the Democratic Party , the Italicum was given final approval by the Italian Senate on 27 January 2015 , thanks to support from Forza Italia Senators . On 28 April 2015 , concerned that the reform may not pass , Renzi announced he would hold a confidence vote to approve the electoral reform changes . The Five Star Movement , Forza Italia and some left-wing Democratic Party members strongly opposed this decision , with some seeking to draw comparisons between Renzi and Benito Mussolini . It would be only the third time that an electoral law was twinned with a confidence vote , after Mussolinis Acerbo law and Alcide De Gasperis Scam law . On 4 May the Chamber of Deputies finally approved Renzis flagship electoral changes with 334 votes for and 61 votes against , the latter including a faction of the PD . The reforms took full effect in July 2016 . Having easily passed the Chamber of Deputies on 11 March 2015 , in a first stage , the reforms to the Italian Senate that would see its power greatly diminished and membership drastically changed were finally passed by the Senate on 13 October 2015 . The vote was won by 176 votes to 16 , with a large number of senators abstaining from the vote in protest at having to vote on abolishing many of their own powers . The last vote was held on 12 April 2016 , when the Chamber finally approved the reform with 361 votes while all the oppositions abandoned the house . On 4 December 2016 , the reform was rejected in a constitutional referendum . Immigration . As a result of the Libyan and Syrian Civil Wars , a major problem faced by Renzi upon becoming Prime Minister in 2014 was the high levels of illegal immigration to Italy . 2014 saw an increase in the number of migrants rescued at sea being brought to southern Italian ports , with the increase in the number of migrants prompting criticism of Renzi by the anti-immigration Lega Nord , the Five Star Movement and Silvio Berlusconis Forza Italia party . On 8 August 2014 , the Cabinet approved a law-decree providing for the international protection of migrants . In November 2014 , Renzi ordered the Italian-run rescue option Operation Mare Nostrum to be replaced by Frontexs Operation Triton due to the refusal of several EU governments to fund it . In 2014 , 170,100 migrants arrived in Italy by sea , a 296% increase compared to 2013 . 141,484 of the travellers ferried over from Libya . Most of the migrants had come from Syria , Eritrea and various countries in West Africa . On 19 April 2015 , a huge shipwreck took place in the Mediterranean Sea , causing the death of more than 700 migrants from North Africa . Renzi , returning to Rome from a political event in Mantua for the regional elections , held an emergency meeting with ministers and spoke by telephone to French President François Hollande and Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat . The call led to an emergency meeting of European interior ministers to address the problem of migrant deaths . In a speech addressing immigration , the Italian Prime Minister condemned human trafficking as a new slave trade . From January to April 2015 , about 1,600 migrants died on the route from Libya to Lampedusa , making it the deadliest migrant route in the world . Same-sex unions . On 10 June 2015 , the Chamber of Deputies passed a motion obliging the Government to approve a bill regarding civil unions between same-sex couples . Previously all of the major parties in Italy had presented different motions on civil unions , which were all rejected except for the Democratic Partys , which also called for civil unions to be approved . Renzi had stated shortly before becoming Prime Minister that he favoured the introduction of civil unions for same-sex couples . In July 2015 , several days after the European Parliament passed a motion calling on all members of the European Union to recognise same-sex relationships , the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Italy was violating the Convention on Human Rights by not recognising same-sex couples right to family life . On 7 October 2015 , Renzi introduced a bill to Parliament that would establish same-sex civil unions and gender-neutral cohabitation agreements . The bill passed its first reading in the Senate a week later . Although Renzi secured the support of his Democratic Party and the main opposition Forza Italia party , many MPs from both criticised the bill . Despite the bill being put forward on a free vote , Renzi made it clear that he would tie the civil unions bill to a vote of confidence in his Government if it did not pass . Following months of public and parliamentary debate , on 25 February 2016 the Senate voted in favour of Renzis proposals to legalise civil unions , with 173 votes in favour and 71 against . An amendment known as the stepchild adoption provision that would have granted parental rights to a non-biological parent in a same-sex union was taken out of the bill at the last moment after it became clear a majority of senators did not support it . Although Renzi had expressed support for the amendment , the decision came after the Five Star Movement backed out of an agreement to pass it ; moreover , the amendment was opposed by the New Centre-Right . Renzi stated that the bills passage through the Senate was a victory for love , although he expressed disappointment that the adoption provision was not also adopted , and raised the possibility of introducing it in a separate bill at a later date . On 11 May 2016 , the Chamber of Deputies approved the final proposals , with 369 votes in favour and 163 against . Social policies . On 3 September 2014 during a press conference , Renzi announced an online consultation with students , teachers and citizens ahead of the major school reforms promoted by Education Minister Stefania Giannini . On 9 July 2015 , despite the opposition of an overwhelming majority of teachers and students alike to the actual design of the school reform , this was finally approved by the Chamber of Deputies , with 277 votes against 173 . On 15 December , during a ceremony at the Italian National Olympic Committee , Renzi officially launched the candidacy of Rome for the 2024 Summer Olympics . Renzi stated that , Our country too often seems hesitant . Its unacceptable not to try or to renounce playing the game . Sport in Italy is a way of life and a way of looking at the future . I dont know if we’ll make it , but the Olympic candidacy is one of the most beautiful things we can do for our kids , for us , for Italy . On 21 September 2016 , Mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi , a member of the Five Star Movement , told reporters the bid for the games would go no further . Raggi , having long been opposed to Rome hosting the games , cited ongoing financial troubles in the country as the main reason for cancelling the bid . She said hosting the games would be irresponsible and would only cause the city to fall into further debt . Universal Exposition . During Renzis premiership Milan hosted the Universal Exposition ; the themes were technology , innovation , culture and traditions concerning food . Participants to the Expo include 145 countries , three international organisations , several civil society organisations , several corporations and non-governmental organisations ( NGOs ) . The participants are hosted inside individual or grouped pavilions . The opening of the Expo on 1 May 2015 was met with protest from anti-austerity activists , black bloc , and anarchists caused criminal damage , resulting in the police using tear gas . Expo also created some tensions with the Holy See and the Italian government ; in fact Pope Francis condemned the concept of Expo , saying that it obeys the culture of waste and does not contribute to a model of equitable and sustainable development . As Vatican City invested €3 million to obtain its own pavilion at the event before his appointment to the papacy , Francis said that , although it is a good thing that the Church is involved in causes that battle hunger and promote cleaner energy , he stated that too much money was wasted on the Expo itself by Vatican City . 2016 earthquakes . At 03:36 CEST on 24 August 2016 , an earthquake measuring 6.2 on the moment magnitude scale struck Central Italy . The epicentre was close to Accumoli , in an area near the borders of the Umbria , Lazio , Abruzzo and Marche regions . The earthquake killed 298 people and left more than 4,500 homeless . On 1 September , Renzi appointed the former President of Emilia-Romagna Vasco Errani as Special Commissioner for Reconstruction . Errani had been already a Special Commissioner during the earthquake that struck his home region in 2012 . A magnitude 6.1 intraplate earthquake struck west of Visso on 26 October at 21:18 local time ( 19:18 UTC ) . The earthquake , which occurred two months after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in August , struck about to the northwest of the August earthquakes epicentre . The civil protection , however , estimated the consequences less dramatically than feared . According to official data , a man died because he had suffered a heart attack as a result of the quake . A third large , shallow earthquake of USGS preliminary magnitude 6.6 struck north of Norcia at 07:40 local time ( 06:40 UTC ) on 30 October . This quake was the largest in Italy in 36 years , since the 1980 Irpinia earthquake . The three earthquakes caused almost 100,000 homeless . Foreign affairs . During his premiership , Renzi faced several challenging foreign policy situations , such as the European debt crisis , the civil war in Libya , the Ukrainian Crisis and the insurgency of the Islamic State ( IS ) in the Middle East . Renzi formed a close relationship with US President Barack Obama , supporting the 2014 military intervention against IS with hundreds of Italian troops and four Panavia Tornado aircraft , and also supporting international sanctions against Russia after their invasion of East Ukraine . Renzi forged a positive relationship with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe , who praised the economic policies of the Renzi Government . A key ally of Renzi in the Mediterranean is Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ; the two leaders held many bilateral meetings where they discussed the problem of immigration to Italy and the increasing tensions in the Middle East and North Africa . In the European Union , Renzi has a close relationship with French President François Hollande and his Prime Minister Manuel Valls , especially with Valls , who saw Renzi as a model for his Third Way policies . Europe . Following the 2014 European Parliament elections , which saw the Democratic Party receive the highest number of votes of all the individual political parties contesting that election across the entire European Union , Renzi subsequently emerged as the most prominent leader of the European Socialists . This was in opposition to German Chancellor Angela Merkel , widely considered the de facto leader of the European Peoples Party and , according to some European Union analysts , the two leaders are together referred to as Merkenzi . Renzi and Merkel had many bilateral meetings , the first on 17 March 2014 in Berlin , just a few weeks after Renzis election as Prime Minister , where the two leaders discussed important reforms that the Italian Government planned to make both in Italy and in the EU . On 22 January 2015 , Merkel visited Renzi in his home city of Florence , where she publicly lauded the impressive reforms carried out by his government . On the following day the two leaders held a joint press conference in front of Michelangelos David . Renzi is seen as an ally of French President François Hollande of the Socialist Party . On 15 March 2014 Renzi met Hollande in Paris , agreeing with him a common economic policy focused not only on the austerity measures imposed by the so-called Troika of the European Commission , European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund , but also on more flexible policies to promote economic growth in the EU . Renzi is a close personal friend of French Prime Minister Manuel Valls , with the two leaders often regarded as being heirs of the Third Way politics espoused by the likes of Tony Blair . On 7 January 2015 , after the Islamic terrorist attack in Paris which caused the death of 17 people , Renzi expressed horror and dismay , offering his best wishes to the people of France and noting his close relationships with the French Prime Minister and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo . On 11 January , he joined more than 40 world leaders and three million people in the Republican March organised by President Hollande . Renzi built a constructive relationship with British Prime Minister David Cameron of the Conservative Party . During their first meeting on 1 April 2014 , Cameron stated that the reforms planned by Renzi were ambitious and that together the two men would be able to change the European Union . On the same day , Renzi also met former British Prime Minister Tony Blair , whom Renzi had previously called a political inspiration to him . On 2 October 2014 , Renzi held a press conference with Cameron in 10 Downing Street , with Cameron lauding their similar policies to reform the European Union and overcome the economic crisis . On 1 August 2014 , following his partys strong showing in the European Parliament elections , Renzi nominated his Foreign Minister , Federica Mogherini , as a candidate to be the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in the incoming-European Commission to be led by Jean-Claude Juncker , the former Prime Minister of Luxembourg . Mogherini was eventually successfully confirmed as the EU High Representative , ensuring that Italy controlled one of the two most senior posts in the Commission . In September , Renzi participated in the 2014 NATO Summit in Wales . Before the official start of the summit , he had discussions with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko , US President Barack Obama and the other three leaders of the European G4 to discuss the crisis with Russia . This summit was the first held after the Russian military intervention in Ukraine and the offensive by the Islamic State of the Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi . On 3 February 2015 , Renzi received newly elected Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of the Coalition of the Radical Left in Rome . The two leaders held a joint press conference expressing concerns about austerity measures imposed by the European Commission and stated that economic growth is the only way to solve the crisis . After the press conference , Renzi presented Tsipras with an Italian tie as a gift . Tsipras , who was notable for refusing to ever wear a tie , thanked Renzi and said he would wear the gift in celebration after Greece had successfully renegotiated the austerity measures . United States . Similar to his predecessors , Renzi continued the long-standing Italian policy of a close relationship with the United States , building a partnership with President Barack Obama . Italy supported the US in the military intervention against the Islamic State , and participated in the international sanctions against Russia following their invasion of East Ukraine . Renzi met Obama for the first time on 24 March 2014 , during the latters trip to Rome . Renzi also held a joint meeting with Obama , Pope Francis and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano . Obama stated afterwards that he had been impressed by the reforms Renzi wanted to undertake . Renzi himself said that he considered Obama an example for the policies he wanted to achieve . On 22 September , Renzi visited Silicon Valley , California . In San Francisco he met with young Italian emigrants who have created startups in the USA . He also visited the headquarters of Twitter , Google and Yahoo ! to hold talks with chief executives . Renzi was accompanied by former US Secretaries of State , Condoleezza Rice and George Shultz , and by the former American ambassador to Italy , Ronald P . Spogli . He later spoke at Stanford University as the guest of University President John L . Hennessy . The following day , Renzi spoke at a United Nations summit in New York City , focusing on the problem of climate change . Following the summit , Renzi met former US President Bill Clinton and his wife , former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton . At the end of his trip , Renzi participated in a reception hosted by Barack Obama . Renzi was received at the White House in April 2015 . He and President Obama discussed many issues , including Ukraine , Libya and ISIL . They discussed Europes economy , the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership , climate change and energy security . In October 2015 , the Italian Government announced that it would prolong its military presence in Afghanistan along with the US Army , in order to continue its security mission and prevent the rise of Islamist forces such as Al-Qaeda and ISIL . On 18 October 2016 , President Obama invited Renzi and his wife Agnese to attend an official state dinner at the White House . The two men held a joint press conference during which Obama , the dinner being his final state visit as president , commented that he had saved the best for last , and the two reiterated their support for one another . Asia . Renzi built up a close relations with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe ; the two Prime Ministers are both against austerity and they are reforming the constitutions of their countries . On 6 June 2014 , Renzi received Prime Minister Abe in Rome . Abe publicly congratulated Renzi for the economic and constitutional reforms being delivered by Renzis government . The two leaders also met in Tokyo in August 2015 and discussed about relations with China and the stability of East Asia . On 9 June , Renzi travelled to Hanoi , Vietnam to meet with President Trương Tấn Sang and Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng , as well as Communist Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng to sign economic treaties worth around 5 billion US dollars to the Italian economy . In doing so , Renzi became the first Italian Prime Minister to officially visit Vietnam since 1973 , when diplomacy first began between Italy and North Vietnam . During the visit Renzi placed a wreath in the mausoleum of the former North Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh . On 11 June , Renzi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing , who congratulated him for the important reforms being undertaken by his government . Xi also stated that China would continue co-operation with Italy ahead of Expo 2015 in Milan . Several months later in October , Renzi met with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang in Rome to sign twenty treaties worth a total of 8 billion euros . On 12 June , Renzi met Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana , where they discussed withdrawal of Italian troops from Afghanistan . On 18 November , Renzi travelled to Ashgabat , Turkmenistan , where with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow he signed a number of economic pacts securing increased gas supply . Africa . During his premiership , Renzi started a policy review led to the creation of the Italy-Africa initiative , which includes renewable energy co-operation and a new package of development aid in fields stretching from health care to culture ; counterterrorism has been a key part of his agenda , but the East Africa region is also important to stop the migration flows from there to Italy through North Africa , especially Libya . On 4 March , Renzi travelled to Tunisia , where he had a meeting with Mustapha Ben Jafar . With Jafar , Renzi discussed about the problem of illegal immigration to Italy from the coasts of North Africa . The trip to Tunisia was the first official one made by Renzi as Prime Minister of Italy . On 18 March 2015 , after the Bardo Museum attack in Tunis , in which 28 people died and four of whom were Italians , Renzi condemned the terrorist attack and said that Italy is close to the Tunisian government and people . On 19 July , Renzi started a major trip to Africa , meeting the Mozambique President Armando Guebuza . Renzi signed economic pacts to create investments by the Italian government-owned oil company Eni in the African country for 50 billion dollars . The following day he visited the Republic of Congo where he met President Denis Sassou Nguesso , with whom he signed a co-operation for the extraction of oil in the country . Some journalists criticised the meeting with Sassou Nguesso , who is considered one of the more corrupt dictators of Africa . Renzi later met with Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos in Luanda . During the visit , Renzi placed a memorial wreath in the mausoleum of the first Angolan President , Agostinho Neto . On 24 July , under the direction of Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini , the government worked for the release of Mariam Ibrahim , a Sudanese woman had been who sentenced to death for being a Christian . Thanks largely to the good relations between Sudan and Italy , Ibrahim was released and permitted to fly to Italy on a government plane . On 2 December , Renzi went to Algiers , where he met Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal . With the two leaders of the country , Renzi discussed the Libyan crisis , immigration from North Africa , and also about gas imports from Algeria as an alternative to Russian imports , following the tensions between the European Union and Russia . In January 2016 , Renzi continued his policy toward Africa ; the Prime Minister had a three-days trip in Nigeria , Ghana and Senegal . The main tasks of this diplomatic trip was the fight against the Islamic terrorism and the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean Sea ; with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari , Renzi signed an agreement on enhancing co-operation between the Nigerian and Italian Polices . Renzi has been one of the strongest supporters of the new Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and of his government of national union . In August 2016 the newspaper la Repubblica reported that dozens of Italian special forces were operating in Libya , for training and intelligence activities . These special forces were operating under the direct command of the Prime Ministers office . Russia . Russia had previously enjoyed a privileged relationship with Italy , particularly under the leadership of Silvio Berlusconi , who was a personal friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin . Following the Russian military intervention in Ukraine , however , relations worsened . On 2 March 2014 , Renzi accused Putin of having committed an unacceptable violation . On 19 March , during a speech to the Chamber of Deputies , Renzi stated that the Crimean status referendum was illegal and that the G8 countries must start co-operating to solve the crisis and prevent a return to the Cold War . In June , he subsequently participated in the G7 summit in Brussels , the first one held after the suspension of Russia from the G8 following the annexation of Crimea in March . Renzi phoned Putin on 28 August , asking him to stop the intolerable escalation and to reach a peace agreement with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to stop the pro-Russian conflict in that regions . Renzi and Putin also had a bilateral meeting on 16 October , when Renzi hosted the Asia–Europe Meeting ( ASEM ) in Milan with 53 other leaders of the world . On 15 November , during the G-20 summit in Brisbane , the two leaders had another meeting , where they discussed about the Ukrainian crisis , but also on the civil wars in Libya and Syria . On 5 March 2015 , Renzi met President Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow . The talks between the leaders was focused on international issues , such as settlement of the crisis in Ukraine , the situations in the Middle East and in Libya , as well as fighting terrorism . Putin guaranteed Russian support in case of a UN intervention in Libya against the Islamic State . Ahead of the bilateral meeting , Prime Minister Renzi visited and laid flowers at the Moscow bridge , near the Kremlin , on which the Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was murdered , a few days before . Through 2015 , Renzi became one of the main supporters of a reduction of international sanctions against Russia and the establishment of a political and military alliance between the Western countries and Russia against the terrorism of the Islamic State . Renzi questioned Nord Stream II , a new Russia-Germany natural gas pipeline , saying : I found it surprising that the South Stream project was blocked [ Balkan pipeline was cancelled by Russia in December 2014 following obstacles from EU ] , while now we are discussing a doubling up of Nord Stream . Middle East . On 2 August 2014 , Renzi met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo , holding talks about a variety of issues , including the Israel-Gaza conflict . Renzi stated that Italy would support the Egyptian truce proposal , with the two leaders calling for an immediate cease-fire and the beginning of peace negotiations . In making the visit , Renzi became the first Western leader to visit President el-Sisi since his election . On 15 January 2015 , after Islamic States conquests in Libya , Renzi conducted a long phone call with Sisi , to discuss the terrorist threat in the Mediterranean . The two leaders agreed that the next steps should be political and diplomatic efforts through the United Nations . On 11 July 2015 , a car bomb exploded outside the Italian consulate in Cairo , resulting in at least one death and four injured . ISIS claimed responsibility . The relations between Italy and Egypt dramatically worsened after the murder of Giulio Regeni , an Italian Cambridge University graduate student killed in Cairo following his abduction on 25 January 2016 . Giulio Regeni was a PhD student at Girton College , Cambridge , researching Egypts independent trade unions . Due to Regenis research activities and left-wing political leanings , the security services of el-Sisis government are strongly suspected of involvement in his murder , although Egypts media and government deny this and claim secret undercover agents belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood carried out the crime in order to embarrass the Egyptian government and destabilise relations between Italy and Egypt . On 20 August 2014 Renzi travelled to Iraq , in the midst of the insurgency led by the Islamic State . There he met with the Head of State , Fuad Masum , Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his immediate predecessor Nouri al-Maliki . On the same day , 20 August 2014 , Renzi travelled north to Erbil to meet the President of Iraqi Kurdistan , Masud Barzani , and Prime Minister Nechervan Barzani . Renzi later told an American journalist that what he witnessed during his trip to Iraq reminded him of the images of the Srebrenica massacre that had horrified him as a child . While Renzi was in Iraq , the Italian Parliament approved a proposal to arm the Peshmerga soldiers fighting against the Islamic State . On 23 September , during the 69th General Assembly of the United Nations , Renzi held a bilateral meeting with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan , at which they discussed climate change and increasing tensions in the Middle East . On 11 December Renzi travelled to Ankarafor a second meeting with Erdoğan , during which Renzi expressed his support for Turkish accession to the European Union . On the same day he met with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu . On 8 January 2015 , Renzi made his first official trip of the year , meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi to address issues of foreign and economic policy , including the Alitalia-Etihad deal . The two leaders discussed joint co-operation domains and enhancing trade exchange and co-operation in energy and aerospace . Renzi has had good relations with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas . On 21 and 22 July 2015 he visited first Jerusalem , where he met with Netanyahu and addressed the Knesset , and then Ramallah , where he met with Abbas . Renzi was the first leader to visit Israel after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action , the deal reached between international community and Iran . Whereas Netanyahu heavily criticised the deal , Renzi supported it , while stressing that Israels security is the security of Europe and mine as well . In January 2016 , Renzi met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Rome , the first visit to Italy by a President of Iran since 1999 . The two leaders signed business deals worth up to 17 billion euros . They also discussed the war against the Islamic State in the Middle East and Libya . On 13 and 14 April 2016 he became the first Western leader to visit Iran after the international agreement on the nuclear program of Iran . In Iran , Renzi met both President Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei . Latin America . After announcing an increase of Italian investment in Central and South America , in October 2015 Renzi undertook a number of official trips across the continent , travelling to Chile , Peru and Colombia . During his visit to Santiago , Renzi and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet launched a large number of renewable energy projects promoted by the Italian multinational Enel . Renzi also visited the European Southern Observatory of Paranal in the Atacama desert . During these trips , Renzi had numerous meetings with communities of Italian-born Latin Americans in these countries . In a surprise visit , returning from Latin America , on 28 October 2015 Renzi became the first Italian Prime Minister in history to make a state visit to Cuba . In doing so he also became the first G7 leader to meet Cuban President Raúl Castro following the 2015 normalisation of relations between the United States and Cuba . In February 2016 Renzi met Argentine President Mauricio Macri during a state visit to Buenos Aires ; Renzi became the first European leader to meet Macri after the 2015 presidential election and the first Italian Prime Minister since Romano Prodi in 1998 to visit Argentina . During his premiership , Renzi has also developed close relationship with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto . After the premiership ( 2016present ) . Following the defeat in the constitutional referendum and the subsequent resignation as Prime Minister , Renzi remained Secretary of the Democratic Party . As leader of the main party both in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic , he supported the new government led by his former Minister of Foreign Affairs Paolo Gentiloni , also a Democrat . 2017 leadership election and party split . On 19 February 2017 , during the PD National Assembly , Renzi resigned as Secretary of the party , announcing his candidacy for the next leadership election . A few days before he launched the movement In Cammino ( On the way ) in support of his candidacy . Contextually , a large portion of the partys internal left-wing , led by Enrico Rossi and Roberto Speranza , who were endorsed by former party leaders Massimo DAlema , Pier Luigi Bersani and Guglielmo Epifani , left the PD and founded the Democratic and Progressive Movement ( MDP ) , along with splinters from the Italian Left ( SI ) . On 6 March Matteo Renzi presented his electoral programme , in which he expressed his intention to renovate the party , Italy and Europe . He also announced an electoral ticket with the Agriculture Minister Maurizio Martina ; Martina would become Deputy Secretary and would probably lead the party if Renzi becomes Prime Minister again . From 10 to 12 March Renzi and his supporters participated in Lingotto 17 , a convention based in the district of Lingotto in Turin , where the Democratic Party was founded ten years before under the leadership of Walter Veltroni . During his speech he harshly condemned the Five Star Movement ( M5S ) , accused of being a populist party controlled by a private company , and Lega Nord , which uses fear to gain votes . Renzi attacked also European bureaucrats and proposed a primary election to appoint the Party of European Socialists candidate for the European Commission presidency and the direct election of the President . Among the notable participants of the pro-Renzi convention were Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni , current ministers like Pier Carlo Padoan , Dario Franceschini , Graziano Delrio , Marianna Madia , Roberta Pinotti and Secretary Maria Elena Boschi . Emma Bonino , historic Radical leader and former Foreign Affairs Minister , also participated in the rally . The other two candidates for the leadership election were President of Apulia Michele Emiliano and Minister of Justice Andrea Orlando . Emiliano is an outspoken former magistrate with strong support in the poor South , who was expected to join the dissidents in MDP but decided instead to challenge Renzi from within the mainstream party ; he is often described as a democratic socialist and populist politician . Orlando is a social democratic politician and a leading member of the party since the foundation . Orlando is often described as the candidate of the social democratic establishment of the party . After having won the vote by party members in March with almost 67% of votes , on 30 April , Renzi was re-elected Secretary of the party by a landslide with 69.2% of votes ; while Orlando received 19.9% and Emiliano 10.9% of votes . Second term as Secretary . After the rejection of the constitutional reform , the Parliament had to change the electoral law proposed by Renzis government ; in fact the so-called Italicum regulates only the election of the Chamber of Deputies , and not the one of the Senate , which , if the reform passed , would be indirectly elected by citizens . After the re-election as Secretary , Renzi proposed a new electoral law called Mattarellum bis , better known as Rosatellum , from the name of his main proponent Ettore Rosato , Democratic leader in the Chamber of Deputies . This electoral law was similar to the one which was applied in Italy from 1993 to 2004 . The Rosatellum used an additional member system , which act as a mixed system , with 36% of seats allocated using a first past the post electoral system and 64% using a proportional method , with one round of voting . The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies did not differ in the way they allocated the proportional seats , both using the DHondt method of allocating seats . The new electoral law was supported by PD and his government ally Popular Alternative , but also by the opposition parties Forza Italia and Lega Nord . Despite many protests from the Five Star Movement and the Democratic and Progressive Movement , the electoral law was approved on 12 October by the Chamber of Deputies with 375 votes in favor and 215 against , and on 26 October by the Senate with 214 votes against 61 . The electoral programme of the Democratic Party for the general election included , among the main points , the introduction of a minimum hourly wage of €10 , a measure that would affect 15% of workers , that is those workers who do not adhere to the national collective agreements ; a cut of the contributory wedge for permanent contracts ; a relocation allowance and an increase in subsidies for the unemployed ; a monthly allowance of €80 for parents for each minor child ; fiscal detraction of €240 for parents with children ; and the progressive reduction of IRPEF and IRES rates , respectively the Italian income tax and the corporate tax . Moreover , the PD advocated the re-launch of the process of European integration and federation , towards the formation of the United States of Europe . In the election , his centre-left coalition arrived third behind the centre-right alliance , in which Matteo Salvinis League was the main political force , and the Five Star Movement of Luigi Di Maio finished second . On 5 March , Renzi announced that the PD will be in opposition during this legislature and he will resign as secretary when a new cabinet is formed . Renzi officially resigned on 12 March during PDs national directorate , and his deputy secretary Martina was appointed acting leader . Leader of Italia Viva . In August 2019 , Deputy Prime Minister and Leagues leader , Matteo Salvini , announced a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte , after growing tensions within the majority . Many political analysts believe the no confidence motion was an attempt to force early elections to improve Legas standing in Parliament , ensuring Salvini could become the next Prime Minister . On 20 August , following the parliamentary debate at the Senate , in which Conte harshly accused Salvini of being a political opportunist who had triggered the political crisis only to serve his personal interest and stated this government ends here , the Prime Minister resigned his post to President Mattarella . Despite having always opposed it in the past , in August 2019 , Renzi strongly advocated the formation of a new government between the PD and the populist Five Star Movement . After days of tensions within the Democratic Party , on 28 August Nicola Zingaretti , the new PDs leader , announced his favorable position regarding a new government with the M5S , with Giuseppe Conte at its head . On same day , Mattarella summoned Conte to the Quirinal Palace for the 29 August to give him the task of forming a new cabinet . Renzi was seen by many political analysts and journalists as the real kingmaker of the new parliamentary majority . On 17 September , in an interview to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica , Renzi announced his intention to leave the PD , creating new parliamentary groups led by him . On the same day , interviewed by Bruno Vespa in his TV show Porta a Porta , he officially launched the political movement Italia Viva ( IV ) . Between December 2020 and January 2021 , discussions arose within the government coalition between Renzi and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte . Renzi called for radical changes to the governments economic recovery plans after the COVID-19 pandemic , and also demanded that Conte cede his mandate over the secret services coordination task . During his end-of-year press conference , Conte declined Renzis requests , asserting that he still had a majority in the Parliament . After a few days , Renzi threatened to pull back IVs two ministers , Teresa Bellanova and Elena Bonetti , from the upcoming Council of Minister , summoned to approve the Recovery Plan . On 13 January 2021 , during a press conference , Renzi announced the resignation of Italia Vivas ministers Bellanova and Bonetti , officially opening a government crisis . Elections . 2014 European election . In the European Parliament election held on 25 May 2014 , the first national election Renzi had faced since becoming Prime Minister , his Democratic Party won 40.8% of the vote with 11,203,231 votes , becoming by far the largest party in the country with 31 MEPs . The PD won the most votes of any single party across the whole of the European Union , won the largest number of MEPs for any single party , and became the largest group in the Socialists and Democrats European Parliament group . The Democratic Partys vote share was the best result for an Italian party in a nationwide election since the 1958 general election , when the Christian Democracy won 42.4% of the vote . The positive electoral result enabled Renzi to successfully nominate his Foreign Minister , Federica Mogherini , as the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy , ensuring that an Italian would occupy one of the EUs two most powerful political positions . 2015 presidential election . Giorgio Napolitano announced his immediate retirement as President of Italy on 14 January 2015 . Napolitano had been convinced to stand again as president following the political uncertainty generated by the 2013 general election , but had made it clear he would retire at some point before June 2015 . On 29 January , during the National Assembly of the Democratic Party , Renzi officially announced that he would endorse Sergio Mattarella , a judge on the Constitutional Court and a former Minister of Defence , as his candidate for the Italian presidential election to replace Napolitano . It had been thought , due to the high threshold a candidate requires in the first three rounds of balloting in a presidential election , that Renzi would be forced to seek a compromise candidate with Silvio Berlusconi . However , despite Berlusconis stringent opposition to Mattarella , Renzi instructed the Democratic Party to abstain from the first three rounds of balloting in an attempt to force a fourth ballot which required a far lower threshold for victory . Despite the risk this strategy involved , centrist parties announced at the last moment that they would support Mattarella on the fourth ballot , and he subsequently won the presidential election with 665 votes out of 1009 from Senators and Deputies . Renzi was able to secure his chosen candidates election by also unexpectedly securing last-minute support from the conservative New Centre-Right , the socialist Left Ecology Freedom and the liberal Civic Choice . 2016 constitutional referendum . After constitutional reforms had passed both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate multiple times , Renzi announced that he would hold a constitutional referendum on 4 December 2016 to seek approval for the changes ; whilst the reform was approved by a simple majority of the Parliament , it did not achieve the two-thirds necessary to avoid a referendum , as per Article 138 of the Italian Constitution . Voters were asked whether they approved of amending the Constitution to transform the Senate of the Republic into a Senate of Regions , with 100 members made up of regional councillors and mayors of large cities , akin to Germanys Bundesrat . The reform would diminish the size of the Italian senate from 315 to 100 , making all senators indirectly elected by regional councils and mayors . In addition , the reform makes it harder for the senate to veto legislation . Following early results which indicated that the No side was clearly ahead , Renzi conceded defeat and resigned . 2018 general election . The 2018 Italian general election was held on 4 March 2018 after the Italian Parliament was dissolved by President Sergio Mattarella on 28 December 2017 . Renzi led a centre-left coalition composed by his Democratic Party , the liberal More Europe of Emma Bonino , the centrist Popular Civic List of Beatrice Lorenzin and the progressive Together of Giulio Santagata . The centre-left was affected by a political schism , when many members of PDs left-wing faction , like Bersani , DAlema and Speranza , left the party founding another movement , known as Democrats and Progressives ( MDP ) ; in the election MDP run under the joint list Free and Equal led by Pietro Grasso . In March election , the centre-right alliance , in which Matteo Salvinis League emerged as the main political , won a plurality of seats in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate with 37.0% of votes , while the anti-establishment Five Star Movement led by Luigi Di Maio became the party with the largest number of votes ( 32.7% ) . Renzis centre-left coalition came only third with 22.9% of votes . However , no political group or party won an outright majority , resulting in a hung parliament . Political views . The nature of Renzis progressivism is a matter of debate and has been linked both to liberalism and populism . According to Maria Teresa Meli of Corriere della Sera , Renzi pursues a precise model , borrowed from the British Labour Party and Bill Clintons Democratic Party , comprising a strange mix ( for Italy ) of liberal policy in the economic sphere and populism . This means that , on one side , he will attack the privileges of trade unions , especially of the CGIL , which defends only the already protected , while , on the other , he will sharply attack the vested powers , bankers , Confindustria and a certain type of capitalism . The Telegraph referred to Renzi as a prominent centrist voice in Europe . Renzi has occasionally been compared to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for his political views . Renzi himself has previously cited Blair as an inspiration for him , and claims to be a supporter of Blairs ideology of the Third Way , which attempts to synthesise liberal economics and left-wing social policies . In an interview with the Italian talk show , Che tempo che fa , Renzi stated that his meeting with Bill and Hillary Clinton was the most interesting part of his trip to the United States , because he considered them as models of the progressive left-wing . In 2016 , Renzi endorsed Hillary Clintons campaign to be elected President of the United States , in an interview where he also expressed admiration for the policies of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama . Renzi is in favour of the recognition of civil unions for same-sex couples and stepchild adoptions , a situation which occurs when at least one parent has children , from a previous relationship , that are not genetically related to the other parent . For this Renzi was criticised by the participants of the Family Day , an anti-LGBT rights demonstration which took place three times in Italy ; the Prime Minister was accused of having changed his opinion about the recognition of same-sex couples . Renzi participated in the first Family Day in 2007 , while he was President of Florence Province and a member of the centrist The Daisy party . Renzi was sometimes described as the de facto leader of the Party of European Socialists , in opposition to the European Peoples Party associated with Angela Merkel ; the two leaders were together often referred to as Merkenzi . Public image . According to public opinion surveys in May 2014 , just after the European election , Renzis approval rating was 74% , the highest ever rating for an Italian politician serving as Prime Minister ( the highest absolute consensus , 84% was recorded in November 2011 by Professor Mario Monti , who presided over a technical , bipartisan government ) . His lowest approval in office was in June 2015 , with just over 35% , however upon leaving the office of Prime Minister , his approval rating shrank , arriving to 15% in 2020 . Italy is currently undergoing a wave of populism and post-modern leadership likened to Renzis style . As a master of telepolitics , Renzi uses his own skills and accomplishments as evidence of his ability to lead , promotes the Internet as a platform for democracy , and uses heavy emotional appeals along with relatable , persuasive language to advocate for his positions . In 2014 , Renzi was ranked as the third most influential person under 40 in the world by the American magazine Fortune , and in the Top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy . Both as Prime Minister and Mayor of Florence , Renzi has been renowned as an assiduous user of social networks , especially Twitter where he is followed by more than two million people . Renzi cited his use of social networks as a contributing factor to his victory in the Democratic Party leadership election in 2013 . Renzi has stated that he is a fan of the American TV series House of Cards ; some journalists had noted similarities between the rise to power of the character Francis Underwood , played by Kevin Spacey , and the manner in which Renzi replaced Enrico Letta as Prime Minister in 2014 . This comparison surfaced in the media again when , in June 2015 , a phone conversation from January 2014 between Renzi and a general of the Finance Guard , Michele Adinolfi , was leaked to the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano . During the conversation , Renzi described Letta as incapable and told Adinolfi that he would replace him as Prime Minister , which would happen less than a month later . In December 2018 , Renzi presented a TV Series called Firenze secondo me ( Florence according to me ) , broadcast by Nove TV Channel . It is a historical and artistic documentary , in which Renzi presents the city of Florence , narrating historical events and showing the most famous sites of cultural interest , like Palazzo Vecchio , the Uffizi Gallery , the Vasari Corridor , the Basilica of Santa Croce , Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens . Personal life . In 1999 Renzi married Agnese Landini , a teacher , with whom he has three children : two sons , Francesco and Emanuele , and a daughter , Ester . The Renzi family are regular Mass-goers and are active in the Association of Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts , the largest scouting association in Italy . In addition to his native Italian , Renzi can also speak French and English . Renzi is an avid football fan and supports ACF Fiorentina , the team of his hometown Florence . At the 2014 local elections , his sister Benedetta was elected a municipal councillor for the Democratic Party in Castenaso , a small town near Bologna . Renzis father , Tiziano , was the city secretary of the Democratic Party for Rignano sullArno , near Florence , until March 2017 ; he was previously a municipal councillor for the Christian Democrats from 1985 to 1990 . Further reading . - Brighi , Elisabetta , and Lilia Giugni . Foreign Policy and the Ideology of Post-ideology : The Case of Matteo Renzis Partito Democratico . International Spectator 51.1 ( 2016 ) : 13–27 . online - Coticchia , Fabrizio , and Jason W . Davidson . Italian Foreign Policy During Matteo Renzis Government : A Domestically Focused Outsider and the World ( Rowman & Littlefield , 2019 ) . - Salvati , Eugenio . Matteo Renzi : a new leadership style for the Italian Democratic Party and Italian politics . Modern Italy 21.1 ( 2016 ) : 7-18 . External links . - Official website of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers - Renzis personal website - Renzi on his partys website
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Matteo Renzi Matteo Renzi , ( ; born 11 January 1975 ) is an Italian politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016 . He has been a Senator for Florence since 2018 . Renzi has been described as a centrist and as a liberal by political observers . Renzi has served as the leader of Italia Viva since 2019 , having been the Secretary of the Democratic Party from 2013 to 2018 , with a brief interruption in 2017 . After serving as the President of the Province of Florence from 2004 to 2009 and the Mayor of Florence from 2009 to 2014 , Renzi was elected Secretary of the Democratic Party in 2013 , becoming Prime Minister the following year . At the age of 39 years , Renzi became the youngest person to have served as Italian Prime Minister , and was at the time the youngest leader in the G7 . He was also the first serving Mayor to become Prime Minister . While in power , Renzis government implemented numerous reforms , including changes to the electoral system , a relaxation of labour and employment laws with the intention of boosting economic growth , a thorough reformation of the public administration , the simplification of civil trials , the introduction of same-sex civil unions and the abolition of many small taxes . After the rejection of his constitutional reform in the December 2016 referendum , Renzi formally resigned as Prime Minister on 12 December ; his Foreign Minister , Paolo Gentiloni , was appointed his replacement . He resigned as Secretary of the Democratic Party following defeat in the 2018 general election . In September 2019 , he left PD , founding Italia Viva , his own liberal movement . In 2021 , Renzi revoked IVs support to the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte , which brought down the government and resulted in the 2021 Italian government crisis . Early life . Renzi was born in 1975 in Florence , the second of four children . His father , Tiziano Renzi , was a small business owner and Christian Democratic municipal councillor in Rignano sullArno . Renzi grew up in an observant Catholic family in Rignano sullArno . He studied in Florence at the Classical Lyceum Dante Alighieri , where he passed his final exam with the grade of 60/60 but was nearly expelled because , as the students representative , he refused to withdraw a school newspaper in which there was harsh criticism of a maths teacher . During this time he was a Scout in the Association of Catholic Guides and Scouts of Italy ( AGESCI ) . In 1999 , he graduated from the University of Florence with a degree in law , with a thesis on Giorgio La Pira , the former Christian Democratic Mayor of Florence . He then went on to work for CHIL Srl , a marketing company focusing on leafleting owned by his family , co-ordinating the sales service of the newspaper La Nazione . During this time Renzi was also a football referee at amateur level and a futsal player . In 1994 , he participated as a competitor for five consecutive episodes in the television program La Ruota Della Fortuna ( a localised version of the U.S . game show Wheel of Fortune ) hosted by Mike Bongiorno , winning 48 million lire . Early political career . Renzis interest in politics began in high school . In 1996 he was one of the founders of the committee in support of Romano Prodis candidature as Prime Minister in the general election ; that same year he joined the centrist Italian Peoples Party , and became its Provincial Secretary in 1999 . In the same year he married Agnese Landini , with whom he later had three children . In 2001 , he joined Francesco Rutellis The Daisy party , composed by members of the disbanded Peoples Party . On 13 June 2004 he was elected President of Florence Province with 59% of the vote , as the candidate of the centre-left coalition . He was the youngest person to become President of an Italian Province . In the years as President of the Province , Renzi expressed his ideas against the political caste , and during his mandate he reduced taxes and decreased the number of the Provinces employees and managers . Mayor of Florence . After five years as the President of Florence Province , Renzi announced that he would seek election as the Mayor of Florence . On 9 June 2009 , Renzi , by now a member of the Democratic Party , won the election on a second round vote with 60% of the votes , compared to 40% for his opponent Giovanni Galli . As Mayor he halved the number of city councillors , installed 500 free WiFi access points across the city , reduced kindergarten waiting lists by 90% , and increased spending on social welfare programs and schools . One year after being sworn in as Mayor and with his popularity in national opinion polls increasing , Renzi organised a public meeting with another young party administrator , Debora Serracchiani , at Leopolda Station in Florence to discuss Italian politics , after stating that a complete change was also necessary in his party . Other prominent Democratic Party members who aligned themselves with Renzis programme were Matteo Richetti , President of the Regional Council of Emilia-Romagna , Davide Faraone , a regional councillor from the Sicilian Regional Assembly , and Giuseppe Civati , a prominent member of the Democratic Party in Lombardy and a member of the Lombard Regional Council . Following this public meeting , the Italian media gave Renzi the nickname il Rottamatore , or The Scrapper . In 2011 , Renzi organised a second public meeting , also in Florence , where he wrote down one hundred topics of discussion . During this time he began to be strongly criticised by other members of his party closer to the then-Secretary Pier Luigi Bersani , after his suggestion that Italian politicians of the same generation as then-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi should retire . In September 2012 , Renzi announced that he would seek to lead the centre-left coalition in the 2013 general election ; the other four candidates for that position were Pier Luigi Bersani , Secretary of the Democratic Party , Nichi Vendola , Leader of the Left Ecology Freedom , Laura Puppato , a Democratic Deputy from Veneto and Bruno Tabacci , Leader of the Democratic Centre . After the first round of the December election , Renzi gained 35.5% of the vote , finishing second behind Bersani and qualifying for the second ballot . Renzi eventually gained a total of 39% of the vote , against Bersanis 61% . During the subsequent campaign in the 2013 election in March , Renzi backed Bersani by organising large public rallies in his support in Florence , but come the election the Democratic Party only gained 25.5% of the vote , despite opinion polls placing the party at almost 30% . In April , during the elections for the President of the Republic , Renzi caused a minor controversy by openly criticising the candidacies of both Franco Marini and Anna Finocchiaro , two long-standing members of his Democratic Party . Party Secretary . Following the resignation of Pier Luigi Bersani in April 2013 , Renzi announced that he would stand for the position of Secretary of the Democratic Party . The PDs loss of seats led to party members doubts concerning Bersanis leadership abilities . Renzis impressive resume at such a young age , in combination with his reputation as a political outsider thanks to his scrapping , made him very electable in comparison . He was supported by a number of his former political opponents , such as former Party Secretaries Walter Veltroni and Dario Franceschini , Deputy Marina Sereni , MEP David Sassoli and Turin Mayor Piero Fassino . Other supporters of his included Deputies like Gianni Dal Moro , Francesco Sanna , Francesco Boccia , Lorenzo Basso and Enrico Borghi , all of whom were considered close to the newly elected Prime Minister Enrico Letta . The other two candidates for Party Secretary were Gianni Cuperlo , a Member of the Chamber of Deputies and former Secretary of the Italian Communist Youth Federation , and Giuseppe Civati , a left-wing-oriented Deputy from Lombardy and a former supporter of Renzi . In the December election , Renzi was elected with 68% of the popular vote , compared to 18% for Gianni Cuperlo and 14% for Giuseppe Civati . He became the new Secretary of the Democratic Party and the centre-lefts prospective candidate for Prime Minister . His victory was welcomed by Prime Minister Enrico Letta , who had been the Vice-Secretary of the party under Bersanis leadership . Throughout January and February 2014 there were multiple reports of persistent leadership tensions between Renzi and Prime Minister Letta . Many claimed that Renzi was pressuring Letta to resign in his favour , arguing that as he was now the leader of the Democratic Party he should be given the right to become Prime Minister . On 12 February , Letta acknowledged these rumours for the first time , publicly demanded that Renzi make his position clear . Renzi subsequently called a meeting of the Democratic Party leadership for the following evening . Just before the meeting took place , Renzi publicly called on Letta to resign and allow him to form a new government . Letta initially resisted the demand , but following a vote in favour of Renzis proposal during the meeting , which Letta did not attend , he announced that he would tender his resignation as Prime Minister on 14 February . Under Renzis leadership , the Democratic Party officially joined the Party of European Socialists ( PES ) as a full-time member on 28 February 2014 . Prime Minister of Italy ( 20142016 ) . On 17 January 2014 , while on air at Le invasioni barbariche on La7 TV channel , interviewed about the tensions between him and the Prime Minister Enrico Letta , Renzi tweeted #enricostaisereno ( Enrico dont worry ) to reassure his party colleague that he was not plotting anything against him . However , at a meeting on 13 February 2014 the Democratic Party leadership voted heavily in favour of Renzis call for a new government , a new phase and a radical programme of reform . Minutes after the Party backed the Renzi proposal by 136 votes to 16 , with two abstentions , Palazzo Chigi – the official residence of the Prime Minister – announced that Letta would travel to the Quirinale the following day to tender his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano . In an earlier speech , Renzi had paid tribute to Letta , saying that he was not intended to put him on trial . But , without directly proposing himself as the next Prime Minister , he said the Eurozones third-largest economy urgently needed a new phase and radical programme to push through badly-needed reforms . The motion he put forward made clear the necessity and urgency of opening a new phase with a new executive . Speaking privately to party leaders , Renzi said that Italy was at a crossroads and faced either holding fresh elections or a new government without a return to the polls . On 14 February , President Napolitano accepted Lettas resignation from the office of Prime Minister . Following Lettas resignation , Renzi formally received the task of forming a new government from President Napolitano on 17 February . Renzi held several days of talks with party leaders , all of which he broadcast live on the internet , before unveiling his Cabinet on 21 February , which contained members of his Democratic Party , the New Centre-Right , the Union of the Centre and the Civic Choice . His Cabinet became Italys youngest government to date , with an average age of 47 . It was also the first in which the number of female ministers was equal to the number of male ministers , excluding the Prime Minister . The following day , Renzi was formally sworn in as Prime Minister , becoming the fourth Prime Minister in four years and the youngest Prime Minister in the history of Italy . His rise to become Prime Minister was widely seen as a sign of much-needed generational change , and at the time he took office he enjoyed by far the highest approval rating of any politician in the country . On 25 February Renzi won a vote of confidence in the Italian Parliament , with 169 votes in the Senate and 378 in the Chamber of Deputies . On 7 February 2015 , after just under a year in power , five senators and two deputies from the Civic Choice defected to the Democratic Party , citing the leadership of Renzi as Prime Minister as the primary reason for their decision to change parties . On 20 March 2015 , Prime Minister Renzi briefly became ad interim Minister of Infrastructure and Transport following the resignation of Maurizio Lupi , due to a corruption scandal involving public works on infrastructure in which his name had been cited several times . Renzi held the office on an unofficial basis until 2 April , when Graziano Delrio was appointed as the new Minister . On 4 December 2016 , after the failure of the referendum he proposed , announced his resignation . On 7 December 2016 , Renzi officially handed over the resignation to the President Sergio Mattarella . Domestic policy . Labour reform . Upon becoming Prime Minister , Renzi said that long-overdue labour market reform would be at the top of his agenda to improve the state of the Italian economy . On 12 March 2014 , the Cabinet issued a law-decree on fixed-term contracts , called the Poletti Decree , from the name of the Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti , as well as a bill proposing major reforms to the Italian labour market called the Jobs Act . A reduction in the tax burden of about €80 was announced for those earning less than €1,500 per month . On 30 April Renzi , together with the Minister for the Public Administration Marianna Madia , presented the guidelines for the reform of the Public Administration , subsequently approved by the Cabinet on 13 June . In September the government brought the Jobs Act before Parliament , which provided for , among other things , the abolition of Article 18 of the Workers Statute , which protected workers from unjustified dismissal . The proposal was heavily criticised by the largest Italian trade union , the General Confederation of Labour ( CGIL ) and its leaders Susanna Camusso and Maurizio Landini . Moreover , the left-wing of the Democratic Party , by then led by the former National Secretary Pier Luigi Bersani , criticised the government for the reform , threatening to vote against it . On 29 September , the National Committee of the Democratic Party voted to support the Jobs Act , despite the disagreements within the party , with 130 votes in favour , 20 against and 11 abstaining . On 9 October the Italian Senate voted to approve the Jobs Act , and the landmark reform passed with 165 votes in favour to 111 against , marking the first step for the most ambitious economic legislation of the eight-month-old government . Before the vote Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti was forced to cut his speech short due to the loud protests of the Five Star Movement and Lega Nord oppositions , some of whom threw coins and papers . German Chancellor Angela Merkel , who was visiting Milan and had been among the most vocal politicians regarding Italys need for speedy economic reforms , said the labour law marked an important step to reduce employment barriers in the Eurozones third-largest economy . On 25 October , almost one million people took part in a mass protest in Rome , organised by the CGIL in opposition to the labour reforms of the government . Some high-profile members of the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party , including Gianni Cuperlo , Stefano Fassina and Pippo Civati , also participated in the protest . On 8 November more than 100,000 public employees protested in Rome in a demonstration organised by the three largest trade unions in the country , the CGIL , the CISL and the UIL . On 25 November , the Chamber of Deputies approved the Jobs Act with 316 votes , but the Five Star , Lega Nord and almost forty members of the Democratic Party abstained from the vote to protest against the reform . On 3 December the Senate gave the Jobs Act the final approval it needed to become law . Economic policies . In March 2014 the Cabinet approved the auctioning of a large number of luxury cars that were used to transport heads of state , including nine Maseratis , two Jaguars , and various other cars such as BMWs and Alfa Romeos . Out of the 1,500 cars put up for sale , 170 sold immediately over eBay . In April , as part of his wider industrial reforms , Renzi forced the chief executives of Italys biggest state-owned companies , including Eni , Terna , Finmeccanica , Enel and Poste Italiane , to resign , citing a lack of public confidence in their leadership . He subsequently appointed women to the majority of new positions , making it the first time any woman had served as a chief executive of a state-owned company in Italy . In 2014 , his cabinet introduced the so-called Renzi bonus , a monthly allowance of €80 , recognized to holders of a total annual income not exceeding €24,600 . The bonus , whose aim was to relaunch expenditures , was heavily criticised by opposition , which labeled it as an electoral baksheesh for the 2014 European election . On 1 August , Renzi launched law-decree called Unblock Italy , which was intended to facilitate the implementation of major projects , civil works and infrastructure that were suspended at the time , as well as achieving further administrative simplification . The centre of this was the Millegiorni , or the Thousand Days Programme . On 1 September Renzi launched the website passodopopasso.italia.it , which would allow citizens to monitor the progress of the Millegiorni . Later , on 9 October , Renzi presented his first Finance Bill ( Legge di Stabilità ) , which was approved by the European Commission on 28 October . In February 2015 , with the economy continuing to stagnate , the Government announced a plan to abolish rules that limit cooperative lenders shareholders to one vote each at shareholder meetings regardless of the size of their holdings . The European Commission subsequently forecast that the Italian economy would begin to grow by the spring . The Government also announced the abolition of IRAP , a regional tax on production activities and , discussing the 2016 Finance Bill , Renzi further promised to cancel IRPEF , IMU and TASI , taxes on individuals , public services and residences . In May 2015 the economy recorded growth of 0.3% , finally ending the Italian triple-dip recession . In January 2016 , Renzi highlighted an additional 500,000 jobs that he claimed had been created through his policies . Constitutional reforms . Upon becoming Prime Minister , Renzi stated that one of his most important tasks was to achieve constitutional reforms . The Italian institutional framework had remained essentially unchanged since 1 January 1948 , when the Italian Constitution first came into force after being enacted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 December 1947 . The first stage of Renzis reform package aimed to abolish the so-called perfect bicameralism , which gave identical powers to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate ; the reforms would substantially decrease the membership and power of the Senate . Under the reforms : the Senates power to force the resignation of the Government by refusing to grant a vote of confidence would be removed ; only a few types of bills , including the constitutional bills , constitutional amendments , laws regarding local interests , referendums and the protection of linguistic minorities , would need to be passed by the Senate ; the Senate could only propose amendments to bills in some cases , with the Chamber of Deputies always having the final word ; and the membership of the Senate would be changed , with regional representatives appointed in a manner virtually identical to Germanys Bundesrat . On 11 March 2014 , the Chamber of Deputies approved both the plans to overhaul the Senate and the second stage of Renzis constitutional reforms , a flagship electoral reform law that would see Italys voting system overhauled . On 26 March , despite objections raised by several parties in the coalition , the Government won a vote in the Senate on the bill reforming the provinces , with 160 voting in favour and 133 against . On 6 May , the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Senate approved the Governments bill on the reform of the Senate . Due to the ambitious reforms that provided for the abolition of Senate , a new electoral law and an increase in the powers of the Prime Minister , Renzi was accused by politicians and constitutionalists like Stefano Rodotà or Fausto Bertinotti of being an authoritarian and anti-democratic leader . In April 2014 , Renzi proposed that Italy adopt what he called the Italicum voting system , a proportional representation system with a majority bonus for the party which obtained over 40% of the vote , in order to provide for stable and long-term government . To approve the new electoral law , which was opposed by the Five Star Movement and a minority of his own Democratic Party , Renzi gained the support of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi , who was still the leader of Forza Italia , despite having been expelled from the Senate due to his sentence for tax evasion . The alliance between Renzi and Berlusconi was named the Nazareno Pact , from the name of the street in Rome where the headquarters of the Democratic Party are located , where the two leaders met for the first time to discuss the reform . Renzi was harshly criticised by many within the Democratic Partys left-wing minority for the deal with Berlusconi , as well as by the Five Star Movement of Beppe Grillo who said the Nazareno Pact was the proof that there are no differences between the Italian centre-left and centre-right . Despite concern from some within the Democratic Party , the Italicum was given final approval by the Italian Senate on 27 January 2015 , thanks to support from Forza Italia Senators . On 28 April 2015 , concerned that the reform may not pass , Renzi announced he would hold a confidence vote to approve the electoral reform changes . The Five Star Movement , Forza Italia and some left-wing Democratic Party members strongly opposed this decision , with some seeking to draw comparisons between Renzi and Benito Mussolini . It would be only the third time that an electoral law was twinned with a confidence vote , after Mussolinis Acerbo law and Alcide De Gasperis Scam law . On 4 May the Chamber of Deputies finally approved Renzis flagship electoral changes with 334 votes for and 61 votes against , the latter including a faction of the PD . The reforms took full effect in July 2016 . Having easily passed the Chamber of Deputies on 11 March 2015 , in a first stage , the reforms to the Italian Senate that would see its power greatly diminished and membership drastically changed were finally passed by the Senate on 13 October 2015 . The vote was won by 176 votes to 16 , with a large number of senators abstaining from the vote in protest at having to vote on abolishing many of their own powers . The last vote was held on 12 April 2016 , when the Chamber finally approved the reform with 361 votes while all the oppositions abandoned the house . On 4 December 2016 , the reform was rejected in a constitutional referendum . Immigration . As a result of the Libyan and Syrian Civil Wars , a major problem faced by Renzi upon becoming Prime Minister in 2014 was the high levels of illegal immigration to Italy . 2014 saw an increase in the number of migrants rescued at sea being brought to southern Italian ports , with the increase in the number of migrants prompting criticism of Renzi by the anti-immigration Lega Nord , the Five Star Movement and Silvio Berlusconis Forza Italia party . On 8 August 2014 , the Cabinet approved a law-decree providing for the international protection of migrants . In November 2014 , Renzi ordered the Italian-run rescue option Operation Mare Nostrum to be replaced by Frontexs Operation Triton due to the refusal of several EU governments to fund it . In 2014 , 170,100 migrants arrived in Italy by sea , a 296% increase compared to 2013 . 141,484 of the travellers ferried over from Libya . Most of the migrants had come from Syria , Eritrea and various countries in West Africa . On 19 April 2015 , a huge shipwreck took place in the Mediterranean Sea , causing the death of more than 700 migrants from North Africa . Renzi , returning to Rome from a political event in Mantua for the regional elections , held an emergency meeting with ministers and spoke by telephone to French President François Hollande and Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat . The call led to an emergency meeting of European interior ministers to address the problem of migrant deaths . In a speech addressing immigration , the Italian Prime Minister condemned human trafficking as a new slave trade . From January to April 2015 , about 1,600 migrants died on the route from Libya to Lampedusa , making it the deadliest migrant route in the world . Same-sex unions . On 10 June 2015 , the Chamber of Deputies passed a motion obliging the Government to approve a bill regarding civil unions between same-sex couples . Previously all of the major parties in Italy had presented different motions on civil unions , which were all rejected except for the Democratic Partys , which also called for civil unions to be approved . Renzi had stated shortly before becoming Prime Minister that he favoured the introduction of civil unions for same-sex couples . In July 2015 , several days after the European Parliament passed a motion calling on all members of the European Union to recognise same-sex relationships , the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Italy was violating the Convention on Human Rights by not recognising same-sex couples right to family life . On 7 October 2015 , Renzi introduced a bill to Parliament that would establish same-sex civil unions and gender-neutral cohabitation agreements . The bill passed its first reading in the Senate a week later . Although Renzi secured the support of his Democratic Party and the main opposition Forza Italia party , many MPs from both criticised the bill . Despite the bill being put forward on a free vote , Renzi made it clear that he would tie the civil unions bill to a vote of confidence in his Government if it did not pass . Following months of public and parliamentary debate , on 25 February 2016 the Senate voted in favour of Renzis proposals to legalise civil unions , with 173 votes in favour and 71 against . An amendment known as the stepchild adoption provision that would have granted parental rights to a non-biological parent in a same-sex union was taken out of the bill at the last moment after it became clear a majority of senators did not support it . Although Renzi had expressed support for the amendment , the decision came after the Five Star Movement backed out of an agreement to pass it ; moreover , the amendment was opposed by the New Centre-Right . Renzi stated that the bills passage through the Senate was a victory for love , although he expressed disappointment that the adoption provision was not also adopted , and raised the possibility of introducing it in a separate bill at a later date . On 11 May 2016 , the Chamber of Deputies approved the final proposals , with 369 votes in favour and 163 against . Social policies . On 3 September 2014 during a press conference , Renzi announced an online consultation with students , teachers and citizens ahead of the major school reforms promoted by Education Minister Stefania Giannini . On 9 July 2015 , despite the opposition of an overwhelming majority of teachers and students alike to the actual design of the school reform , this was finally approved by the Chamber of Deputies , with 277 votes against 173 . On 15 December , during a ceremony at the Italian National Olympic Committee , Renzi officially launched the candidacy of Rome for the 2024 Summer Olympics . Renzi stated that , Our country too often seems hesitant . Its unacceptable not to try or to renounce playing the game . Sport in Italy is a way of life and a way of looking at the future . I dont know if we’ll make it , but the Olympic candidacy is one of the most beautiful things we can do for our kids , for us , for Italy . On 21 September 2016 , Mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi , a member of the Five Star Movement , told reporters the bid for the games would go no further . Raggi , having long been opposed to Rome hosting the games , cited ongoing financial troubles in the country as the main reason for cancelling the bid . She said hosting the games would be irresponsible and would only cause the city to fall into further debt . Universal Exposition . During Renzis premiership Milan hosted the Universal Exposition ; the themes were technology , innovation , culture and traditions concerning food . Participants to the Expo include 145 countries , three international organisations , several civil society organisations , several corporations and non-governmental organisations ( NGOs ) . The participants are hosted inside individual or grouped pavilions . The opening of the Expo on 1 May 2015 was met with protest from anti-austerity activists , black bloc , and anarchists caused criminal damage , resulting in the police using tear gas . Expo also created some tensions with the Holy See and the Italian government ; in fact Pope Francis condemned the concept of Expo , saying that it obeys the culture of waste and does not contribute to a model of equitable and sustainable development . As Vatican City invested €3 million to obtain its own pavilion at the event before his appointment to the papacy , Francis said that , although it is a good thing that the Church is involved in causes that battle hunger and promote cleaner energy , he stated that too much money was wasted on the Expo itself by Vatican City . 2016 earthquakes . At 03:36 CEST on 24 August 2016 , an earthquake measuring 6.2 on the moment magnitude scale struck Central Italy . The epicentre was close to Accumoli , in an area near the borders of the Umbria , Lazio , Abruzzo and Marche regions . The earthquake killed 298 people and left more than 4,500 homeless . On 1 September , Renzi appointed the former President of Emilia-Romagna Vasco Errani as Special Commissioner for Reconstruction . Errani had been already a Special Commissioner during the earthquake that struck his home region in 2012 . A magnitude 6.1 intraplate earthquake struck west of Visso on 26 October at 21:18 local time ( 19:18 UTC ) . The earthquake , which occurred two months after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in August , struck about to the northwest of the August earthquakes epicentre . The civil protection , however , estimated the consequences less dramatically than feared . According to official data , a man died because he had suffered a heart attack as a result of the quake . A third large , shallow earthquake of USGS preliminary magnitude 6.6 struck north of Norcia at 07:40 local time ( 06:40 UTC ) on 30 October . This quake was the largest in Italy in 36 years , since the 1980 Irpinia earthquake . The three earthquakes caused almost 100,000 homeless . Foreign affairs . During his premiership , Renzi faced several challenging foreign policy situations , such as the European debt crisis , the civil war in Libya , the Ukrainian Crisis and the insurgency of the Islamic State ( IS ) in the Middle East . Renzi formed a close relationship with US President Barack Obama , supporting the 2014 military intervention against IS with hundreds of Italian troops and four Panavia Tornado aircraft , and also supporting international sanctions against Russia after their invasion of East Ukraine . Renzi forged a positive relationship with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe , who praised the economic policies of the Renzi Government . A key ally of Renzi in the Mediterranean is Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ; the two leaders held many bilateral meetings where they discussed the problem of immigration to Italy and the increasing tensions in the Middle East and North Africa . In the European Union , Renzi has a close relationship with French President François Hollande and his Prime Minister Manuel Valls , especially with Valls , who saw Renzi as a model for his Third Way policies . Europe . Following the 2014 European Parliament elections , which saw the Democratic Party receive the highest number of votes of all the individual political parties contesting that election across the entire European Union , Renzi subsequently emerged as the most prominent leader of the European Socialists . This was in opposition to German Chancellor Angela Merkel , widely considered the de facto leader of the European Peoples Party and , according to some European Union analysts , the two leaders are together referred to as Merkenzi . Renzi and Merkel had many bilateral meetings , the first on 17 March 2014 in Berlin , just a few weeks after Renzis election as Prime Minister , where the two leaders discussed important reforms that the Italian Government planned to make both in Italy and in the EU . On 22 January 2015 , Merkel visited Renzi in his home city of Florence , where she publicly lauded the impressive reforms carried out by his government . On the following day the two leaders held a joint press conference in front of Michelangelos David . Renzi is seen as an ally of French President François Hollande of the Socialist Party . On 15 March 2014 Renzi met Hollande in Paris , agreeing with him a common economic policy focused not only on the austerity measures imposed by the so-called Troika of the European Commission , European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund , but also on more flexible policies to promote economic growth in the EU . Renzi is a close personal friend of French Prime Minister Manuel Valls , with the two leaders often regarded as being heirs of the Third Way politics espoused by the likes of Tony Blair . On 7 January 2015 , after the Islamic terrorist attack in Paris which caused the death of 17 people , Renzi expressed horror and dismay , offering his best wishes to the people of France and noting his close relationships with the French Prime Minister and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo . On 11 January , he joined more than 40 world leaders and three million people in the Republican March organised by President Hollande . Renzi built a constructive relationship with British Prime Minister David Cameron of the Conservative Party . During their first meeting on 1 April 2014 , Cameron stated that the reforms planned by Renzi were ambitious and that together the two men would be able to change the European Union . On the same day , Renzi also met former British Prime Minister Tony Blair , whom Renzi had previously called a political inspiration to him . On 2 October 2014 , Renzi held a press conference with Cameron in 10 Downing Street , with Cameron lauding their similar policies to reform the European Union and overcome the economic crisis . On 1 August 2014 , following his partys strong showing in the European Parliament elections , Renzi nominated his Foreign Minister , Federica Mogherini , as a candidate to be the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in the incoming-European Commission to be led by Jean-Claude Juncker , the former Prime Minister of Luxembourg . Mogherini was eventually successfully confirmed as the EU High Representative , ensuring that Italy controlled one of the two most senior posts in the Commission . In September , Renzi participated in the 2014 NATO Summit in Wales . Before the official start of the summit , he had discussions with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko , US President Barack Obama and the other three leaders of the European G4 to discuss the crisis with Russia . This summit was the first held after the Russian military intervention in Ukraine and the offensive by the Islamic State of the Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi . On 3 February 2015 , Renzi received newly elected Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of the Coalition of the Radical Left in Rome . The two leaders held a joint press conference expressing concerns about austerity measures imposed by the European Commission and stated that economic growth is the only way to solve the crisis . After the press conference , Renzi presented Tsipras with an Italian tie as a gift . Tsipras , who was notable for refusing to ever wear a tie , thanked Renzi and said he would wear the gift in celebration after Greece had successfully renegotiated the austerity measures . United States . Similar to his predecessors , Renzi continued the long-standing Italian policy of a close relationship with the United States , building a partnership with President Barack Obama . Italy supported the US in the military intervention against the Islamic State , and participated in the international sanctions against Russia following their invasion of East Ukraine . Renzi met Obama for the first time on 24 March 2014 , during the latters trip to Rome . Renzi also held a joint meeting with Obama , Pope Francis and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano . Obama stated afterwards that he had been impressed by the reforms Renzi wanted to undertake . Renzi himself said that he considered Obama an example for the policies he wanted to achieve . On 22 September , Renzi visited Silicon Valley , California . In San Francisco he met with young Italian emigrants who have created startups in the USA . He also visited the headquarters of Twitter , Google and Yahoo ! to hold talks with chief executives . Renzi was accompanied by former US Secretaries of State , Condoleezza Rice and George Shultz , and by the former American ambassador to Italy , Ronald P . Spogli . He later spoke at Stanford University as the guest of University President John L . Hennessy . The following day , Renzi spoke at a United Nations summit in New York City , focusing on the problem of climate change . Following the summit , Renzi met former US President Bill Clinton and his wife , former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton . At the end of his trip , Renzi participated in a reception hosted by Barack Obama . Renzi was received at the White House in April 2015 . He and President Obama discussed many issues , including Ukraine , Libya and ISIL . They discussed Europes economy , the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership , climate change and energy security . In October 2015 , the Italian Government announced that it would prolong its military presence in Afghanistan along with the US Army , in order to continue its security mission and prevent the rise of Islamist forces such as Al-Qaeda and ISIL . On 18 October 2016 , President Obama invited Renzi and his wife Agnese to attend an official state dinner at the White House . The two men held a joint press conference during which Obama , the dinner being his final state visit as president , commented that he had saved the best for last , and the two reiterated their support for one another . Asia . Renzi built up a close relations with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe ; the two Prime Ministers are both against austerity and they are reforming the constitutions of their countries . On 6 June 2014 , Renzi received Prime Minister Abe in Rome . Abe publicly congratulated Renzi for the economic and constitutional reforms being delivered by Renzis government . The two leaders also met in Tokyo in August 2015 and discussed about relations with China and the stability of East Asia . On 9 June , Renzi travelled to Hanoi , Vietnam to meet with President Trương Tấn Sang and Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng , as well as Communist Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng to sign economic treaties worth around 5 billion US dollars to the Italian economy . In doing so , Renzi became the first Italian Prime Minister to officially visit Vietnam since 1973 , when diplomacy first began between Italy and North Vietnam . During the visit Renzi placed a wreath in the mausoleum of the former North Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh . On 11 June , Renzi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing , who congratulated him for the important reforms being undertaken by his government . Xi also stated that China would continue co-operation with Italy ahead of Expo 2015 in Milan . Several months later in October , Renzi met with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang in Rome to sign twenty treaties worth a total of 8 billion euros . On 12 June , Renzi met Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana , where they discussed withdrawal of Italian troops from Afghanistan . On 18 November , Renzi travelled to Ashgabat , Turkmenistan , where with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow he signed a number of economic pacts securing increased gas supply . Africa . During his premiership , Renzi started a policy review led to the creation of the Italy-Africa initiative , which includes renewable energy co-operation and a new package of development aid in fields stretching from health care to culture ; counterterrorism has been a key part of his agenda , but the East Africa region is also important to stop the migration flows from there to Italy through North Africa , especially Libya . On 4 March , Renzi travelled to Tunisia , where he had a meeting with Mustapha Ben Jafar . With Jafar , Renzi discussed about the problem of illegal immigration to Italy from the coasts of North Africa . The trip to Tunisia was the first official one made by Renzi as Prime Minister of Italy . On 18 March 2015 , after the Bardo Museum attack in Tunis , in which 28 people died and four of whom were Italians , Renzi condemned the terrorist attack and said that Italy is close to the Tunisian government and people . On 19 July , Renzi started a major trip to Africa , meeting the Mozambique President Armando Guebuza . Renzi signed economic pacts to create investments by the Italian government-owned oil company Eni in the African country for 50 billion dollars . The following day he visited the Republic of Congo where he met President Denis Sassou Nguesso , with whom he signed a co-operation for the extraction of oil in the country . Some journalists criticised the meeting with Sassou Nguesso , who is considered one of the more corrupt dictators of Africa . Renzi later met with Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos in Luanda . During the visit , Renzi placed a memorial wreath in the mausoleum of the first Angolan President , Agostinho Neto . On 24 July , under the direction of Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini , the government worked for the release of Mariam Ibrahim , a Sudanese woman had been who sentenced to death for being a Christian . Thanks largely to the good relations between Sudan and Italy , Ibrahim was released and permitted to fly to Italy on a government plane . On 2 December , Renzi went to Algiers , where he met Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal . With the two leaders of the country , Renzi discussed the Libyan crisis , immigration from North Africa , and also about gas imports from Algeria as an alternative to Russian imports , following the tensions between the European Union and Russia . In January 2016 , Renzi continued his policy toward Africa ; the Prime Minister had a three-days trip in Nigeria , Ghana and Senegal . The main tasks of this diplomatic trip was the fight against the Islamic terrorism and the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean Sea ; with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari , Renzi signed an agreement on enhancing co-operation between the Nigerian and Italian Polices . Renzi has been one of the strongest supporters of the new Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and of his government of national union . In August 2016 the newspaper la Repubblica reported that dozens of Italian special forces were operating in Libya , for training and intelligence activities . These special forces were operating under the direct command of the Prime Ministers office . Russia . Russia had previously enjoyed a privileged relationship with Italy , particularly under the leadership of Silvio Berlusconi , who was a personal friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin . Following the Russian military intervention in Ukraine , however , relations worsened . On 2 March 2014 , Renzi accused Putin of having committed an unacceptable violation . On 19 March , during a speech to the Chamber of Deputies , Renzi stated that the Crimean status referendum was illegal and that the G8 countries must start co-operating to solve the crisis and prevent a return to the Cold War . In June , he subsequently participated in the G7 summit in Brussels , the first one held after the suspension of Russia from the G8 following the annexation of Crimea in March . Renzi phoned Putin on 28 August , asking him to stop the intolerable escalation and to reach a peace agreement with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to stop the pro-Russian conflict in that regions . Renzi and Putin also had a bilateral meeting on 16 October , when Renzi hosted the Asia–Europe Meeting ( ASEM ) in Milan with 53 other leaders of the world . On 15 November , during the G-20 summit in Brisbane , the two leaders had another meeting , where they discussed about the Ukrainian crisis , but also on the civil wars in Libya and Syria . On 5 March 2015 , Renzi met President Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow . The talks between the leaders was focused on international issues , such as settlement of the crisis in Ukraine , the situations in the Middle East and in Libya , as well as fighting terrorism . Putin guaranteed Russian support in case of a UN intervention in Libya against the Islamic State . Ahead of the bilateral meeting , Prime Minister Renzi visited and laid flowers at the Moscow bridge , near the Kremlin , on which the Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was murdered , a few days before . Through 2015 , Renzi became one of the main supporters of a reduction of international sanctions against Russia and the establishment of a political and military alliance between the Western countries and Russia against the terrorism of the Islamic State . Renzi questioned Nord Stream II , a new Russia-Germany natural gas pipeline , saying : I found it surprising that the South Stream project was blocked [ Balkan pipeline was cancelled by Russia in December 2014 following obstacles from EU ] , while now we are discussing a doubling up of Nord Stream . Middle East . On 2 August 2014 , Renzi met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo , holding talks about a variety of issues , including the Israel-Gaza conflict . Renzi stated that Italy would support the Egyptian truce proposal , with the two leaders calling for an immediate cease-fire and the beginning of peace negotiations . In making the visit , Renzi became the first Western leader to visit President el-Sisi since his election . On 15 January 2015 , after Islamic States conquests in Libya , Renzi conducted a long phone call with Sisi , to discuss the terrorist threat in the Mediterranean . The two leaders agreed that the next steps should be political and diplomatic efforts through the United Nations . On 11 July 2015 , a car bomb exploded outside the Italian consulate in Cairo , resulting in at least one death and four injured . ISIS claimed responsibility . The relations between Italy and Egypt dramatically worsened after the murder of Giulio Regeni , an Italian Cambridge University graduate student killed in Cairo following his abduction on 25 January 2016 . Giulio Regeni was a PhD student at Girton College , Cambridge , researching Egypts independent trade unions . Due to Regenis research activities and left-wing political leanings , the security services of el-Sisis government are strongly suspected of involvement in his murder , although Egypts media and government deny this and claim secret undercover agents belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood carried out the crime in order to embarrass the Egyptian government and destabilise relations between Italy and Egypt . On 20 August 2014 Renzi travelled to Iraq , in the midst of the insurgency led by the Islamic State . There he met with the Head of State , Fuad Masum , Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his immediate predecessor Nouri al-Maliki . On the same day , 20 August 2014 , Renzi travelled north to Erbil to meet the President of Iraqi Kurdistan , Masud Barzani , and Prime Minister Nechervan Barzani . Renzi later told an American journalist that what he witnessed during his trip to Iraq reminded him of the images of the Srebrenica massacre that had horrified him as a child . While Renzi was in Iraq , the Italian Parliament approved a proposal to arm the Peshmerga soldiers fighting against the Islamic State . On 23 September , during the 69th General Assembly of the United Nations , Renzi held a bilateral meeting with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan , at which they discussed climate change and increasing tensions in the Middle East . On 11 December Renzi travelled to Ankarafor a second meeting with Erdoğan , during which Renzi expressed his support for Turkish accession to the European Union . On the same day he met with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu . On 8 January 2015 , Renzi made his first official trip of the year , meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi to address issues of foreign and economic policy , including the Alitalia-Etihad deal . The two leaders discussed joint co-operation domains and enhancing trade exchange and co-operation in energy and aerospace . Renzi has had good relations with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas . On 21 and 22 July 2015 he visited first Jerusalem , where he met with Netanyahu and addressed the Knesset , and then Ramallah , where he met with Abbas . Renzi was the first leader to visit Israel after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action , the deal reached between international community and Iran . Whereas Netanyahu heavily criticised the deal , Renzi supported it , while stressing that Israels security is the security of Europe and mine as well . In January 2016 , Renzi met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Rome , the first visit to Italy by a President of Iran since 1999 . The two leaders signed business deals worth up to 17 billion euros . They also discussed the war against the Islamic State in the Middle East and Libya . On 13 and 14 April 2016 he became the first Western leader to visit Iran after the international agreement on the nuclear program of Iran . In Iran , Renzi met both President Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei . Latin America . After announcing an increase of Italian investment in Central and South America , in October 2015 Renzi undertook a number of official trips across the continent , travelling to Chile , Peru and Colombia . During his visit to Santiago , Renzi and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet launched a large number of renewable energy projects promoted by the Italian multinational Enel . Renzi also visited the European Southern Observatory of Paranal in the Atacama desert . During these trips , Renzi had numerous meetings with communities of Italian-born Latin Americans in these countries . In a surprise visit , returning from Latin America , on 28 October 2015 Renzi became the first Italian Prime Minister in history to make a state visit to Cuba . In doing so he also became the first G7 leader to meet Cuban President Raúl Castro following the 2015 normalisation of relations between the United States and Cuba . In February 2016 Renzi met Argentine President Mauricio Macri during a state visit to Buenos Aires ; Renzi became the first European leader to meet Macri after the 2015 presidential election and the first Italian Prime Minister since Romano Prodi in 1998 to visit Argentina . During his premiership , Renzi has also developed close relationship with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto . After the premiership ( 2016present ) . Following the defeat in the constitutional referendum and the subsequent resignation as Prime Minister , Renzi remained Secretary of the Democratic Party . As leader of the main party both in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic , he supported the new government led by his former Minister of Foreign Affairs Paolo Gentiloni , also a Democrat . 2017 leadership election and party split . On 19 February 2017 , during the PD National Assembly , Renzi resigned as Secretary of the party , announcing his candidacy for the next leadership election . A few days before he launched the movement In Cammino ( On the way ) in support of his candidacy . Contextually , a large portion of the partys internal left-wing , led by Enrico Rossi and Roberto Speranza , who were endorsed by former party leaders Massimo DAlema , Pier Luigi Bersani and Guglielmo Epifani , left the PD and founded the Democratic and Progressive Movement ( MDP ) , along with splinters from the Italian Left ( SI ) . On 6 March Matteo Renzi presented his electoral programme , in which he expressed his intention to renovate the party , Italy and Europe . He also announced an electoral ticket with the Agriculture Minister Maurizio Martina ; Martina would become Deputy Secretary and would probably lead the party if Renzi becomes Prime Minister again . From 10 to 12 March Renzi and his supporters participated in Lingotto 17 , a convention based in the district of Lingotto in Turin , where the Democratic Party was founded ten years before under the leadership of Walter Veltroni . During his speech he harshly condemned the Five Star Movement ( M5S ) , accused of being a populist party controlled by a private company , and Lega Nord , which uses fear to gain votes . Renzi attacked also European bureaucrats and proposed a primary election to appoint the Party of European Socialists candidate for the European Commission presidency and the direct election of the President . Among the notable participants of the pro-Renzi convention were Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni , current ministers like Pier Carlo Padoan , Dario Franceschini , Graziano Delrio , Marianna Madia , Roberta Pinotti and Secretary Maria Elena Boschi . Emma Bonino , historic Radical leader and former Foreign Affairs Minister , also participated in the rally . The other two candidates for the leadership election were President of Apulia Michele Emiliano and Minister of Justice Andrea Orlando . Emiliano is an outspoken former magistrate with strong support in the poor South , who was expected to join the dissidents in MDP but decided instead to challenge Renzi from within the mainstream party ; he is often described as a democratic socialist and populist politician . Orlando is a social democratic politician and a leading member of the party since the foundation . Orlando is often described as the candidate of the social democratic establishment of the party . After having won the vote by party members in March with almost 67% of votes , on 30 April , Renzi was re-elected Secretary of the party by a landslide with 69.2% of votes ; while Orlando received 19.9% and Emiliano 10.9% of votes . Second term as Secretary . After the rejection of the constitutional reform , the Parliament had to change the electoral law proposed by Renzis government ; in fact the so-called Italicum regulates only the election of the Chamber of Deputies , and not the one of the Senate , which , if the reform passed , would be indirectly elected by citizens . After the re-election as Secretary , Renzi proposed a new electoral law called Mattarellum bis , better known as Rosatellum , from the name of his main proponent Ettore Rosato , Democratic leader in the Chamber of Deputies . This electoral law was similar to the one which was applied in Italy from 1993 to 2004 . The Rosatellum used an additional member system , which act as a mixed system , with 36% of seats allocated using a first past the post electoral system and 64% using a proportional method , with one round of voting . The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies did not differ in the way they allocated the proportional seats , both using the DHondt method of allocating seats . The new electoral law was supported by PD and his government ally Popular Alternative , but also by the opposition parties Forza Italia and Lega Nord . Despite many protests from the Five Star Movement and the Democratic and Progressive Movement , the electoral law was approved on 12 October by the Chamber of Deputies with 375 votes in favor and 215 against , and on 26 October by the Senate with 214 votes against 61 . The electoral programme of the Democratic Party for the general election included , among the main points , the introduction of a minimum hourly wage of €10 , a measure that would affect 15% of workers , that is those workers who do not adhere to the national collective agreements ; a cut of the contributory wedge for permanent contracts ; a relocation allowance and an increase in subsidies for the unemployed ; a monthly allowance of €80 for parents for each minor child ; fiscal detraction of €240 for parents with children ; and the progressive reduction of IRPEF and IRES rates , respectively the Italian income tax and the corporate tax . Moreover , the PD advocated the re-launch of the process of European integration and federation , towards the formation of the United States of Europe . In the election , his centre-left coalition arrived third behind the centre-right alliance , in which Matteo Salvinis League was the main political force , and the Five Star Movement of Luigi Di Maio finished second . On 5 March , Renzi announced that the PD will be in opposition during this legislature and he will resign as secretary when a new cabinet is formed . Renzi officially resigned on 12 March during PDs national directorate , and his deputy secretary Martina was appointed acting leader . Leader of Italia Viva . In August 2019 , Deputy Prime Minister and Leagues leader , Matteo Salvini , announced a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte , after growing tensions within the majority . Many political analysts believe the no confidence motion was an attempt to force early elections to improve Legas standing in Parliament , ensuring Salvini could become the next Prime Minister . On 20 August , following the parliamentary debate at the Senate , in which Conte harshly accused Salvini of being a political opportunist who had triggered the political crisis only to serve his personal interest and stated this government ends here , the Prime Minister resigned his post to President Mattarella . Despite having always opposed it in the past , in August 2019 , Renzi strongly advocated the formation of a new government between the PD and the populist Five Star Movement . After days of tensions within the Democratic Party , on 28 August Nicola Zingaretti , the new PDs leader , announced his favorable position regarding a new government with the M5S , with Giuseppe Conte at its head . On same day , Mattarella summoned Conte to the Quirinal Palace for the 29 August to give him the task of forming a new cabinet . Renzi was seen by many political analysts and journalists as the real kingmaker of the new parliamentary majority . On 17 September , in an interview to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica , Renzi announced his intention to leave the PD , creating new parliamentary groups led by him . On the same day , interviewed by Bruno Vespa in his TV show Porta a Porta , he officially launched the political movement Italia Viva ( IV ) . Between December 2020 and January 2021 , discussions arose within the government coalition between Renzi and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte . Renzi called for radical changes to the governments economic recovery plans after the COVID-19 pandemic , and also demanded that Conte cede his mandate over the secret services coordination task . During his end-of-year press conference , Conte declined Renzis requests , asserting that he still had a majority in the Parliament . After a few days , Renzi threatened to pull back IVs two ministers , Teresa Bellanova and Elena Bonetti , from the upcoming Council of Minister , summoned to approve the Recovery Plan . On 13 January 2021 , during a press conference , Renzi announced the resignation of Italia Vivas ministers Bellanova and Bonetti , officially opening a government crisis . Elections . 2014 European election . In the European Parliament election held on 25 May 2014 , the first national election Renzi had faced since becoming Prime Minister , his Democratic Party won 40.8% of the vote with 11,203,231 votes , becoming by far the largest party in the country with 31 MEPs . The PD won the most votes of any single party across the whole of the European Union , won the largest number of MEPs for any single party , and became the largest group in the Socialists and Democrats European Parliament group . The Democratic Partys vote share was the best result for an Italian party in a nationwide election since the 1958 general election , when the Christian Democracy won 42.4% of the vote . The positive electoral result enabled Renzi to successfully nominate his Foreign Minister , Federica Mogherini , as the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy , ensuring that an Italian would occupy one of the EUs two most powerful political positions . 2015 presidential election . Giorgio Napolitano announced his immediate retirement as President of Italy on 14 January 2015 . Napolitano had been convinced to stand again as president following the political uncertainty generated by the 2013 general election , but had made it clear he would retire at some point before June 2015 . On 29 January , during the National Assembly of the Democratic Party , Renzi officially announced that he would endorse Sergio Mattarella , a judge on the Constitutional Court and a former Minister of Defence , as his candidate for the Italian presidential election to replace Napolitano . It had been thought , due to the high threshold a candidate requires in the first three rounds of balloting in a presidential election , that Renzi would be forced to seek a compromise candidate with Silvio Berlusconi . However , despite Berlusconis stringent opposition to Mattarella , Renzi instructed the Democratic Party to abstain from the first three rounds of balloting in an attempt to force a fourth ballot which required a far lower threshold for victory . Despite the risk this strategy involved , centrist parties announced at the last moment that they would support Mattarella on the fourth ballot , and he subsequently won the presidential election with 665 votes out of 1009 from Senators and Deputies . Renzi was able to secure his chosen candidates election by also unexpectedly securing last-minute support from the conservative New Centre-Right , the socialist Left Ecology Freedom and the liberal Civic Choice . 2016 constitutional referendum . After constitutional reforms had passed both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate multiple times , Renzi announced that he would hold a constitutional referendum on 4 December 2016 to seek approval for the changes ; whilst the reform was approved by a simple majority of the Parliament , it did not achieve the two-thirds necessary to avoid a referendum , as per Article 138 of the Italian Constitution . Voters were asked whether they approved of amending the Constitution to transform the Senate of the Republic into a Senate of Regions , with 100 members made up of regional councillors and mayors of large cities , akin to Germanys Bundesrat . The reform would diminish the size of the Italian senate from 315 to 100 , making all senators indirectly elected by regional councils and mayors . In addition , the reform makes it harder for the senate to veto legislation . Following early results which indicated that the No side was clearly ahead , Renzi conceded defeat and resigned . 2018 general election . The 2018 Italian general election was held on 4 March 2018 after the Italian Parliament was dissolved by President Sergio Mattarella on 28 December 2017 . Renzi led a centre-left coalition composed by his Democratic Party , the liberal More Europe of Emma Bonino , the centrist Popular Civic List of Beatrice Lorenzin and the progressive Together of Giulio Santagata . The centre-left was affected by a political schism , when many members of PDs left-wing faction , like Bersani , DAlema and Speranza , left the party founding another movement , known as Democrats and Progressives ( MDP ) ; in the election MDP run under the joint list Free and Equal led by Pietro Grasso . In March election , the centre-right alliance , in which Matteo Salvinis League emerged as the main political , won a plurality of seats in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate with 37.0% of votes , while the anti-establishment Five Star Movement led by Luigi Di Maio became the party with the largest number of votes ( 32.7% ) . Renzis centre-left coalition came only third with 22.9% of votes . However , no political group or party won an outright majority , resulting in a hung parliament . Political views . The nature of Renzis progressivism is a matter of debate and has been linked both to liberalism and populism . According to Maria Teresa Meli of Corriere della Sera , Renzi pursues a precise model , borrowed from the British Labour Party and Bill Clintons Democratic Party , comprising a strange mix ( for Italy ) of liberal policy in the economic sphere and populism . This means that , on one side , he will attack the privileges of trade unions , especially of the CGIL , which defends only the already protected , while , on the other , he will sharply attack the vested powers , bankers , Confindustria and a certain type of capitalism . The Telegraph referred to Renzi as a prominent centrist voice in Europe . Renzi has occasionally been compared to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for his political views . Renzi himself has previously cited Blair as an inspiration for him , and claims to be a supporter of Blairs ideology of the Third Way , which attempts to synthesise liberal economics and left-wing social policies . In an interview with the Italian talk show , Che tempo che fa , Renzi stated that his meeting with Bill and Hillary Clinton was the most interesting part of his trip to the United States , because he considered them as models of the progressive left-wing . In 2016 , Renzi endorsed Hillary Clintons campaign to be elected President of the United States , in an interview where he also expressed admiration for the policies of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama . Renzi is in favour of the recognition of civil unions for same-sex couples and stepchild adoptions , a situation which occurs when at least one parent has children , from a previous relationship , that are not genetically related to the other parent . For this Renzi was criticised by the participants of the Family Day , an anti-LGBT rights demonstration which took place three times in Italy ; the Prime Minister was accused of having changed his opinion about the recognition of same-sex couples . Renzi participated in the first Family Day in 2007 , while he was President of Florence Province and a member of the centrist The Daisy party . Renzi was sometimes described as the de facto leader of the Party of European Socialists , in opposition to the European Peoples Party associated with Angela Merkel ; the two leaders were together often referred to as Merkenzi . Public image . According to public opinion surveys in May 2014 , just after the European election , Renzis approval rating was 74% , the highest ever rating for an Italian politician serving as Prime Minister ( the highest absolute consensus , 84% was recorded in November 2011 by Professor Mario Monti , who presided over a technical , bipartisan government ) . His lowest approval in office was in June 2015 , with just over 35% , however upon leaving the office of Prime Minister , his approval rating shrank , arriving to 15% in 2020 . Italy is currently undergoing a wave of populism and post-modern leadership likened to Renzis style . As a master of telepolitics , Renzi uses his own skills and accomplishments as evidence of his ability to lead , promotes the Internet as a platform for democracy , and uses heavy emotional appeals along with relatable , persuasive language to advocate for his positions . In 2014 , Renzi was ranked as the third most influential person under 40 in the world by the American magazine Fortune , and in the Top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy . Both as Prime Minister and Mayor of Florence , Renzi has been renowned as an assiduous user of social networks , especially Twitter where he is followed by more than two million people . Renzi cited his use of social networks as a contributing factor to his victory in the Democratic Party leadership election in 2013 . Renzi has stated that he is a fan of the American TV series House of Cards ; some journalists had noted similarities between the rise to power of the character Francis Underwood , played by Kevin Spacey , and the manner in which Renzi replaced Enrico Letta as Prime Minister in 2014 . This comparison surfaced in the media again when , in June 2015 , a phone conversation from January 2014 between Renzi and a general of the Finance Guard , Michele Adinolfi , was leaked to the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano . During the conversation , Renzi described Letta as incapable and told Adinolfi that he would replace him as Prime Minister , which would happen less than a month later . In December 2018 , Renzi presented a TV Series called Firenze secondo me ( Florence according to me ) , broadcast by Nove TV Channel . It is a historical and artistic documentary , in which Renzi presents the city of Florence , narrating historical events and showing the most famous sites of cultural interest , like Palazzo Vecchio , the Uffizi Gallery , the Vasari Corridor , the Basilica of Santa Croce , Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens . Personal life . In 1999 Renzi married Agnese Landini , a teacher , with whom he has three children : two sons , Francesco and Emanuele , and a daughter , Ester . The Renzi family are regular Mass-goers and are active in the Association of Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts , the largest scouting association in Italy . In addition to his native Italian , Renzi can also speak French and English . Renzi is an avid football fan and supports ACF Fiorentina , the team of his hometown Florence . At the 2014 local elections , his sister Benedetta was elected a municipal councillor for the Democratic Party in Castenaso , a small town near Bologna . Renzis father , Tiziano , was the city secretary of the Democratic Party for Rignano sullArno , near Florence , until March 2017 ; he was previously a municipal councillor for the Christian Democrats from 1985 to 1990 . Further reading . - Brighi , Elisabetta , and Lilia Giugni . Foreign Policy and the Ideology of Post-ideology : The Case of Matteo Renzis Partito Democratico . International Spectator 51.1 ( 2016 ) : 13–27 . online - Coticchia , Fabrizio , and Jason W . Davidson . Italian Foreign Policy During Matteo Renzis Government : A Domestically Focused Outsider and the World ( Rowman & Littlefield , 2019 ) . - Salvati , Eugenio . Matteo Renzi : a new leadership style for the Italian Democratic Party and Italian politics . Modern Italy 21.1 ( 2016 ) : 7-18 . External links . - Official website of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers - Renzis personal website - Renzi on his partys website
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Matteo Renzi Matteo Renzi , ( ; born 11 January 1975 ) is an Italian politician who served as Prime Minister of Italy from 2014 to 2016 . He has been a Senator for Florence since 2018 . Renzi has been described as a centrist and as a liberal by political observers . Renzi has served as the leader of Italia Viva since 2019 , having been the Secretary of the Democratic Party from 2013 to 2018 , with a brief interruption in 2017 . After serving as the President of the Province of Florence from 2004 to 2009 and the Mayor of Florence from 2009 to 2014 , Renzi was elected Secretary of the Democratic Party in 2013 , becoming Prime Minister the following year . At the age of 39 years , Renzi became the youngest person to have served as Italian Prime Minister , and was at the time the youngest leader in the G7 . He was also the first serving Mayor to become Prime Minister . While in power , Renzis government implemented numerous reforms , including changes to the electoral system , a relaxation of labour and employment laws with the intention of boosting economic growth , a thorough reformation of the public administration , the simplification of civil trials , the introduction of same-sex civil unions and the abolition of many small taxes . After the rejection of his constitutional reform in the December 2016 referendum , Renzi formally resigned as Prime Minister on 12 December ; his Foreign Minister , Paolo Gentiloni , was appointed his replacement . He resigned as Secretary of the Democratic Party following defeat in the 2018 general election . In September 2019 , he left PD , founding Italia Viva , his own liberal movement . In 2021 , Renzi revoked IVs support to the government of Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte , which brought down the government and resulted in the 2021 Italian government crisis . Early life . Renzi was born in 1975 in Florence , the second of four children . His father , Tiziano Renzi , was a small business owner and Christian Democratic municipal councillor in Rignano sullArno . Renzi grew up in an observant Catholic family in Rignano sullArno . He studied in Florence at the Classical Lyceum Dante Alighieri , where he passed his final exam with the grade of 60/60 but was nearly expelled because , as the students representative , he refused to withdraw a school newspaper in which there was harsh criticism of a maths teacher . During this time he was a Scout in the Association of Catholic Guides and Scouts of Italy ( AGESCI ) . In 1999 , he graduated from the University of Florence with a degree in law , with a thesis on Giorgio La Pira , the former Christian Democratic Mayor of Florence . He then went on to work for CHIL Srl , a marketing company focusing on leafleting owned by his family , co-ordinating the sales service of the newspaper La Nazione . During this time Renzi was also a football referee at amateur level and a futsal player . In 1994 , he participated as a competitor for five consecutive episodes in the television program La Ruota Della Fortuna ( a localised version of the U.S . game show Wheel of Fortune ) hosted by Mike Bongiorno , winning 48 million lire . Early political career . Renzis interest in politics began in high school . In 1996 he was one of the founders of the committee in support of Romano Prodis candidature as Prime Minister in the general election ; that same year he joined the centrist Italian Peoples Party , and became its Provincial Secretary in 1999 . In the same year he married Agnese Landini , with whom he later had three children . In 2001 , he joined Francesco Rutellis The Daisy party , composed by members of the disbanded Peoples Party . On 13 June 2004 he was elected President of Florence Province with 59% of the vote , as the candidate of the centre-left coalition . He was the youngest person to become President of an Italian Province . In the years as President of the Province , Renzi expressed his ideas against the political caste , and during his mandate he reduced taxes and decreased the number of the Provinces employees and managers . Mayor of Florence . After five years as the President of Florence Province , Renzi announced that he would seek election as the Mayor of Florence . On 9 June 2009 , Renzi , by now a member of the Democratic Party , won the election on a second round vote with 60% of the votes , compared to 40% for his opponent Giovanni Galli . As Mayor he halved the number of city councillors , installed 500 free WiFi access points across the city , reduced kindergarten waiting lists by 90% , and increased spending on social welfare programs and schools . One year after being sworn in as Mayor and with his popularity in national opinion polls increasing , Renzi organised a public meeting with another young party administrator , Debora Serracchiani , at Leopolda Station in Florence to discuss Italian politics , after stating that a complete change was also necessary in his party . Other prominent Democratic Party members who aligned themselves with Renzis programme were Matteo Richetti , President of the Regional Council of Emilia-Romagna , Davide Faraone , a regional councillor from the Sicilian Regional Assembly , and Giuseppe Civati , a prominent member of the Democratic Party in Lombardy and a member of the Lombard Regional Council . Following this public meeting , the Italian media gave Renzi the nickname il Rottamatore , or The Scrapper . In 2011 , Renzi organised a second public meeting , also in Florence , where he wrote down one hundred topics of discussion . During this time he began to be strongly criticised by other members of his party closer to the then-Secretary Pier Luigi Bersani , after his suggestion that Italian politicians of the same generation as then-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi should retire . In September 2012 , Renzi announced that he would seek to lead the centre-left coalition in the 2013 general election ; the other four candidates for that position were Pier Luigi Bersani , Secretary of the Democratic Party , Nichi Vendola , Leader of the Left Ecology Freedom , Laura Puppato , a Democratic Deputy from Veneto and Bruno Tabacci , Leader of the Democratic Centre . After the first round of the December election , Renzi gained 35.5% of the vote , finishing second behind Bersani and qualifying for the second ballot . Renzi eventually gained a total of 39% of the vote , against Bersanis 61% . During the subsequent campaign in the 2013 election in March , Renzi backed Bersani by organising large public rallies in his support in Florence , but come the election the Democratic Party only gained 25.5% of the vote , despite opinion polls placing the party at almost 30% . In April , during the elections for the President of the Republic , Renzi caused a minor controversy by openly criticising the candidacies of both Franco Marini and Anna Finocchiaro , two long-standing members of his Democratic Party . Party Secretary . Following the resignation of Pier Luigi Bersani in April 2013 , Renzi announced that he would stand for the position of Secretary of the Democratic Party . The PDs loss of seats led to party members doubts concerning Bersanis leadership abilities . Renzis impressive resume at such a young age , in combination with his reputation as a political outsider thanks to his scrapping , made him very electable in comparison . He was supported by a number of his former political opponents , such as former Party Secretaries Walter Veltroni and Dario Franceschini , Deputy Marina Sereni , MEP David Sassoli and Turin Mayor Piero Fassino . Other supporters of his included Deputies like Gianni Dal Moro , Francesco Sanna , Francesco Boccia , Lorenzo Basso and Enrico Borghi , all of whom were considered close to the newly elected Prime Minister Enrico Letta . The other two candidates for Party Secretary were Gianni Cuperlo , a Member of the Chamber of Deputies and former Secretary of the Italian Communist Youth Federation , and Giuseppe Civati , a left-wing-oriented Deputy from Lombardy and a former supporter of Renzi . In the December election , Renzi was elected with 68% of the popular vote , compared to 18% for Gianni Cuperlo and 14% for Giuseppe Civati . He became the new Secretary of the Democratic Party and the centre-lefts prospective candidate for Prime Minister . His victory was welcomed by Prime Minister Enrico Letta , who had been the Vice-Secretary of the party under Bersanis leadership . Throughout January and February 2014 there were multiple reports of persistent leadership tensions between Renzi and Prime Minister Letta . Many claimed that Renzi was pressuring Letta to resign in his favour , arguing that as he was now the leader of the Democratic Party he should be given the right to become Prime Minister . On 12 February , Letta acknowledged these rumours for the first time , publicly demanded that Renzi make his position clear . Renzi subsequently called a meeting of the Democratic Party leadership for the following evening . Just before the meeting took place , Renzi publicly called on Letta to resign and allow him to form a new government . Letta initially resisted the demand , but following a vote in favour of Renzis proposal during the meeting , which Letta did not attend , he announced that he would tender his resignation as Prime Minister on 14 February . Under Renzis leadership , the Democratic Party officially joined the Party of European Socialists ( PES ) as a full-time member on 28 February 2014 . Prime Minister of Italy ( 20142016 ) . On 17 January 2014 , while on air at Le invasioni barbariche on La7 TV channel , interviewed about the tensions between him and the Prime Minister Enrico Letta , Renzi tweeted #enricostaisereno ( Enrico dont worry ) to reassure his party colleague that he was not plotting anything against him . However , at a meeting on 13 February 2014 the Democratic Party leadership voted heavily in favour of Renzis call for a new government , a new phase and a radical programme of reform . Minutes after the Party backed the Renzi proposal by 136 votes to 16 , with two abstentions , Palazzo Chigi – the official residence of the Prime Minister – announced that Letta would travel to the Quirinale the following day to tender his resignation to President Giorgio Napolitano . In an earlier speech , Renzi had paid tribute to Letta , saying that he was not intended to put him on trial . But , without directly proposing himself as the next Prime Minister , he said the Eurozones third-largest economy urgently needed a new phase and radical programme to push through badly-needed reforms . The motion he put forward made clear the necessity and urgency of opening a new phase with a new executive . Speaking privately to party leaders , Renzi said that Italy was at a crossroads and faced either holding fresh elections or a new government without a return to the polls . On 14 February , President Napolitano accepted Lettas resignation from the office of Prime Minister . Following Lettas resignation , Renzi formally received the task of forming a new government from President Napolitano on 17 February . Renzi held several days of talks with party leaders , all of which he broadcast live on the internet , before unveiling his Cabinet on 21 February , which contained members of his Democratic Party , the New Centre-Right , the Union of the Centre and the Civic Choice . His Cabinet became Italys youngest government to date , with an average age of 47 . It was also the first in which the number of female ministers was equal to the number of male ministers , excluding the Prime Minister . The following day , Renzi was formally sworn in as Prime Minister , becoming the fourth Prime Minister in four years and the youngest Prime Minister in the history of Italy . His rise to become Prime Minister was widely seen as a sign of much-needed generational change , and at the time he took office he enjoyed by far the highest approval rating of any politician in the country . On 25 February Renzi won a vote of confidence in the Italian Parliament , with 169 votes in the Senate and 378 in the Chamber of Deputies . On 7 February 2015 , after just under a year in power , five senators and two deputies from the Civic Choice defected to the Democratic Party , citing the leadership of Renzi as Prime Minister as the primary reason for their decision to change parties . On 20 March 2015 , Prime Minister Renzi briefly became ad interim Minister of Infrastructure and Transport following the resignation of Maurizio Lupi , due to a corruption scandal involving public works on infrastructure in which his name had been cited several times . Renzi held the office on an unofficial basis until 2 April , when Graziano Delrio was appointed as the new Minister . On 4 December 2016 , after the failure of the referendum he proposed , announced his resignation . On 7 December 2016 , Renzi officially handed over the resignation to the President Sergio Mattarella . Domestic policy . Labour reform . Upon becoming Prime Minister , Renzi said that long-overdue labour market reform would be at the top of his agenda to improve the state of the Italian economy . On 12 March 2014 , the Cabinet issued a law-decree on fixed-term contracts , called the Poletti Decree , from the name of the Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti , as well as a bill proposing major reforms to the Italian labour market called the Jobs Act . A reduction in the tax burden of about €80 was announced for those earning less than €1,500 per month . On 30 April Renzi , together with the Minister for the Public Administration Marianna Madia , presented the guidelines for the reform of the Public Administration , subsequently approved by the Cabinet on 13 June . In September the government brought the Jobs Act before Parliament , which provided for , among other things , the abolition of Article 18 of the Workers Statute , which protected workers from unjustified dismissal . The proposal was heavily criticised by the largest Italian trade union , the General Confederation of Labour ( CGIL ) and its leaders Susanna Camusso and Maurizio Landini . Moreover , the left-wing of the Democratic Party , by then led by the former National Secretary Pier Luigi Bersani , criticised the government for the reform , threatening to vote against it . On 29 September , the National Committee of the Democratic Party voted to support the Jobs Act , despite the disagreements within the party , with 130 votes in favour , 20 against and 11 abstaining . On 9 October the Italian Senate voted to approve the Jobs Act , and the landmark reform passed with 165 votes in favour to 111 against , marking the first step for the most ambitious economic legislation of the eight-month-old government . Before the vote Labour Minister Giuliano Poletti was forced to cut his speech short due to the loud protests of the Five Star Movement and Lega Nord oppositions , some of whom threw coins and papers . German Chancellor Angela Merkel , who was visiting Milan and had been among the most vocal politicians regarding Italys need for speedy economic reforms , said the labour law marked an important step to reduce employment barriers in the Eurozones third-largest economy . On 25 October , almost one million people took part in a mass protest in Rome , organised by the CGIL in opposition to the labour reforms of the government . Some high-profile members of the left-wing faction of the Democratic Party , including Gianni Cuperlo , Stefano Fassina and Pippo Civati , also participated in the protest . On 8 November more than 100,000 public employees protested in Rome in a demonstration organised by the three largest trade unions in the country , the CGIL , the CISL and the UIL . On 25 November , the Chamber of Deputies approved the Jobs Act with 316 votes , but the Five Star , Lega Nord and almost forty members of the Democratic Party abstained from the vote to protest against the reform . On 3 December the Senate gave the Jobs Act the final approval it needed to become law . Economic policies . In March 2014 the Cabinet approved the auctioning of a large number of luxury cars that were used to transport heads of state , including nine Maseratis , two Jaguars , and various other cars such as BMWs and Alfa Romeos . Out of the 1,500 cars put up for sale , 170 sold immediately over eBay . In April , as part of his wider industrial reforms , Renzi forced the chief executives of Italys biggest state-owned companies , including Eni , Terna , Finmeccanica , Enel and Poste Italiane , to resign , citing a lack of public confidence in their leadership . He subsequently appointed women to the majority of new positions , making it the first time any woman had served as a chief executive of a state-owned company in Italy . In 2014 , his cabinet introduced the so-called Renzi bonus , a monthly allowance of €80 , recognized to holders of a total annual income not exceeding €24,600 . The bonus , whose aim was to relaunch expenditures , was heavily criticised by opposition , which labeled it as an electoral baksheesh for the 2014 European election . On 1 August , Renzi launched law-decree called Unblock Italy , which was intended to facilitate the implementation of major projects , civil works and infrastructure that were suspended at the time , as well as achieving further administrative simplification . The centre of this was the Millegiorni , or the Thousand Days Programme . On 1 September Renzi launched the website passodopopasso.italia.it , which would allow citizens to monitor the progress of the Millegiorni . Later , on 9 October , Renzi presented his first Finance Bill ( Legge di Stabilità ) , which was approved by the European Commission on 28 October . In February 2015 , with the economy continuing to stagnate , the Government announced a plan to abolish rules that limit cooperative lenders shareholders to one vote each at shareholder meetings regardless of the size of their holdings . The European Commission subsequently forecast that the Italian economy would begin to grow by the spring . The Government also announced the abolition of IRAP , a regional tax on production activities and , discussing the 2016 Finance Bill , Renzi further promised to cancel IRPEF , IMU and TASI , taxes on individuals , public services and residences . In May 2015 the economy recorded growth of 0.3% , finally ending the Italian triple-dip recession . In January 2016 , Renzi highlighted an additional 500,000 jobs that he claimed had been created through his policies . Constitutional reforms . Upon becoming Prime Minister , Renzi stated that one of his most important tasks was to achieve constitutional reforms . The Italian institutional framework had remained essentially unchanged since 1 January 1948 , when the Italian Constitution first came into force after being enacted by the Constituent Assembly on 22 December 1947 . The first stage of Renzis reform package aimed to abolish the so-called perfect bicameralism , which gave identical powers to the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate ; the reforms would substantially decrease the membership and power of the Senate . Under the reforms : the Senates power to force the resignation of the Government by refusing to grant a vote of confidence would be removed ; only a few types of bills , including the constitutional bills , constitutional amendments , laws regarding local interests , referendums and the protection of linguistic minorities , would need to be passed by the Senate ; the Senate could only propose amendments to bills in some cases , with the Chamber of Deputies always having the final word ; and the membership of the Senate would be changed , with regional representatives appointed in a manner virtually identical to Germanys Bundesrat . On 11 March 2014 , the Chamber of Deputies approved both the plans to overhaul the Senate and the second stage of Renzis constitutional reforms , a flagship electoral reform law that would see Italys voting system overhauled . On 26 March , despite objections raised by several parties in the coalition , the Government won a vote in the Senate on the bill reforming the provinces , with 160 voting in favour and 133 against . On 6 May , the Constitutional Affairs Committee of the Senate approved the Governments bill on the reform of the Senate . Due to the ambitious reforms that provided for the abolition of Senate , a new electoral law and an increase in the powers of the Prime Minister , Renzi was accused by politicians and constitutionalists like Stefano Rodotà or Fausto Bertinotti of being an authoritarian and anti-democratic leader . In April 2014 , Renzi proposed that Italy adopt what he called the Italicum voting system , a proportional representation system with a majority bonus for the party which obtained over 40% of the vote , in order to provide for stable and long-term government . To approve the new electoral law , which was opposed by the Five Star Movement and a minority of his own Democratic Party , Renzi gained the support of former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi , who was still the leader of Forza Italia , despite having been expelled from the Senate due to his sentence for tax evasion . The alliance between Renzi and Berlusconi was named the Nazareno Pact , from the name of the street in Rome where the headquarters of the Democratic Party are located , where the two leaders met for the first time to discuss the reform . Renzi was harshly criticised by many within the Democratic Partys left-wing minority for the deal with Berlusconi , as well as by the Five Star Movement of Beppe Grillo who said the Nazareno Pact was the proof that there are no differences between the Italian centre-left and centre-right . Despite concern from some within the Democratic Party , the Italicum was given final approval by the Italian Senate on 27 January 2015 , thanks to support from Forza Italia Senators . On 28 April 2015 , concerned that the reform may not pass , Renzi announced he would hold a confidence vote to approve the electoral reform changes . The Five Star Movement , Forza Italia and some left-wing Democratic Party members strongly opposed this decision , with some seeking to draw comparisons between Renzi and Benito Mussolini . It would be only the third time that an electoral law was twinned with a confidence vote , after Mussolinis Acerbo law and Alcide De Gasperis Scam law . On 4 May the Chamber of Deputies finally approved Renzis flagship electoral changes with 334 votes for and 61 votes against , the latter including a faction of the PD . The reforms took full effect in July 2016 . Having easily passed the Chamber of Deputies on 11 March 2015 , in a first stage , the reforms to the Italian Senate that would see its power greatly diminished and membership drastically changed were finally passed by the Senate on 13 October 2015 . The vote was won by 176 votes to 16 , with a large number of senators abstaining from the vote in protest at having to vote on abolishing many of their own powers . The last vote was held on 12 April 2016 , when the Chamber finally approved the reform with 361 votes while all the oppositions abandoned the house . On 4 December 2016 , the reform was rejected in a constitutional referendum . Immigration . As a result of the Libyan and Syrian Civil Wars , a major problem faced by Renzi upon becoming Prime Minister in 2014 was the high levels of illegal immigration to Italy . 2014 saw an increase in the number of migrants rescued at sea being brought to southern Italian ports , with the increase in the number of migrants prompting criticism of Renzi by the anti-immigration Lega Nord , the Five Star Movement and Silvio Berlusconis Forza Italia party . On 8 August 2014 , the Cabinet approved a law-decree providing for the international protection of migrants . In November 2014 , Renzi ordered the Italian-run rescue option Operation Mare Nostrum to be replaced by Frontexs Operation Triton due to the refusal of several EU governments to fund it . In 2014 , 170,100 migrants arrived in Italy by sea , a 296% increase compared to 2013 . 141,484 of the travellers ferried over from Libya . Most of the migrants had come from Syria , Eritrea and various countries in West Africa . On 19 April 2015 , a huge shipwreck took place in the Mediterranean Sea , causing the death of more than 700 migrants from North Africa . Renzi , returning to Rome from a political event in Mantua for the regional elections , held an emergency meeting with ministers and spoke by telephone to French President François Hollande and Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat . The call led to an emergency meeting of European interior ministers to address the problem of migrant deaths . In a speech addressing immigration , the Italian Prime Minister condemned human trafficking as a new slave trade . From January to April 2015 , about 1,600 migrants died on the route from Libya to Lampedusa , making it the deadliest migrant route in the world . Same-sex unions . On 10 June 2015 , the Chamber of Deputies passed a motion obliging the Government to approve a bill regarding civil unions between same-sex couples . Previously all of the major parties in Italy had presented different motions on civil unions , which were all rejected except for the Democratic Partys , which also called for civil unions to be approved . Renzi had stated shortly before becoming Prime Minister that he favoured the introduction of civil unions for same-sex couples . In July 2015 , several days after the European Parliament passed a motion calling on all members of the European Union to recognise same-sex relationships , the European Court of Human Rights ruled that Italy was violating the Convention on Human Rights by not recognising same-sex couples right to family life . On 7 October 2015 , Renzi introduced a bill to Parliament that would establish same-sex civil unions and gender-neutral cohabitation agreements . The bill passed its first reading in the Senate a week later . Although Renzi secured the support of his Democratic Party and the main opposition Forza Italia party , many MPs from both criticised the bill . Despite the bill being put forward on a free vote , Renzi made it clear that he would tie the civil unions bill to a vote of confidence in his Government if it did not pass . Following months of public and parliamentary debate , on 25 February 2016 the Senate voted in favour of Renzis proposals to legalise civil unions , with 173 votes in favour and 71 against . An amendment known as the stepchild adoption provision that would have granted parental rights to a non-biological parent in a same-sex union was taken out of the bill at the last moment after it became clear a majority of senators did not support it . Although Renzi had expressed support for the amendment , the decision came after the Five Star Movement backed out of an agreement to pass it ; moreover , the amendment was opposed by the New Centre-Right . Renzi stated that the bills passage through the Senate was a victory for love , although he expressed disappointment that the adoption provision was not also adopted , and raised the possibility of introducing it in a separate bill at a later date . On 11 May 2016 , the Chamber of Deputies approved the final proposals , with 369 votes in favour and 163 against . Social policies . On 3 September 2014 during a press conference , Renzi announced an online consultation with students , teachers and citizens ahead of the major school reforms promoted by Education Minister Stefania Giannini . On 9 July 2015 , despite the opposition of an overwhelming majority of teachers and students alike to the actual design of the school reform , this was finally approved by the Chamber of Deputies , with 277 votes against 173 . On 15 December , during a ceremony at the Italian National Olympic Committee , Renzi officially launched the candidacy of Rome for the 2024 Summer Olympics . Renzi stated that , Our country too often seems hesitant . Its unacceptable not to try or to renounce playing the game . Sport in Italy is a way of life and a way of looking at the future . I dont know if we’ll make it , but the Olympic candidacy is one of the most beautiful things we can do for our kids , for us , for Italy . On 21 September 2016 , Mayor of Rome Virginia Raggi , a member of the Five Star Movement , told reporters the bid for the games would go no further . Raggi , having long been opposed to Rome hosting the games , cited ongoing financial troubles in the country as the main reason for cancelling the bid . She said hosting the games would be irresponsible and would only cause the city to fall into further debt . Universal Exposition . During Renzis premiership Milan hosted the Universal Exposition ; the themes were technology , innovation , culture and traditions concerning food . Participants to the Expo include 145 countries , three international organisations , several civil society organisations , several corporations and non-governmental organisations ( NGOs ) . The participants are hosted inside individual or grouped pavilions . The opening of the Expo on 1 May 2015 was met with protest from anti-austerity activists , black bloc , and anarchists caused criminal damage , resulting in the police using tear gas . Expo also created some tensions with the Holy See and the Italian government ; in fact Pope Francis condemned the concept of Expo , saying that it obeys the culture of waste and does not contribute to a model of equitable and sustainable development . As Vatican City invested €3 million to obtain its own pavilion at the event before his appointment to the papacy , Francis said that , although it is a good thing that the Church is involved in causes that battle hunger and promote cleaner energy , he stated that too much money was wasted on the Expo itself by Vatican City . 2016 earthquakes . At 03:36 CEST on 24 August 2016 , an earthquake measuring 6.2 on the moment magnitude scale struck Central Italy . The epicentre was close to Accumoli , in an area near the borders of the Umbria , Lazio , Abruzzo and Marche regions . The earthquake killed 298 people and left more than 4,500 homeless . On 1 September , Renzi appointed the former President of Emilia-Romagna Vasco Errani as Special Commissioner for Reconstruction . Errani had been already a Special Commissioner during the earthquake that struck his home region in 2012 . A magnitude 6.1 intraplate earthquake struck west of Visso on 26 October at 21:18 local time ( 19:18 UTC ) . The earthquake , which occurred two months after a magnitude 6.2 earthquake in August , struck about to the northwest of the August earthquakes epicentre . The civil protection , however , estimated the consequences less dramatically than feared . According to official data , a man died because he had suffered a heart attack as a result of the quake . A third large , shallow earthquake of USGS preliminary magnitude 6.6 struck north of Norcia at 07:40 local time ( 06:40 UTC ) on 30 October . This quake was the largest in Italy in 36 years , since the 1980 Irpinia earthquake . The three earthquakes caused almost 100,000 homeless . Foreign affairs . During his premiership , Renzi faced several challenging foreign policy situations , such as the European debt crisis , the civil war in Libya , the Ukrainian Crisis and the insurgency of the Islamic State ( IS ) in the Middle East . Renzi formed a close relationship with US President Barack Obama , supporting the 2014 military intervention against IS with hundreds of Italian troops and four Panavia Tornado aircraft , and also supporting international sanctions against Russia after their invasion of East Ukraine . Renzi forged a positive relationship with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe , who praised the economic policies of the Renzi Government . A key ally of Renzi in the Mediterranean is Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi ; the two leaders held many bilateral meetings where they discussed the problem of immigration to Italy and the increasing tensions in the Middle East and North Africa . In the European Union , Renzi has a close relationship with French President François Hollande and his Prime Minister Manuel Valls , especially with Valls , who saw Renzi as a model for his Third Way policies . Europe . Following the 2014 European Parliament elections , which saw the Democratic Party receive the highest number of votes of all the individual political parties contesting that election across the entire European Union , Renzi subsequently emerged as the most prominent leader of the European Socialists . This was in opposition to German Chancellor Angela Merkel , widely considered the de facto leader of the European Peoples Party and , according to some European Union analysts , the two leaders are together referred to as Merkenzi . Renzi and Merkel had many bilateral meetings , the first on 17 March 2014 in Berlin , just a few weeks after Renzis election as Prime Minister , where the two leaders discussed important reforms that the Italian Government planned to make both in Italy and in the EU . On 22 January 2015 , Merkel visited Renzi in his home city of Florence , where she publicly lauded the impressive reforms carried out by his government . On the following day the two leaders held a joint press conference in front of Michelangelos David . Renzi is seen as an ally of French President François Hollande of the Socialist Party . On 15 March 2014 Renzi met Hollande in Paris , agreeing with him a common economic policy focused not only on the austerity measures imposed by the so-called Troika of the European Commission , European Central Bank and International Monetary Fund , but also on more flexible policies to promote economic growth in the EU . Renzi is a close personal friend of French Prime Minister Manuel Valls , with the two leaders often regarded as being heirs of the Third Way politics espoused by the likes of Tony Blair . On 7 January 2015 , after the Islamic terrorist attack in Paris which caused the death of 17 people , Renzi expressed horror and dismay , offering his best wishes to the people of France and noting his close relationships with the French Prime Minister and Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo . On 11 January , he joined more than 40 world leaders and three million people in the Republican March organised by President Hollande . Renzi built a constructive relationship with British Prime Minister David Cameron of the Conservative Party . During their first meeting on 1 April 2014 , Cameron stated that the reforms planned by Renzi were ambitious and that together the two men would be able to change the European Union . On the same day , Renzi also met former British Prime Minister Tony Blair , whom Renzi had previously called a political inspiration to him . On 2 October 2014 , Renzi held a press conference with Cameron in 10 Downing Street , with Cameron lauding their similar policies to reform the European Union and overcome the economic crisis . On 1 August 2014 , following his partys strong showing in the European Parliament elections , Renzi nominated his Foreign Minister , Federica Mogherini , as a candidate to be the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy in the incoming-European Commission to be led by Jean-Claude Juncker , the former Prime Minister of Luxembourg . Mogherini was eventually successfully confirmed as the EU High Representative , ensuring that Italy controlled one of the two most senior posts in the Commission . In September , Renzi participated in the 2014 NATO Summit in Wales . Before the official start of the summit , he had discussions with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko , US President Barack Obama and the other three leaders of the European G4 to discuss the crisis with Russia . This summit was the first held after the Russian military intervention in Ukraine and the offensive by the Islamic State of the Caliph Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi . On 3 February 2015 , Renzi received newly elected Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras of the Coalition of the Radical Left in Rome . The two leaders held a joint press conference expressing concerns about austerity measures imposed by the European Commission and stated that economic growth is the only way to solve the crisis . After the press conference , Renzi presented Tsipras with an Italian tie as a gift . Tsipras , who was notable for refusing to ever wear a tie , thanked Renzi and said he would wear the gift in celebration after Greece had successfully renegotiated the austerity measures . United States . Similar to his predecessors , Renzi continued the long-standing Italian policy of a close relationship with the United States , building a partnership with President Barack Obama . Italy supported the US in the military intervention against the Islamic State , and participated in the international sanctions against Russia following their invasion of East Ukraine . Renzi met Obama for the first time on 24 March 2014 , during the latters trip to Rome . Renzi also held a joint meeting with Obama , Pope Francis and Italian President Giorgio Napolitano . Obama stated afterwards that he had been impressed by the reforms Renzi wanted to undertake . Renzi himself said that he considered Obama an example for the policies he wanted to achieve . On 22 September , Renzi visited Silicon Valley , California . In San Francisco he met with young Italian emigrants who have created startups in the USA . He also visited the headquarters of Twitter , Google and Yahoo ! to hold talks with chief executives . Renzi was accompanied by former US Secretaries of State , Condoleezza Rice and George Shultz , and by the former American ambassador to Italy , Ronald P . Spogli . He later spoke at Stanford University as the guest of University President John L . Hennessy . The following day , Renzi spoke at a United Nations summit in New York City , focusing on the problem of climate change . Following the summit , Renzi met former US President Bill Clinton and his wife , former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton . At the end of his trip , Renzi participated in a reception hosted by Barack Obama . Renzi was received at the White House in April 2015 . He and President Obama discussed many issues , including Ukraine , Libya and ISIL . They discussed Europes economy , the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership , climate change and energy security . In October 2015 , the Italian Government announced that it would prolong its military presence in Afghanistan along with the US Army , in order to continue its security mission and prevent the rise of Islamist forces such as Al-Qaeda and ISIL . On 18 October 2016 , President Obama invited Renzi and his wife Agnese to attend an official state dinner at the White House . The two men held a joint press conference during which Obama , the dinner being his final state visit as president , commented that he had saved the best for last , and the two reiterated their support for one another . Asia . Renzi built up a close relations with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe ; the two Prime Ministers are both against austerity and they are reforming the constitutions of their countries . On 6 June 2014 , Renzi received Prime Minister Abe in Rome . Abe publicly congratulated Renzi for the economic and constitutional reforms being delivered by Renzis government . The two leaders also met in Tokyo in August 2015 and discussed about relations with China and the stability of East Asia . On 9 June , Renzi travelled to Hanoi , Vietnam to meet with President Trương Tấn Sang and Prime Minister Nguyễn Tấn Dũng , as well as Communist Party General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng to sign economic treaties worth around 5 billion US dollars to the Italian economy . In doing so , Renzi became the first Italian Prime Minister to officially visit Vietnam since 1973 , when diplomacy first began between Italy and North Vietnam . During the visit Renzi placed a wreath in the mausoleum of the former North Vietnamese President Ho Chi Minh . On 11 June , Renzi met Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing , who congratulated him for the important reforms being undertaken by his government . Xi also stated that China would continue co-operation with Italy ahead of Expo 2015 in Milan . Several months later in October , Renzi met with Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang in Rome to sign twenty treaties worth a total of 8 billion euros . On 12 June , Renzi met Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev in Astana , where they discussed withdrawal of Italian troops from Afghanistan . On 18 November , Renzi travelled to Ashgabat , Turkmenistan , where with Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow he signed a number of economic pacts securing increased gas supply . Africa . During his premiership , Renzi started a policy review led to the creation of the Italy-Africa initiative , which includes renewable energy co-operation and a new package of development aid in fields stretching from health care to culture ; counterterrorism has been a key part of his agenda , but the East Africa region is also important to stop the migration flows from there to Italy through North Africa , especially Libya . On 4 March , Renzi travelled to Tunisia , where he had a meeting with Mustapha Ben Jafar . With Jafar , Renzi discussed about the problem of illegal immigration to Italy from the coasts of North Africa . The trip to Tunisia was the first official one made by Renzi as Prime Minister of Italy . On 18 March 2015 , after the Bardo Museum attack in Tunis , in which 28 people died and four of whom were Italians , Renzi condemned the terrorist attack and said that Italy is close to the Tunisian government and people . On 19 July , Renzi started a major trip to Africa , meeting the Mozambique President Armando Guebuza . Renzi signed economic pacts to create investments by the Italian government-owned oil company Eni in the African country for 50 billion dollars . The following day he visited the Republic of Congo where he met President Denis Sassou Nguesso , with whom he signed a co-operation for the extraction of oil in the country . Some journalists criticised the meeting with Sassou Nguesso , who is considered one of the more corrupt dictators of Africa . Renzi later met with Angolan President José Eduardo dos Santos in Luanda . During the visit , Renzi placed a memorial wreath in the mausoleum of the first Angolan President , Agostinho Neto . On 24 July , under the direction of Foreign Minister Federica Mogherini , the government worked for the release of Mariam Ibrahim , a Sudanese woman had been who sentenced to death for being a Christian . Thanks largely to the good relations between Sudan and Italy , Ibrahim was released and permitted to fly to Italy on a government plane . On 2 December , Renzi went to Algiers , where he met Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal . With the two leaders of the country , Renzi discussed the Libyan crisis , immigration from North Africa , and also about gas imports from Algeria as an alternative to Russian imports , following the tensions between the European Union and Russia . In January 2016 , Renzi continued his policy toward Africa ; the Prime Minister had a three-days trip in Nigeria , Ghana and Senegal . The main tasks of this diplomatic trip was the fight against the Islamic terrorism and the migrant crisis in the Mediterranean Sea ; with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari , Renzi signed an agreement on enhancing co-operation between the Nigerian and Italian Polices . Renzi has been one of the strongest supporters of the new Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj and of his government of national union . In August 2016 the newspaper la Repubblica reported that dozens of Italian special forces were operating in Libya , for training and intelligence activities . These special forces were operating under the direct command of the Prime Ministers office . Russia . Russia had previously enjoyed a privileged relationship with Italy , particularly under the leadership of Silvio Berlusconi , who was a personal friend of Russian President Vladimir Putin . Following the Russian military intervention in Ukraine , however , relations worsened . On 2 March 2014 , Renzi accused Putin of having committed an unacceptable violation . On 19 March , during a speech to the Chamber of Deputies , Renzi stated that the Crimean status referendum was illegal and that the G8 countries must start co-operating to solve the crisis and prevent a return to the Cold War . In June , he subsequently participated in the G7 summit in Brussels , the first one held after the suspension of Russia from the G8 following the annexation of Crimea in March . Renzi phoned Putin on 28 August , asking him to stop the intolerable escalation and to reach a peace agreement with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to stop the pro-Russian conflict in that regions . Renzi and Putin also had a bilateral meeting on 16 October , when Renzi hosted the Asia–Europe Meeting ( ASEM ) in Milan with 53 other leaders of the world . On 15 November , during the G-20 summit in Brisbane , the two leaders had another meeting , where they discussed about the Ukrainian crisis , but also on the civil wars in Libya and Syria . On 5 March 2015 , Renzi met President Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev in Moscow . The talks between the leaders was focused on international issues , such as settlement of the crisis in Ukraine , the situations in the Middle East and in Libya , as well as fighting terrorism . Putin guaranteed Russian support in case of a UN intervention in Libya against the Islamic State . Ahead of the bilateral meeting , Prime Minister Renzi visited and laid flowers at the Moscow bridge , near the Kremlin , on which the Russian opposition leader Boris Nemtsov was murdered , a few days before . Through 2015 , Renzi became one of the main supporters of a reduction of international sanctions against Russia and the establishment of a political and military alliance between the Western countries and Russia against the terrorism of the Islamic State . Renzi questioned Nord Stream II , a new Russia-Germany natural gas pipeline , saying : I found it surprising that the South Stream project was blocked [ Balkan pipeline was cancelled by Russia in December 2014 following obstacles from EU ] , while now we are discussing a doubling up of Nord Stream . Middle East . On 2 August 2014 , Renzi met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo , holding talks about a variety of issues , including the Israel-Gaza conflict . Renzi stated that Italy would support the Egyptian truce proposal , with the two leaders calling for an immediate cease-fire and the beginning of peace negotiations . In making the visit , Renzi became the first Western leader to visit President el-Sisi since his election . On 15 January 2015 , after Islamic States conquests in Libya , Renzi conducted a long phone call with Sisi , to discuss the terrorist threat in the Mediterranean . The two leaders agreed that the next steps should be political and diplomatic efforts through the United Nations . On 11 July 2015 , a car bomb exploded outside the Italian consulate in Cairo , resulting in at least one death and four injured . ISIS claimed responsibility . The relations between Italy and Egypt dramatically worsened after the murder of Giulio Regeni , an Italian Cambridge University graduate student killed in Cairo following his abduction on 25 January 2016 . Giulio Regeni was a PhD student at Girton College , Cambridge , researching Egypts independent trade unions . Due to Regenis research activities and left-wing political leanings , the security services of el-Sisis government are strongly suspected of involvement in his murder , although Egypts media and government deny this and claim secret undercover agents belonging to the Muslim Brotherhood carried out the crime in order to embarrass the Egyptian government and destabilise relations between Italy and Egypt . On 20 August 2014 Renzi travelled to Iraq , in the midst of the insurgency led by the Islamic State . There he met with the Head of State , Fuad Masum , Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi and his immediate predecessor Nouri al-Maliki . On the same day , 20 August 2014 , Renzi travelled north to Erbil to meet the President of Iraqi Kurdistan , Masud Barzani , and Prime Minister Nechervan Barzani . Renzi later told an American journalist that what he witnessed during his trip to Iraq reminded him of the images of the Srebrenica massacre that had horrified him as a child . While Renzi was in Iraq , the Italian Parliament approved a proposal to arm the Peshmerga soldiers fighting against the Islamic State . On 23 September , during the 69th General Assembly of the United Nations , Renzi held a bilateral meeting with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan , at which they discussed climate change and increasing tensions in the Middle East . On 11 December Renzi travelled to Ankarafor a second meeting with Erdoğan , during which Renzi expressed his support for Turkish accession to the European Union . On the same day he met with Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu . On 8 January 2015 , Renzi made his first official trip of the year , meeting with Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi to address issues of foreign and economic policy , including the Alitalia-Etihad deal . The two leaders discussed joint co-operation domains and enhancing trade exchange and co-operation in energy and aerospace . Renzi has had good relations with both Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas . On 21 and 22 July 2015 he visited first Jerusalem , where he met with Netanyahu and addressed the Knesset , and then Ramallah , where he met with Abbas . Renzi was the first leader to visit Israel after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action , the deal reached between international community and Iran . Whereas Netanyahu heavily criticised the deal , Renzi supported it , while stressing that Israels security is the security of Europe and mine as well . In January 2016 , Renzi met with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in Rome , the first visit to Italy by a President of Iran since 1999 . The two leaders signed business deals worth up to 17 billion euros . They also discussed the war against the Islamic State in the Middle East and Libya . On 13 and 14 April 2016 he became the first Western leader to visit Iran after the international agreement on the nuclear program of Iran . In Iran , Renzi met both President Rouhani and Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei . Latin America . After announcing an increase of Italian investment in Central and South America , in October 2015 Renzi undertook a number of official trips across the continent , travelling to Chile , Peru and Colombia . During his visit to Santiago , Renzi and Chilean President Michelle Bachelet launched a large number of renewable energy projects promoted by the Italian multinational Enel . Renzi also visited the European Southern Observatory of Paranal in the Atacama desert . During these trips , Renzi had numerous meetings with communities of Italian-born Latin Americans in these countries . In a surprise visit , returning from Latin America , on 28 October 2015 Renzi became the first Italian Prime Minister in history to make a state visit to Cuba . In doing so he also became the first G7 leader to meet Cuban President Raúl Castro following the 2015 normalisation of relations between the United States and Cuba . In February 2016 Renzi met Argentine President Mauricio Macri during a state visit to Buenos Aires ; Renzi became the first European leader to meet Macri after the 2015 presidential election and the first Italian Prime Minister since Romano Prodi in 1998 to visit Argentina . During his premiership , Renzi has also developed close relationship with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto . After the premiership ( 2016present ) . Following the defeat in the constitutional referendum and the subsequent resignation as Prime Minister , Renzi remained Secretary of the Democratic Party . As leader of the main party both in the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate of the Republic , he supported the new government led by his former Minister of Foreign Affairs Paolo Gentiloni , also a Democrat . 2017 leadership election and party split . On 19 February 2017 , during the PD National Assembly , Renzi resigned as Secretary of the party , announcing his candidacy for the next leadership election . A few days before he launched the movement In Cammino ( On the way ) in support of his candidacy . Contextually , a large portion of the partys internal left-wing , led by Enrico Rossi and Roberto Speranza , who were endorsed by former party leaders Massimo DAlema , Pier Luigi Bersani and Guglielmo Epifani , left the PD and founded the Democratic and Progressive Movement ( MDP ) , along with splinters from the Italian Left ( SI ) . On 6 March Matteo Renzi presented his electoral programme , in which he expressed his intention to renovate the party , Italy and Europe . He also announced an electoral ticket with the Agriculture Minister Maurizio Martina ; Martina would become Deputy Secretary and would probably lead the party if Renzi becomes Prime Minister again . From 10 to 12 March Renzi and his supporters participated in Lingotto 17 , a convention based in the district of Lingotto in Turin , where the Democratic Party was founded ten years before under the leadership of Walter Veltroni . During his speech he harshly condemned the Five Star Movement ( M5S ) , accused of being a populist party controlled by a private company , and Lega Nord , which uses fear to gain votes . Renzi attacked also European bureaucrats and proposed a primary election to appoint the Party of European Socialists candidate for the European Commission presidency and the direct election of the President . Among the notable participants of the pro-Renzi convention were Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni , current ministers like Pier Carlo Padoan , Dario Franceschini , Graziano Delrio , Marianna Madia , Roberta Pinotti and Secretary Maria Elena Boschi . Emma Bonino , historic Radical leader and former Foreign Affairs Minister , also participated in the rally . The other two candidates for the leadership election were President of Apulia Michele Emiliano and Minister of Justice Andrea Orlando . Emiliano is an outspoken former magistrate with strong support in the poor South , who was expected to join the dissidents in MDP but decided instead to challenge Renzi from within the mainstream party ; he is often described as a democratic socialist and populist politician . Orlando is a social democratic politician and a leading member of the party since the foundation . Orlando is often described as the candidate of the social democratic establishment of the party . After having won the vote by party members in March with almost 67% of votes , on 30 April , Renzi was re-elected Secretary of the party by a landslide with 69.2% of votes ; while Orlando received 19.9% and Emiliano 10.9% of votes . Second term as Secretary . After the rejection of the constitutional reform , the Parliament had to change the electoral law proposed by Renzis government ; in fact the so-called Italicum regulates only the election of the Chamber of Deputies , and not the one of the Senate , which , if the reform passed , would be indirectly elected by citizens . After the re-election as Secretary , Renzi proposed a new electoral law called Mattarellum bis , better known as Rosatellum , from the name of his main proponent Ettore Rosato , Democratic leader in the Chamber of Deputies . This electoral law was similar to the one which was applied in Italy from 1993 to 2004 . The Rosatellum used an additional member system , which act as a mixed system , with 36% of seats allocated using a first past the post electoral system and 64% using a proportional method , with one round of voting . The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies did not differ in the way they allocated the proportional seats , both using the DHondt method of allocating seats . The new electoral law was supported by PD and his government ally Popular Alternative , but also by the opposition parties Forza Italia and Lega Nord . Despite many protests from the Five Star Movement and the Democratic and Progressive Movement , the electoral law was approved on 12 October by the Chamber of Deputies with 375 votes in favor and 215 against , and on 26 October by the Senate with 214 votes against 61 . The electoral programme of the Democratic Party for the general election included , among the main points , the introduction of a minimum hourly wage of €10 , a measure that would affect 15% of workers , that is those workers who do not adhere to the national collective agreements ; a cut of the contributory wedge for permanent contracts ; a relocation allowance and an increase in subsidies for the unemployed ; a monthly allowance of €80 for parents for each minor child ; fiscal detraction of €240 for parents with children ; and the progressive reduction of IRPEF and IRES rates , respectively the Italian income tax and the corporate tax . Moreover , the PD advocated the re-launch of the process of European integration and federation , towards the formation of the United States of Europe . In the election , his centre-left coalition arrived third behind the centre-right alliance , in which Matteo Salvinis League was the main political force , and the Five Star Movement of Luigi Di Maio finished second . On 5 March , Renzi announced that the PD will be in opposition during this legislature and he will resign as secretary when a new cabinet is formed . Renzi officially resigned on 12 March during PDs national directorate , and his deputy secretary Martina was appointed acting leader . Leader of Italia Viva . In August 2019 , Deputy Prime Minister and Leagues leader , Matteo Salvini , announced a motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte , after growing tensions within the majority . Many political analysts believe the no confidence motion was an attempt to force early elections to improve Legas standing in Parliament , ensuring Salvini could become the next Prime Minister . On 20 August , following the parliamentary debate at the Senate , in which Conte harshly accused Salvini of being a political opportunist who had triggered the political crisis only to serve his personal interest and stated this government ends here , the Prime Minister resigned his post to President Mattarella . Despite having always opposed it in the past , in August 2019 , Renzi strongly advocated the formation of a new government between the PD and the populist Five Star Movement . After days of tensions within the Democratic Party , on 28 August Nicola Zingaretti , the new PDs leader , announced his favorable position regarding a new government with the M5S , with Giuseppe Conte at its head . On same day , Mattarella summoned Conte to the Quirinal Palace for the 29 August to give him the task of forming a new cabinet . Renzi was seen by many political analysts and journalists as the real kingmaker of the new parliamentary majority . On 17 September , in an interview to the Italian newspaper La Repubblica , Renzi announced his intention to leave the PD , creating new parliamentary groups led by him . On the same day , interviewed by Bruno Vespa in his TV show Porta a Porta , he officially launched the political movement Italia Viva ( IV ) . Between December 2020 and January 2021 , discussions arose within the government coalition between Renzi and Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte . Renzi called for radical changes to the governments economic recovery plans after the COVID-19 pandemic , and also demanded that Conte cede his mandate over the secret services coordination task . During his end-of-year press conference , Conte declined Renzis requests , asserting that he still had a majority in the Parliament . After a few days , Renzi threatened to pull back IVs two ministers , Teresa Bellanova and Elena Bonetti , from the upcoming Council of Minister , summoned to approve the Recovery Plan . On 13 January 2021 , during a press conference , Renzi announced the resignation of Italia Vivas ministers Bellanova and Bonetti , officially opening a government crisis . Elections . 2014 European election . In the European Parliament election held on 25 May 2014 , the first national election Renzi had faced since becoming Prime Minister , his Democratic Party won 40.8% of the vote with 11,203,231 votes , becoming by far the largest party in the country with 31 MEPs . The PD won the most votes of any single party across the whole of the European Union , won the largest number of MEPs for any single party , and became the largest group in the Socialists and Democrats European Parliament group . The Democratic Partys vote share was the best result for an Italian party in a nationwide election since the 1958 general election , when the Christian Democracy won 42.4% of the vote . The positive electoral result enabled Renzi to successfully nominate his Foreign Minister , Federica Mogherini , as the new High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy , ensuring that an Italian would occupy one of the EUs two most powerful political positions . 2015 presidential election . Giorgio Napolitano announced his immediate retirement as President of Italy on 14 January 2015 . Napolitano had been convinced to stand again as president following the political uncertainty generated by the 2013 general election , but had made it clear he would retire at some point before June 2015 . On 29 January , during the National Assembly of the Democratic Party , Renzi officially announced that he would endorse Sergio Mattarella , a judge on the Constitutional Court and a former Minister of Defence , as his candidate for the Italian presidential election to replace Napolitano . It had been thought , due to the high threshold a candidate requires in the first three rounds of balloting in a presidential election , that Renzi would be forced to seek a compromise candidate with Silvio Berlusconi . However , despite Berlusconis stringent opposition to Mattarella , Renzi instructed the Democratic Party to abstain from the first three rounds of balloting in an attempt to force a fourth ballot which required a far lower threshold for victory . Despite the risk this strategy involved , centrist parties announced at the last moment that they would support Mattarella on the fourth ballot , and he subsequently won the presidential election with 665 votes out of 1009 from Senators and Deputies . Renzi was able to secure his chosen candidates election by also unexpectedly securing last-minute support from the conservative New Centre-Right , the socialist Left Ecology Freedom and the liberal Civic Choice . 2016 constitutional referendum . After constitutional reforms had passed both the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate multiple times , Renzi announced that he would hold a constitutional referendum on 4 December 2016 to seek approval for the changes ; whilst the reform was approved by a simple majority of the Parliament , it did not achieve the two-thirds necessary to avoid a referendum , as per Article 138 of the Italian Constitution . Voters were asked whether they approved of amending the Constitution to transform the Senate of the Republic into a Senate of Regions , with 100 members made up of regional councillors and mayors of large cities , akin to Germanys Bundesrat . The reform would diminish the size of the Italian senate from 315 to 100 , making all senators indirectly elected by regional councils and mayors . In addition , the reform makes it harder for the senate to veto legislation . Following early results which indicated that the No side was clearly ahead , Renzi conceded defeat and resigned . 2018 general election . The 2018 Italian general election was held on 4 March 2018 after the Italian Parliament was dissolved by President Sergio Mattarella on 28 December 2017 . Renzi led a centre-left coalition composed by his Democratic Party , the liberal More Europe of Emma Bonino , the centrist Popular Civic List of Beatrice Lorenzin and the progressive Together of Giulio Santagata . The centre-left was affected by a political schism , when many members of PDs left-wing faction , like Bersani , DAlema and Speranza , left the party founding another movement , known as Democrats and Progressives ( MDP ) ; in the election MDP run under the joint list Free and Equal led by Pietro Grasso . In March election , the centre-right alliance , in which Matteo Salvinis League emerged as the main political , won a plurality of seats in the Chamber of Deputies and in the Senate with 37.0% of votes , while the anti-establishment Five Star Movement led by Luigi Di Maio became the party with the largest number of votes ( 32.7% ) . Renzis centre-left coalition came only third with 22.9% of votes . However , no political group or party won an outright majority , resulting in a hung parliament . Political views . The nature of Renzis progressivism is a matter of debate and has been linked both to liberalism and populism . According to Maria Teresa Meli of Corriere della Sera , Renzi pursues a precise model , borrowed from the British Labour Party and Bill Clintons Democratic Party , comprising a strange mix ( for Italy ) of liberal policy in the economic sphere and populism . This means that , on one side , he will attack the privileges of trade unions , especially of the CGIL , which defends only the already protected , while , on the other , he will sharply attack the vested powers , bankers , Confindustria and a certain type of capitalism . The Telegraph referred to Renzi as a prominent centrist voice in Europe . Renzi has occasionally been compared to former British Prime Minister Tony Blair for his political views . Renzi himself has previously cited Blair as an inspiration for him , and claims to be a supporter of Blairs ideology of the Third Way , which attempts to synthesise liberal economics and left-wing social policies . In an interview with the Italian talk show , Che tempo che fa , Renzi stated that his meeting with Bill and Hillary Clinton was the most interesting part of his trip to the United States , because he considered them as models of the progressive left-wing . In 2016 , Renzi endorsed Hillary Clintons campaign to be elected President of the United States , in an interview where he also expressed admiration for the policies of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama . Renzi is in favour of the recognition of civil unions for same-sex couples and stepchild adoptions , a situation which occurs when at least one parent has children , from a previous relationship , that are not genetically related to the other parent . For this Renzi was criticised by the participants of the Family Day , an anti-LGBT rights demonstration which took place three times in Italy ; the Prime Minister was accused of having changed his opinion about the recognition of same-sex couples . Renzi participated in the first Family Day in 2007 , while he was President of Florence Province and a member of the centrist The Daisy party . Renzi was sometimes described as the de facto leader of the Party of European Socialists , in opposition to the European Peoples Party associated with Angela Merkel ; the two leaders were together often referred to as Merkenzi . Public image . According to public opinion surveys in May 2014 , just after the European election , Renzis approval rating was 74% , the highest ever rating for an Italian politician serving as Prime Minister ( the highest absolute consensus , 84% was recorded in November 2011 by Professor Mario Monti , who presided over a technical , bipartisan government ) . His lowest approval in office was in June 2015 , with just over 35% , however upon leaving the office of Prime Minister , his approval rating shrank , arriving to 15% in 2020 . Italy is currently undergoing a wave of populism and post-modern leadership likened to Renzis style . As a master of telepolitics , Renzi uses his own skills and accomplishments as evidence of his ability to lead , promotes the Internet as a platform for democracy , and uses heavy emotional appeals along with relatable , persuasive language to advocate for his positions . In 2014 , Renzi was ranked as the third most influential person under 40 in the world by the American magazine Fortune , and in the Top 100 Global Thinkers by Foreign Policy . Both as Prime Minister and Mayor of Florence , Renzi has been renowned as an assiduous user of social networks , especially Twitter where he is followed by more than two million people . Renzi cited his use of social networks as a contributing factor to his victory in the Democratic Party leadership election in 2013 . Renzi has stated that he is a fan of the American TV series House of Cards ; some journalists had noted similarities between the rise to power of the character Francis Underwood , played by Kevin Spacey , and the manner in which Renzi replaced Enrico Letta as Prime Minister in 2014 . This comparison surfaced in the media again when , in June 2015 , a phone conversation from January 2014 between Renzi and a general of the Finance Guard , Michele Adinolfi , was leaked to the newspaper Il Fatto Quotidiano . During the conversation , Renzi described Letta as incapable and told Adinolfi that he would replace him as Prime Minister , which would happen less than a month later . In December 2018 , Renzi presented a TV Series called Firenze secondo me ( Florence according to me ) , broadcast by Nove TV Channel . It is a historical and artistic documentary , in which Renzi presents the city of Florence , narrating historical events and showing the most famous sites of cultural interest , like Palazzo Vecchio , the Uffizi Gallery , the Vasari Corridor , the Basilica of Santa Croce , Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens . Personal life . In 1999 Renzi married Agnese Landini , a teacher , with whom he has three children : two sons , Francesco and Emanuele , and a daughter , Ester . The Renzi family are regular Mass-goers and are active in the Association of Italian Catholic Guides and Scouts , the largest scouting association in Italy . In addition to his native Italian , Renzi can also speak French and English . Renzi is an avid football fan and supports ACF Fiorentina , the team of his hometown Florence . At the 2014 local elections , his sister Benedetta was elected a municipal councillor for the Democratic Party in Castenaso , a small town near Bologna . Renzis father , Tiziano , was the city secretary of the Democratic Party for Rignano sullArno , near Florence , until March 2017 ; he was previously a municipal councillor for the Christian Democrats from 1985 to 1990 . Further reading . - Brighi , Elisabetta , and Lilia Giugni . Foreign Policy and the Ideology of Post-ideology : The Case of Matteo Renzis Partito Democratico . International Spectator 51.1 ( 2016 ) : 13–27 . online - Coticchia , Fabrizio , and Jason W . Davidson . Italian Foreign Policy During Matteo Renzis Government : A Domestically Focused Outsider and the World ( Rowman & Littlefield , 2019 ) . - Salvati , Eugenio . Matteo Renzi : a new leadership style for the Italian Democratic Party and Italian politics . Modern Italy 21.1 ( 2016 ) : 7-18 . External links . - Official website of the Presidency of the Council of Ministers - Renzis personal website - Renzi on his partys website
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[
"Camera Obscura School of Art"
] |
easy
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Which school did Nurit Yarden go to from 1980 to 1981?
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/wiki/Nurit_Yarden#P69#0
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Nurit Yarden Nurit Yarden ( Hebrew : נורית ירדן ) is an Israeli Art photographer , who lives and works in Tel Aviv . Biography . Yarden was born in Israel , 1959 . Grew up in Paris and in Tel Aviv where she now lives and works . An artist photographer who earned her BFA degree from the Photography Department of Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem ( 1986 ) . Was represented by the Chelouche Art Gallery in Tel Aviv for 10 years , and at present she works as an independent artist and an instructor and teacher of photography . When she completed her studies at Bezalel , she researched , for a decade , the concept of the Family album as representing our yearning for happiness and the fantasy of an idyllic family . In recent years , she has been working on a visual diary based on wandering , where she explores questions about the Israeli public sphere , looking for visual , social , and political signs that penetrate it . Her works combine images with texts and integrate direct and staged photography . They are usually composed of series according to subject . Yarden has had numerous solo exhibitions , among others : Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art ( 2019 ) , Tel Aviv Artists House ( 2014 ) , Contemporary by Golconda Gallery , Tel Aviv ( 2013 ) , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv ( 2000 , 2002 , 2005 , 2007 , 2010 ) , and has participated in many group exhibitions in Israel , Europe , and the United States , among others : Circle1 Gallery , Berlin ( 2018 ) , Bat-Yam Museum ( 2011 ) , Jewish Museum , Munich ( 2010 ) , Artneuland Gallery , Berlin ( 2008 ) , Tel Aviv Museum of Art ( 2002 , 2003 ) , Israel Museum Youth wing , Jerusalem ( 2002 , 2005 , 2014 ) , Artforum Berlin ( 2002 ) , Margolis Gallery , Houston ( 2000 ) , Israel Museum , Jerusalem ( 1998 ) . She published the Artist Book , Homeland , following her solo exhibition , Herzliya Museum ( 2019 ) ; the catalog , Within Walking Distance , following her exhibition in the Contemporary by Golconda Gallery , Tel Aviv ( 2013 ) ; and the Artist Book , Family Meal , Am Oved Publishers ( 2007 ) . Her works were also published at the Scene of Events exhibition catalog , Herzliya Museum ( 2019 ) ; Myth and Prejudice exhibition catalog , Beit Hatfutsot Museum , Tel Aviv ( 2014 ) ; Schooling exhibition catalog , the Bat Yam Museum ( 2011 ) ; and Family Files exhibition catalog , Jewish Museum , Munich ( 2010 ) . Yarden won the Israel Ministry of Culture Prize for the Encouragement of Visual Arts ( 2002 ) , and the America-Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarship ( 1985 ) . Her works are a part of numerous art collections in Israel : The Israel Museum , Jerusalem , Herzliya Museum , Bat-Yam Museum , The O.R.S . Art Collection , The Comme il Faut Art Collection , as well as Private Collections . Studies . - 1982-1986 – Photography , B.F.A , Bezalel Academy of Art and Design , Jerusalem - 1981-1982 – Psychology and History of Art , University of Haifa - 1980-1981 – Photography , Camera Obscura School of Art , Tel-Aviv Solo exhibitions ( Partial List ) . - 2019 - Homeland , Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art - 2014 - Qalandiya , The Artists House , Tel Aviv - 2013 - Within Walking Distance , Contemporary Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2010 - Scrabble , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2007 - Not Just , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2005 - Home Cooking , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2002 - Visual Diaries , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2000 - Voices , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 1999 - Trees , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 1992 - Journey-Epiphanies , Kalisher Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 1990 - Bograshov Art Gallery , Tel Aviv Group exhibitions ( Partial List ) . - 2019 - Utopia Hotel , Fresh Paint fair , Tel Aviv - 2019 - Prom , Fresh Paint fair , Tel Aviv - 2018 - Flower Power , Circle1 Gallery , Berlin - 2018 - Flower Power , Am Rathaus Gallery , Norderstedt - 2018 - Free Entrance , kav 16 Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2017 - Aiming for Touch ( down ) , P8 Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2016 - Rock , Paper and Scissors , Haifa Museum youth wing , Haifa - 2016 - Quest , Benyamini Center , Tel Aviv , Museum of Photography , Tel-Hai - 2014 -Mazal UBracha” ( Hebrew for : Luck and a Blessing ) , Beit Hatfutsot Jewish Museum Tel-Aviv - 2014 - Quartet , binyamin-gallery , Tel-Aviv - 2014 - Journeys , The Israel Museum youth wing , Jerusalem - 2012 - Portraits of Cain , Ben Gurion University , Beersheba - 2011 - Schooling , Bat Yam Museum of Contemporary Art , Bat Yam - 2010 - Family Files , Jewish Museum , Munich - 2010 - Re Location , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2009 - Final Edition , Ben-Gurion University - 2008 - Language & Gender , Artneuland Gallery , Berlin - 2005 - Beauty And The Book , The Israel Museum , Jerusalem - 2003 - Public Domain , Tel Aviv Museum of Art - 2002 - The Minister of Culture Award Winners , Tel Aviv Museum of Art - 2002 - Art Forum , Berlin - 2002 - A Question of Taste , The Israel Museum , Jerusalem - 2002 - Diaries , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2000 - Looking Ahead , A.G.U . Gallery , Santa Clara - 2000 - Photo-Fest , Margollis Gallery , Houston - 1998 - Distortions , School of Art , Nime - 1998 - The Lesser light , The Israel Museum , Jerusalem - 1998 - Condition Report , The Israel Museum , Jerusalem - 1993 - Black , limbus Art Gallery , Tel-Aviv - 1992 - New Directions in Israeli Photography , The Artists House , Jerusalem Artist Books and catalogs . - 2019 - Published the book , Homeland , following the solo exhibition at the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art . - 2013 - Published the catalog , Within Walking Distance , following the solo exhibition at the Contemporary by Golconda Gallery in Tel-Aviv - 2007 - Published the Artist Book , Family Meal , Am Oved Publications Works in catalogs and books . - 2019 - Scene of Events exhibition catalog , Herzliya Museum - 2014 - Myth and Prejudice exhibition catalog , Beit Hatfutsot Museum , Tel Aviv - 2011 - Schooling exhibition catalog , the Bat-Yam Museum - 2010 - Family Files exhibition catalog , Jewish Museum , Munich - 2008 - Limbus , Hakibbutz Hameuchad publisher - 2003 - The lands Potographers , by Guy Raz , Hakibbutz Hameuchad publisher Awards . - 2002 - Israel Ministry of Culture Prize for the Encouragement of Visual Arts - 1985 - America-Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarship Selected collections . - The Israel Museum , Jerusalem - The Herzliya Museum , Herzeliya - The Bat-Yam Museum , Bat-yam - The O.R.S . Art Collection - The Comme il Faut Art Collection - Private Collections External links . - Nurit Yarden website - Nurit Yarden at Chelouche Gallery for Contemporary Art - Nurit Yarden in Conversation with Rotem Rozental , Shpilman Institute for photography ( 2014 ) - Family Files , Contemporary Photography And Video Art From Israel , Jewish Museum , Munich - Nurit Yarden at Artneuland Gallery , Berlin
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[
"University of Haifa"
] |
easy
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Nurit Yarden went to which school from 1981 to 1982?
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/wiki/Nurit_Yarden#P69#1
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Nurit Yarden Nurit Yarden ( Hebrew : נורית ירדן ) is an Israeli Art photographer , who lives and works in Tel Aviv . Biography . Yarden was born in Israel , 1959 . Grew up in Paris and in Tel Aviv where she now lives and works . An artist photographer who earned her BFA degree from the Photography Department of Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem ( 1986 ) . Was represented by the Chelouche Art Gallery in Tel Aviv for 10 years , and at present she works as an independent artist and an instructor and teacher of photography . When she completed her studies at Bezalel , she researched , for a decade , the concept of the Family album as representing our yearning for happiness and the fantasy of an idyllic family . In recent years , she has been working on a visual diary based on wandering , where she explores questions about the Israeli public sphere , looking for visual , social , and political signs that penetrate it . Her works combine images with texts and integrate direct and staged photography . They are usually composed of series according to subject . Yarden has had numerous solo exhibitions , among others : Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art ( 2019 ) , Tel Aviv Artists House ( 2014 ) , Contemporary by Golconda Gallery , Tel Aviv ( 2013 ) , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv ( 2000 , 2002 , 2005 , 2007 , 2010 ) , and has participated in many group exhibitions in Israel , Europe , and the United States , among others : Circle1 Gallery , Berlin ( 2018 ) , Bat-Yam Museum ( 2011 ) , Jewish Museum , Munich ( 2010 ) , Artneuland Gallery , Berlin ( 2008 ) , Tel Aviv Museum of Art ( 2002 , 2003 ) , Israel Museum Youth wing , Jerusalem ( 2002 , 2005 , 2014 ) , Artforum Berlin ( 2002 ) , Margolis Gallery , Houston ( 2000 ) , Israel Museum , Jerusalem ( 1998 ) . She published the Artist Book , Homeland , following her solo exhibition , Herzliya Museum ( 2019 ) ; the catalog , Within Walking Distance , following her exhibition in the Contemporary by Golconda Gallery , Tel Aviv ( 2013 ) ; and the Artist Book , Family Meal , Am Oved Publishers ( 2007 ) . Her works were also published at the Scene of Events exhibition catalog , Herzliya Museum ( 2019 ) ; Myth and Prejudice exhibition catalog , Beit Hatfutsot Museum , Tel Aviv ( 2014 ) ; Schooling exhibition catalog , the Bat Yam Museum ( 2011 ) ; and Family Files exhibition catalog , Jewish Museum , Munich ( 2010 ) . Yarden won the Israel Ministry of Culture Prize for the Encouragement of Visual Arts ( 2002 ) , and the America-Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarship ( 1985 ) . Her works are a part of numerous art collections in Israel : The Israel Museum , Jerusalem , Herzliya Museum , Bat-Yam Museum , The O.R.S . Art Collection , The Comme il Faut Art Collection , as well as Private Collections . Studies . - 1982-1986 – Photography , B.F.A , Bezalel Academy of Art and Design , Jerusalem - 1981-1982 – Psychology and History of Art , University of Haifa - 1980-1981 – Photography , Camera Obscura School of Art , Tel-Aviv Solo exhibitions ( Partial List ) . - 2019 - Homeland , Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art - 2014 - Qalandiya , The Artists House , Tel Aviv - 2013 - Within Walking Distance , Contemporary Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2010 - Scrabble , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2007 - Not Just , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2005 - Home Cooking , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2002 - Visual Diaries , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2000 - Voices , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 1999 - Trees , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 1992 - Journey-Epiphanies , Kalisher Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 1990 - Bograshov Art Gallery , Tel Aviv Group exhibitions ( Partial List ) . - 2019 - Utopia Hotel , Fresh Paint fair , Tel Aviv - 2019 - Prom , Fresh Paint fair , Tel Aviv - 2018 - Flower Power , Circle1 Gallery , Berlin - 2018 - Flower Power , Am Rathaus Gallery , Norderstedt - 2018 - Free Entrance , kav 16 Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2017 - Aiming for Touch ( down ) , P8 Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2016 - Rock , Paper and Scissors , Haifa Museum youth wing , Haifa - 2016 - Quest , Benyamini Center , Tel Aviv , Museum of Photography , Tel-Hai - 2014 -Mazal UBracha” ( Hebrew for : Luck and a Blessing ) , Beit Hatfutsot Jewish Museum Tel-Aviv - 2014 - Quartet , binyamin-gallery , Tel-Aviv - 2014 - Journeys , The Israel Museum youth wing , Jerusalem - 2012 - Portraits of Cain , Ben Gurion University , Beersheba - 2011 - Schooling , Bat Yam Museum of Contemporary Art , Bat Yam - 2010 - Family Files , Jewish Museum , Munich - 2010 - Re Location , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2009 - Final Edition , Ben-Gurion University - 2008 - Language & Gender , Artneuland Gallery , Berlin - 2005 - Beauty And The Book , The Israel Museum , Jerusalem - 2003 - Public Domain , Tel Aviv Museum of Art - 2002 - The Minister of Culture Award Winners , Tel Aviv Museum of Art - 2002 - Art Forum , Berlin - 2002 - A Question of Taste , The Israel Museum , Jerusalem - 2002 - Diaries , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2000 - Looking Ahead , A.G.U . Gallery , Santa Clara - 2000 - Photo-Fest , Margollis Gallery , Houston - 1998 - Distortions , School of Art , Nime - 1998 - The Lesser light , The Israel Museum , Jerusalem - 1998 - Condition Report , The Israel Museum , Jerusalem - 1993 - Black , limbus Art Gallery , Tel-Aviv - 1992 - New Directions in Israeli Photography , The Artists House , Jerusalem Artist Books and catalogs . - 2019 - Published the book , Homeland , following the solo exhibition at the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art . - 2013 - Published the catalog , Within Walking Distance , following the solo exhibition at the Contemporary by Golconda Gallery in Tel-Aviv - 2007 - Published the Artist Book , Family Meal , Am Oved Publications Works in catalogs and books . - 2019 - Scene of Events exhibition catalog , Herzliya Museum - 2014 - Myth and Prejudice exhibition catalog , Beit Hatfutsot Museum , Tel Aviv - 2011 - Schooling exhibition catalog , the Bat-Yam Museum - 2010 - Family Files exhibition catalog , Jewish Museum , Munich - 2008 - Limbus , Hakibbutz Hameuchad publisher - 2003 - The lands Potographers , by Guy Raz , Hakibbutz Hameuchad publisher Awards . - 2002 - Israel Ministry of Culture Prize for the Encouragement of Visual Arts - 1985 - America-Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarship Selected collections . - The Israel Museum , Jerusalem - The Herzliya Museum , Herzeliya - The Bat-Yam Museum , Bat-yam - The O.R.S . Art Collection - The Comme il Faut Art Collection - Private Collections External links . - Nurit Yarden website - Nurit Yarden at Chelouche Gallery for Contemporary Art - Nurit Yarden in Conversation with Rotem Rozental , Shpilman Institute for photography ( 2014 ) - Family Files , Contemporary Photography And Video Art From Israel , Jewish Museum , Munich - Nurit Yarden at Artneuland Gallery , Berlin
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[
"Bezalel Academy of Art and Design"
] |
easy
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Where was Nurit Yarden educated from 1982 to 1986?
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/wiki/Nurit_Yarden#P69#2
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Nurit Yarden Nurit Yarden ( Hebrew : נורית ירדן ) is an Israeli Art photographer , who lives and works in Tel Aviv . Biography . Yarden was born in Israel , 1959 . Grew up in Paris and in Tel Aviv where she now lives and works . An artist photographer who earned her BFA degree from the Photography Department of Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem ( 1986 ) . Was represented by the Chelouche Art Gallery in Tel Aviv for 10 years , and at present she works as an independent artist and an instructor and teacher of photography . When she completed her studies at Bezalel , she researched , for a decade , the concept of the Family album as representing our yearning for happiness and the fantasy of an idyllic family . In recent years , she has been working on a visual diary based on wandering , where she explores questions about the Israeli public sphere , looking for visual , social , and political signs that penetrate it . Her works combine images with texts and integrate direct and staged photography . They are usually composed of series according to subject . Yarden has had numerous solo exhibitions , among others : Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art ( 2019 ) , Tel Aviv Artists House ( 2014 ) , Contemporary by Golconda Gallery , Tel Aviv ( 2013 ) , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv ( 2000 , 2002 , 2005 , 2007 , 2010 ) , and has participated in many group exhibitions in Israel , Europe , and the United States , among others : Circle1 Gallery , Berlin ( 2018 ) , Bat-Yam Museum ( 2011 ) , Jewish Museum , Munich ( 2010 ) , Artneuland Gallery , Berlin ( 2008 ) , Tel Aviv Museum of Art ( 2002 , 2003 ) , Israel Museum Youth wing , Jerusalem ( 2002 , 2005 , 2014 ) , Artforum Berlin ( 2002 ) , Margolis Gallery , Houston ( 2000 ) , Israel Museum , Jerusalem ( 1998 ) . She published the Artist Book , Homeland , following her solo exhibition , Herzliya Museum ( 2019 ) ; the catalog , Within Walking Distance , following her exhibition in the Contemporary by Golconda Gallery , Tel Aviv ( 2013 ) ; and the Artist Book , Family Meal , Am Oved Publishers ( 2007 ) . Her works were also published at the Scene of Events exhibition catalog , Herzliya Museum ( 2019 ) ; Myth and Prejudice exhibition catalog , Beit Hatfutsot Museum , Tel Aviv ( 2014 ) ; Schooling exhibition catalog , the Bat Yam Museum ( 2011 ) ; and Family Files exhibition catalog , Jewish Museum , Munich ( 2010 ) . Yarden won the Israel Ministry of Culture Prize for the Encouragement of Visual Arts ( 2002 ) , and the America-Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarship ( 1985 ) . Her works are a part of numerous art collections in Israel : The Israel Museum , Jerusalem , Herzliya Museum , Bat-Yam Museum , The O.R.S . Art Collection , The Comme il Faut Art Collection , as well as Private Collections . Studies . - 1982-1986 – Photography , B.F.A , Bezalel Academy of Art and Design , Jerusalem - 1981-1982 – Psychology and History of Art , University of Haifa - 1980-1981 – Photography , Camera Obscura School of Art , Tel-Aviv Solo exhibitions ( Partial List ) . - 2019 - Homeland , Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art - 2014 - Qalandiya , The Artists House , Tel Aviv - 2013 - Within Walking Distance , Contemporary Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2010 - Scrabble , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2007 - Not Just , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2005 - Home Cooking , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2002 - Visual Diaries , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2000 - Voices , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 1999 - Trees , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 1992 - Journey-Epiphanies , Kalisher Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 1990 - Bograshov Art Gallery , Tel Aviv Group exhibitions ( Partial List ) . - 2019 - Utopia Hotel , Fresh Paint fair , Tel Aviv - 2019 - Prom , Fresh Paint fair , Tel Aviv - 2018 - Flower Power , Circle1 Gallery , Berlin - 2018 - Flower Power , Am Rathaus Gallery , Norderstedt - 2018 - Free Entrance , kav 16 Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2017 - Aiming for Touch ( down ) , P8 Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2016 - Rock , Paper and Scissors , Haifa Museum youth wing , Haifa - 2016 - Quest , Benyamini Center , Tel Aviv , Museum of Photography , Tel-Hai - 2014 -Mazal UBracha” ( Hebrew for : Luck and a Blessing ) , Beit Hatfutsot Jewish Museum Tel-Aviv - 2014 - Quartet , binyamin-gallery , Tel-Aviv - 2014 - Journeys , The Israel Museum youth wing , Jerusalem - 2012 - Portraits of Cain , Ben Gurion University , Beersheba - 2011 - Schooling , Bat Yam Museum of Contemporary Art , Bat Yam - 2010 - Family Files , Jewish Museum , Munich - 2010 - Re Location , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2009 - Final Edition , Ben-Gurion University - 2008 - Language & Gender , Artneuland Gallery , Berlin - 2005 - Beauty And The Book , The Israel Museum , Jerusalem - 2003 - Public Domain , Tel Aviv Museum of Art - 2002 - The Minister of Culture Award Winners , Tel Aviv Museum of Art - 2002 - Art Forum , Berlin - 2002 - A Question of Taste , The Israel Museum , Jerusalem - 2002 - Diaries , Chelouche Art Gallery , Tel Aviv - 2000 - Looking Ahead , A.G.U . Gallery , Santa Clara - 2000 - Photo-Fest , Margollis Gallery , Houston - 1998 - Distortions , School of Art , Nime - 1998 - The Lesser light , The Israel Museum , Jerusalem - 1998 - Condition Report , The Israel Museum , Jerusalem - 1993 - Black , limbus Art Gallery , Tel-Aviv - 1992 - New Directions in Israeli Photography , The Artists House , Jerusalem Artist Books and catalogs . - 2019 - Published the book , Homeland , following the solo exhibition at the Herzliya Museum of Contemporary Art . - 2013 - Published the catalog , Within Walking Distance , following the solo exhibition at the Contemporary by Golconda Gallery in Tel-Aviv - 2007 - Published the Artist Book , Family Meal , Am Oved Publications Works in catalogs and books . - 2019 - Scene of Events exhibition catalog , Herzliya Museum - 2014 - Myth and Prejudice exhibition catalog , Beit Hatfutsot Museum , Tel Aviv - 2011 - Schooling exhibition catalog , the Bat-Yam Museum - 2010 - Family Files exhibition catalog , Jewish Museum , Munich - 2008 - Limbus , Hakibbutz Hameuchad publisher - 2003 - The lands Potographers , by Guy Raz , Hakibbutz Hameuchad publisher Awards . - 2002 - Israel Ministry of Culture Prize for the Encouragement of Visual Arts - 1985 - America-Israel Cultural Foundation Scholarship Selected collections . - The Israel Museum , Jerusalem - The Herzliya Museum , Herzeliya - The Bat-Yam Museum , Bat-yam - The O.R.S . Art Collection - The Comme il Faut Art Collection - Private Collections External links . - Nurit Yarden website - Nurit Yarden at Chelouche Gallery for Contemporary Art - Nurit Yarden in Conversation with Rotem Rozental , Shpilman Institute for photography ( 2014 ) - Family Files , Contemporary Photography And Video Art From Israel , Jewish Museum , Munich - Nurit Yarden at Artneuland Gallery , Berlin
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[
"United States Senator"
] |
easy
|
What was the position of Judah P. Benjamin from Mar 1853 to Feb 1861?
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/wiki/Judah_P._Benjamin#P39#0
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Judah P . Benjamin Judah Philip Benjamin , QC ( August 6 , 1811 – May 6 , 1884 ) was a lawyer and politician who was a United States Senator from Louisiana , a Cabinet officer of the Confederate States and , after his escape to the United Kingdom at the end of the American Civil War , an English barrister . Benjamin was the first Jew to hold a Cabinet position in North America and the first to be elected to the United States Senate who had not renounced his faith . Benjamin was born to Sephardic Jewish parents from London , who had moved to St . Croix in the Danish West Indies when it was occupied by Britain during the Napoleonic Wars . Seeking greater opportunities , his family immigrated to the United States , eventually settling in Charleston , South Carolina . Judah Benjamin attended Yale College but left without graduating . He moved to New Orleans , where he read law and passed the bar . Benjamin rose rapidly both at the bar and in politics . He became a wealthy planter and slaveowner and was elected to and served in both houses of the Louisiana legislature prior to his election by the legislature to the US Senate in 1852 . There , he was an eloquent supporter of slavery . After Louisiana seceded in 1861 , Benjamin resigned as senator and returned to New Orleans . He soon moved to Richmond after Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed him as Attorney General . Benjamin had little to do in that position , but Davis was impressed by his competence and appointed him as Secretary of War . Benjamin firmly supported Davis , and the President reciprocated the loyalty by promoting him to Secretary of State in March 1862 , while Benjamin was being criticized for the rebel defeat at the Battle of Roanoke Island . As Secretary of State , Benjamin attempted to gain official recognition for the Confederacy by France and the United Kingdom , but his efforts were ultimately unsuccessful . To preserve the Confederacy as military defeats made its situation increasingly desperate , he advocated freeing and arming the slaves late in the war , but his proposals were only partially accepted in the closing month of the war . When Davis fled the Confederate capital of Richmond in early 1865 , Benjamin went with him . He left the presidential party and was successful in escaping from the mainland United States , but Davis was captured by Union troops . Benjamin sailed to Great Britain , where he settled and became a barrister , again rising to the top of his profession before retiring in 1883 . He died in Paris the following year . Early and personal life . Judah Philip Benjamin was born on August 6 , 1811 , in St . Croix of the Danish West Indies ( today the United States Virgin Islands ) , a colony then occupied by the British during the Napoleonic Wars . His parents were Sephardi Jews who married in London , Philip Benjamin ( who had been born on the British colony of Nevis ) and the former Rebecca de Mendes . Philip and Rebecca had been shopkeepers and migrated to the West Indies in search of better opportunities . Judah , the third of seven children , was given the same name as an older brother who died in infancy . Following a tradition adhered to by some Sephardi , he was named for his paternal grandfather , who performed the brit milah , or circumcision ceremony . The Benjamins encountered hard times in the Danish West Indies , as normal trade was blocked by the British occupation . In 1813 the Benjamin family moved to Fayetteville , North Carolina , where they had relatives . Philip Benjamin was not financially successful there , and around 1821 moved with his family to Charleston , South Carolina . That city had the largest Jewish community in the United States and a reputation for religious tolerance . Benjamin was learned in his faith but not a successful businessman ; Rebecca earned money for the family by operating a fruit stand near the harbor . Phillip Benjamin was a first cousin and business partner of Moses Elias Levy from the West Indies . Levy also immigrated to the United States , in the early 1820s . Judah and two siblings were boarded with relatives in Fayetteville for about 18 months after the rest of the family moved to Charleston . He attended the Fayetteville Academy , a well-regarded school where his intelligence was recognized . In Charleston , his father was among the founders of the first Reform congregation in the United States . It developed practices that included shorter services conducted in English rather than in Hebrew . Benjamin was ultimately expelled from that community , as he did not keep the Sabbath . The extent of Judahs religious education is uncertain . The boys intelligence was noted by others in Charleston , one of whom offered to finance his education . At the age of 14 , in 1825 , Benjamin entered Yale College , an institution popular among white Southerners ; Vice President John C . Calhoun , a South Carolinian , was among its alumni . Although Benjamin was successful as a student at Yale , he left abruptly in 1827 without completing his course of study . The reasons for this are uncertain : In 1861 , when Louisiana left the Union and Benjamin resigned as a U.S . senator , an abolitionist newspaper alleged that he had been caught as a thief at Yale . He considered bringing suit for libel but litigation was impractical . In 1901 , his sole surviving classmate wrote that Benjamin had been expelled for gambling . One of his biographers , Robert Meade , considered the evidence of wrongdoing by Benjamin to be too strong to be ignored , but noted that at the time Benjamin left Yale , he was only 16 years old . After a brief return to Charleston , Benjamin moved to New Orleans , Louisiana . According to Rabbi Bertram W . Korns volume on that citys Jews , he arrived in New Orleans in 1828 , with no visible assets other than the wit , charm , omnivorous mind and boundless energy with which he would find his place in the sun . After working in a mercantile business , he became a clerk for a law firm , where he began to read law , studying as an apprentice . Knowledge of French was important in practicing law in Louisiana , as the states code was ( and is still ) based on French and Spanish law . To earn money , he tutored French Creoles in English ; he taught the language to Natalie Bauché de St . Martin on the condition that she teach him French . In late 1832 , at age 21 , he was admitted to the bar . Early the following year , Benjamin married Natalie , who was Catholic and from a wealthy French Creole family . As part of her dowry , she brought with her $3,000 and two female slaves , aged 11 and 16 ( together worth about $1,000 ) . Even before the marriage , Natalie St . Martin had scandalized New Orleans society by her conduct . William De Ville , in his journal article on the Benjamin marriage contract , suggests that the St . Martin family was not terribly distraught to be rid of their young daughter and that Benjamin was virtually suborned to marry [ Natalie ] , and did so without hesitation in order to further his ambitions . The marriage was not a success . By the 1840s , Natalie Benjamin was living in Paris with the couples only child , Ninette , whom she raised as a Catholic . Benjamin would visit them annually . While a senator , in the late 1850s he persuaded Natalie to rejoin him and expensively furnished a home in Washington for all three to live in . Natalie and their daughter soon embarked again for France . Benjamin , publicly humiliated by his failure to keep Natalie , consigned the household goods to auction . There were rumors , never substantiated , that Benjamin was impotent and that Natalie was unfaithful . Benjamins troubled married life has led to speculation that he was gay . Daniel Brook , in a 2012 article about Benjamin , suggests that early biographies read as though historians are presenting him as an almost farcically stereotypical gay man and yet wear such impervious heteronormative blinders that they themselves know not what they write . These conjectures were not given scholarly weight until 2001 , when in an introduction to a reprinting of Meades biography of Benjamin , Civil War historian William C . Davis acknowledged cloaked suggestions that he [ Benjamin ] was a homosexual . Louisiana lawyer . Within months of his admission to the bar , Benjamin argued his first case before the Supreme Court of Louisiana and won . Still , clients were slow to come in his first years in practice . He had enough free time to compile and publish , with Thomas Slidell , the Digest of the Reported Decisions of the Superior Court of the Late Territory of Orleans and the Supreme Court of the State of Louisiana in 1834 , which required the analysis of 6,000 cases . The book was an immediate success and helped launch Benjamins career . When Slidell published a revised edition in 1840 , he did so alone , as Benjamin was too busy litigating cases to participate . Benjamin became a specialist in commercial law , of which there was a great deal in New Orleans busy river port—a center of international commerce and the domestic slave trade . By 1840 , the city had become the fourth largest in the United States and among the wealthiest . Many of the best lawyers in the country practiced commercial law there , and Benjamin successfully competed with them . In one case , he successfully represented the seller of a slave against allegations that the seller knew the slave had incurable tuberculosis . Although Benjamin tried some jury cases , he preferred bench trials in commercial cases and was an expert at appeals . In 1842 , Benjamin had a group of cases with international implications . He represented insurance companies being sued for the value of slaves who had revolted aboard the ship Creole in 1841 , as they were being transported in the coastwise slave trade from Virginia to New Orleans . The rebels had sailed the ship to Nassau in the Bahamas , a British colony , where those who came ashore were freed , as Britain had abolished slavery in 1834 . The owners of the slaves brought suit for $150,000 against their insurers , who declined to pay . Benjamin made several arguments , the most prominent of which was that the slaveowners had brought the revolt on themselves by packing the slaves in overcrowded conditions . Benjamin said in his brief to the court : The court ruled for Benjamins clients , although on other grounds . Benjamins brief was widely reprinted , including by abolitionist groups . Historian Eli Evans , Benjamins biographer , does not believe that the argument in the Creole case represented Benjamins personal view ; rather , he was an advocate for his clients in an era when it was usual to write dramatically to distract attention from the weaker points of a case . Evans finds it remarkable and a testament to Benjamin that he could be elected to office in antebellum Louisiana , a slave society , after writing such words . Electoral career . State politician . Benjamin was a supporter of the Whig Party from the time of its formation in the early 1830s . He became increasingly involved in the party , and in 1841 ran unsuccessfully for the New Orleans Board of Aldermen . The following year , he was nominated for the Louisiana House of Representatives . He was elected , though the Democrats alleged fraud : Whig supporters , to obtain the vote at a time when the state had a restrictive property qualification for suffrage , acquired licenses for carriages . A voter did not have to demonstrate that the carriage existed , but his license had to be accepted as evidence of ownership by election officials . The Democratic press blamed Benjamin as the strategist behind this maneuver . In 1844 , the legislature voted to hold a constitutional convention , and Benjamin was chosen as a delegate from New Orleans . At the convention , Benjamin successfully opposed counting a slave as three-fifths of a human being for purposes of representation in state elections , as was done in federal elections . His position prevailed , and slaves were not counted at all for electoral purposes in Louisiana state elections . According to Evans , his tact , courtesy , and ability to find compromises impressed the political elders in all corners of the state . Rabbi Myron Berman , in his history of Jews in Richmond , describes the attitude of antebellum white Southerners toward Jews : By the early 1840s , Benjamin was wealthy from his law practice and , with a partner , bought a sugar cane plantation , Bellechasse . This purchase , and the subsequent construction of a grand house there , advanced Benjamins ambitions ; the planter class controlled Louisiana politics and would trust only a man who also owned substantial land and slaves . The Benjamin marriage was by then failing , and he hoped in vain that his wife would be content at the plantation . Benjamin threw his energy into improving Bellechasse , importing new varieties of sugar cane and adopting up-to-date methods and equipment to extract and process the sugar . He purchased 140 slaves to work the plantation , and had a reputation as a humane slaveowner . Benjamin scaled back his involvement in politics in the late 1840s , distracted by his plantation and law practice . His mother Rebecca , whom he had brought to New Orleans , died in 1847 during a yellow fever epidemic . In 1848 , Benjamin was a Whig member of the Electoral College ; he voted for fellow Louisiana planter , General Zachary Taylor , who was elected U.S . President . He and other Louisianans accompanied President-elect Taylor to Washington for his inauguration , and Benjamin attended a state dinner given by outgoing president James K . Polk . In 1850 , Millard Fillmore , who succeeded Taylor after his death earlier that year , appointed Benjamin as judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California . He was confirmed by the Senate , but he declined the appointment as the salary of $3,500 was too small . The following year , Benjamin assisted the United States Attorney in New Orleans in prosecuting American adventurers who had tried to spark a rebellion against Spanish rule in Cuba , but two trials both ended in hung juries . Mexican railroad . Benjamin became interested in strengthening trade connections between New Orleans and California , and promoted an infrastructure project to build a railroad across the Mexican isthmus near Oaxaca ; this would speed passenger traffic and cargo shipments . According to The New York Times , in an 1852 speech to a railroad builders convention , Benjamin said this trade route belongs to New Orleans . Its commerce makes empires of the countries to which it flows . Benjamin lobbied fellow lawmakers about the project , gained funds from private New York bankers , and even helped organize construction crews . In private correspondence he warned backers of problems ; project workers suffered yellow fever , shipments of construction materials hit rough seas , and actions or inaction by both U.S . and Mexican officials caused delays and increases in construction costs . Backers had invested several hundred thousand dollars by the time the project died after the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 . Election to the Senate . Benjamin spent the summer of 1851 abroad , including a visit to Paris to see Natalie and Ninette . He was still away in October 1851 , when the Whigs nominated him for the state Senate . Despite his absence , he was easily elected . When the new legislature met in January 1852 , Benjamin emerged as one of the leading Whig candidates for election to the U.S . Senate seat that would become vacant on March 4 , 1853 . As the Louisiana legislature , responsible for electing the states senators , met once in two years under the 1845 constitution , it was not scheduled to meet again before the seat became vacant . Some Whig newspapers thought Benjamin too young and inexperienced at forty , despite his undoubted talent , but the Whig legislative caucus selected him on the second ballot , and he was elected by the two houses over Democrat Solomon W . Downs . The outgoing president , Fillmore , offered to nominate Benjamin , a fellow Whig , to fill a Supreme Court vacancy after the Senate Democrats had defeated Fillmores other nominees for the post . The New York Times reported on February 15 , 1853 , that if the President nominates Benjamin , the Democrats are determined to confirm him . The new president , Franklin Pierce , a Democrat , also offered Benjamin a place on the Supreme Court . Pierce Butler suggested in his 1908 biography of Benjamin that the newly elected senator likely declined these offers not only because he preferred active politics , but because he could maintain his law practice and substantial income as a senator , but could not as a justice . As an advocate before the U.S . Supreme Court , Benjamin won 13 of his first 18 cases . Judah Benjamin was sworn in as senator from Louisiana on March 4 , 1853 , at a brief meeting called just prior to President Pierces inauguration . These new colleagues included Stephen A . Douglas of Illinois , Robert M . T . Hunter of Virginia , and Sam Houston of Texas . The slavery issue was in a brief remission as much of the country wished to accept the Compromise of 1850 as a final settlement . When the Senate was not in session , Benjamin remained in Washington , D.C. , conducting a lucrative practice including many cases before the Supreme Court , then conveniently located in a room of the Capitol . His law partners in New Orleans took care of his firms affairs there . About this time Benjamin sold his interest in Bellechasse , lacking the time to deal with plantation business . Spokesman for slavery . Benjamins view that slavery should continue was based in his belief that citizens had a right to their property as guaranteed by the Constitution . As Butler put it , he could no more see that it was right for Northern people to rob him of his slave than it would be for him to connive at horse stealing . He avoided the arguments of some that the slaves were inferior beings , and that their position was ordained by God : Evans ascribes this to Benjamin not being raised as a slaveowner , but coming to it later in life . Benjamin joined in a widespread view of white Southerners that the African American would not be ready for emancipation for many years , if ever . They feared that freeing the slaves would ruin many and lead to murders and rapes by the newly liberated of their former masters and mistresses . Such a massacre had been feared by Southerners since the Haitian Revolution , the violent revolt known as Santo Domingo in the South , in which the slaves of what became Haiti killed many whites and mulattoes in 1804 while gaining independence from French control . When the anti-slavery book Uncle Toms Cabin was published in 1852 , Benjamin spoke out against Harriet Beecher Stowes portrayal . He said that slaves were for the most part well treated , and plantation punishments , such as whipping or branding , were more merciful than sentences of imprisonment that a white man might receive in the North for similar conduct . In early 1854 , Senator Douglas introduced his Kansas–Nebraska Bill , calling for popular sovereignty to determine whether the Kansas and Nebraska territories should enter the Union as slave or free states . Depending on the outcome of such elections , slavery might spread to territories closed to it under the Missouri Compromise of 1820 . In the debate over the bill , Benjamin defended this change as returning to the traditions of the fathers , that the federal government not legislate on the subject of slavery . He said that the South merely wished to be left alone . The bill passed , but its passage had drastic political effects , as the differences between North and South that had been settled by both the 1820 and 1850 compromises were reopened . The Whig Party was torn apart North from South , with many Northern Whigs joining the new Republican Party , a group pledged to oppose the spread of slavery . Benjamin continued to caucus with the remains of the Whig Party through 1854 and 1855 , but as a member of a legislative minority , he had little influence on legislation , and received no important committee assignments . In May 1856 Benjamin joined the Democrats , stating they had the principles of the old-time Whig Party . He indicated , in a letter to constituents , that as Northern Whigs had failed to vote to uphold the rights granted to Southern states in the Constitution , the Whigs , as a national party , were no more . At a state dinner given by Pierce , Benjamin first met Secretary of War Jefferson Davis , whose wife Varina described the Louisiana senator as having rather the air of a witty bon vivant than of a great senator . The two men , both ambitious for leadership in the South and the nation , formed a relationship that Evans describes as respectful but wary . The two had occasional differences ; when in 1858 , Davis , by then a Mississippi senator , was irritated by Benjamins questioning him on a military bill and suggested that Benjamin was acting as a paid attorney , the Louisianan challenged him to a duel . Davis apologized . Benjamin , in his speeches in the Senate , took the position that the Union was a compact by the states from which any of them could secede . Nevertheless , he understood that any dissolution would not be peaceful , stating in 1856 that dreadful will be the internecine war that must ensue . In 1859 , Benjamin was elected to a second term , but allegations of involvement in land scandals and the fact that upstate legislators objected to both of Louisianas senators being from New Orleans stretched the contest to 42 ballots before he prevailed . Secession crisis . Benjamin worked to deny Douglas the 1860 Democratic presidential nomination , feeling he had turned against the South . Douglas contended that although the Supreme Court , in Dred Scott v . Sandford , had stated Congress could not restrict slavery in the territories , the people of each territory could pass legislation to bar it . This position was anathema to the South . Benjamin praised Douglass opponent in his re-election bid , former congressman Abraham Lincoln , for at least being true to his principles as an opponent of the expansion of slavery , whereas the senator considered Douglas to be a hypocrite . Benjamin was joined in his opposition to Douglas by Senator Davis ; the two were so successful that the 1860 convention was not able to nominate anyone and split into Northern and Southern factions . The Northerners backed Douglas while Southern delegates chose Vice President John C . Breckinridge of Kentucky . Despite their agreement in opposing Douglas , Benjamin and Davis differed on some race issues : in May , Benjamin voted for a bill to aid Africans liberated by U.S . naval vessels from illegal slave ships , in order to return them to their native continent from Key West . Davis and many other Southerners opposed the bill . Between June and December 1860 Benjamin was almost entirely absorbed in the case of United States v . Castillero that was tried in San Francisco during the latter part of that period . The case concerned a land grant by the former Mexican government of California . Castillero had leased part of his land to British mining companies , and when American authorities ruled the grant invalid , they hired Benjamin ; he spent four months in San Francisco working on the case . The trial began in October , and Benjamin gave an address lasting six days . The local correspondent for The New York Times wrote that Benjamin , a distinguished stranger , drew the largest crowds to the courtroom and the Senator is making this terribly tedious case interesting . Benjamin sailed for New York once the case was submitted for decision in early November . The courts ruling , rendered in January 1861 , was substantially for the company but , not satisfied , it appealed . It lost the case entirely to an adverse decision by the U.S . Supreme Court , three justices dissenting , the following year . Benjamin was by then a Confederate Cabinet officer , and could not argue the case . His co-counsel filed his brief with the court . By the time Benjamin returned to the East Coast , the Republican candidate , Lincoln , had been elected president , and there was talk , in Louisiana and elsewhere , of secession from the Union . The New Orleans Picayune reported that Benjamin favored secession only in the last resort . On December 23 , 1860 , another Louisiana periodical , the Delta , printed a letter from Benjamin dated the eighth stating that , as the people of the North were of unalterable hostility to their Southern brethren , the latter should depart from the government common to them . He also signed a joint letter from Southern congressmen to their constituents , urging the formation of a confederation of the seceding states . According to a letter reportedly written by Benjamin during the crisis , he saw secession as a means of obtaining more favorable terms in a reformed Union . With Southern opinion turning in favor of secession , Benjamin made a farewell speech in the Senate on December 31 , 1860 , to a packed gallery , desirous of hearing one of the Souths most eloquent voices . They were not disappointed ; Evans writes that historians consider Benjamins farewell .. . one of the great speeches in American history . Benjamin foresaw that the Souths departure would lead to civil war : According to Geoffrey D . Cunningham in his article on Benjamins role in secession , Swept up in the popular cries for independence , Benjamin willingly went out with the Southern tide . He and his Louisiana colleague , John Slidell , resigned from the U.S . Senate on February 4 , 1861 , nine days after their state voted to secede from the Union . Confederate statesman . Attorney General . Fearful of arrest as a rebel once he left the Senate , Benjamin quickly departed Washington for New Orleans . On the day of Benjamins resignation , the Provisional Confederate States Congress gathered in Montgomery , Alabama , and soon chose Davis as president . Davis was sworn in as provisional Confederate States President on February 18 , 1861 . At home in New Orleans for , it would prove , the last time , Benjamin addressed a rally on Washingtons Birthday , February 22 , 1861 . On February 25 , Davis appointed Benjamin , still in New Orleans , as attorney general ; the Louisianan was approved immediately and unanimously by the provisional Congress . Davis thus became the first chief executive in North America to appoint a Jew to his Cabinet . Davis , in his memoirs , remarked that he chose Benjamin because he had a very high reputation as a lawyer , and my acquaintance with him in the Senate had impressed me with the lucidity of his intellect , his systematic habits , and capacity for labor . Meade suggested that Davis wanted to have a Louisianan in his Cabinet , but that a smarter course of action would have been to send Benjamin abroad to win over the European governments . Butler called Benjamins appointment a waste of good material . Historian William C . Davis , in his volume on the formation of the Confederate government , notes , For some there was next to nothing to do , none more so than Benjamin . The role of the attorney general in a Confederacy that did not yet have federal courts or marshals was so minimal that initial layouts for the building housing the government in Montgomery allotted no space to the Justice Department . Meade found the time that Benjamin spent as attorney general to be fruitful , as it allowed him the opportunity to judge Daviss character and to ingratiate himself with the president . Benjamin served as a host , entertaining dignitaries and others Davis had no time to see . At the first Cabinet meeting , Benjamin counseled Davis to have the government buy 150,000 bales of cotton for shipment to the United Kingdom , with the proceeds used to buy arms and for future needs . His advice was not taken , as the Cabinet believed the war would be short and successful . Benjamin was called upon from time to time to render legal opinions , writing on April 1 to assure Treasury Secretary Christopher Memminger that lemons and oranges could enter the Confederacy duty-free , but walnuts could not . Once Virginia joined the Confederacy , the capital was moved to Richmond , though against Benjamins advice—he believed that the city was too close to the North . Nevertheless , he traveled there with his brother-in-law , Jules St . Martin ; the two lived in the same house throughout the war , and Benjamin probably procured the young mans job at the War Department . Although Alabamas Leroy Walker was Secretary of War , Davis—a war hero and former U.S . War Secretary—considered himself more qualified and gave many orders himself . When the Confederates were unable to follow up their victory at the First Battle of Manassas by threatening Washington , Walker was criticized in the press . In September , Walker resigned to join the army as a brigadier general , and Davis appointed Benjamin in his place . Butler wrote that Davis had found the cheerfully competent Benjamin a most useful member of the official family , and thought him suited for almost any post in it . In addition to his appointment as War Secretary , Benjamin continued to act as Attorney General until November 15 , 1861 . Secretary of War . As War Secretary , Benjamin was responsible for a territory stretching from Virginia to Texas . It was his job , with Davis looking over his shoulder , to supervise the Confederate Army and to feed , supply , and arm it in a nascent country with almost no arms manufacturers . Accordingly , Benjamin saw his job as closely tied to foreign affairs , as the Confederacy was dependent on imports to supply its troops . Davis had chosen a defensive war strategy : the Confederacy would await invasion by the Union and then seek to defeat its armies until Lincoln tired of sending them . Davis and Benjamin worked together closely , and as Davis came to realize that his subordinate was loyal to the Confederacy and to Davis personally , he returned complete trust in Benjamin . Varina Davis wrote , It was to me a curious spectacle , the steady approximation to a thorough friendliness of the President and his War Minister . It was a very gradual rapprochement , but all the more solid for that reason . In his months as War Secretary , Benjamin sent thousands of communications . According to Evans , Benjamin initially turn [ ed ] prejudice to his favor and play [ ed ] on the Southerners instinctive respect for the Jewish mind with a brilliant performance . Nevertheless , Benjamin faced difficulties that he could do little to solve . The Confederacy lacked sufficient soldiers , trained officers to command them , naval and civilian ships , manufacturing capacity to make ships and many weapons , and powder for guns and cannon . The Union had those things and moved to block the Souths access to European supplies , both by blockades and by buying up supplies that the South might have secured . Other problems included drunkenness among the men and their officers and uncertainty as to when and where the expected Northern invasion would begin . Also , Benjamin had no experience of the military or of the executive branch of the government , placing him in a poor position to contradict Davis . An insurgency against the Confederacy developed in staunchly pro-Union East Tennessee in late 1861 , and at Daviss order , Benjamin sent troops to crush it . Once it was put down , Benjamin and Davis were in a quandary about what to do about its leader , William Parson Brownlow , who had been captured , and eventually allowed him to cross to Union-controlled territory in the hope that it would cause Lincoln to release Confederate prisoners . While Brownlow was in Southern custody , he stated that he expected , no more mercy from Benjamin than was shown by his illustrious predecessors towards Jesus Christ . Benjamin had difficulty in managing the Confederacys generals . He quarreled with General P.G.T . Beauregard , a war hero since his victory at First Manassas . Beauregard sought to add a rocket battery to his command , an action that Benjamin stated was not authorized by law . He was most likely relaying Daviss views , and when challenged by Beauregard , Davis backed Benjamin , advising the general to dismiss this small matter from your mind . In the hostile masses before you , you have a subject more worthy of your contemplation . In January 1862 , Stonewall Jacksons forces had advanced in western Virginia , leaving troops under William W . Loring at the small town of Romney . Distant from Jacksons other forces and ill-supplied , Loring and other officers petitioned the War Department to be recalled , and Benjamin , after consulting Davis , so ordered after he used the pretext of rumored Union troop movements in the area . Jackson complied but , in a letter to Benjamin , asked to be removed from the front or to resign . High-ranking Confederates soothed Jackson into withdrawing his request . The power of state governments was another flaw in the Confederacy and a problem for Benjamin . Georgia Governor Joseph E . Brown repeatedly demanded arms and the return of Georgian troops to defend his state . North Carolina Governor Henry T . Clark also wanted troops returned to him to defend his coastline . After Cape Hatteras , on the North Carolinas coast , was captured , Confederate forces fell back to Roanoke Island . If it fell , a number of ports in that area of the coast would be at risk , and Norfolk , Virginia , might be threatened by land . General Henry A . Wise , commanding Roanoke , also demanded troops and supplies . He received little from Benjamins War Department that had no arms to send , as the Union blockade was preventing supplies from being imported . That Confederate armories were empty was a fact not publicly known at the time . Benjamin and Davis hoped that the islands defenses could hold off the Union forces , but an overwhelming number of troops were landed in February 1862 at an undefended point , and the Confederates were quickly defeated . Combined with Union General Ulysses S . Grants capture of Fort Henry , the site of the Battle of Fort Henry , and Fort Donelson in Tennessee , it was the most severe military blow yet to the Confederacy , and there was a public outcry against Benjamin , led by General Wise . It was revealed a quarter-century after the war that Benjamin and Davis had agreed for Benjamin to act as a scapegoat , rather than to reveal the shortage of arms . Not knowing it , the Richmond Examiner accused Benjamin of stupid complacency . Diarist Mary Chestnut recorded that the mob calls him Mr . Daviss pet Jew . The Wise family never forgave Benjamin , to the detriment of his memory in Southern eyes . Wises son , Captain Jennings Wise , fell at Roanoke Island , and Henrys grandson John Wise , interviewed in 1936 , told Meade that the fat Jew sitting at his desk was to blame . Another of the generals sons , also named John Wise , wrote a highly-popular book about the South in the Civil War , The End of an Era ( 1899 ) in which he said that Benjamin had more brains and less heart than any other civic leader in the South.. . The Confederacy and its collapse were no more to Judah P . Benjamin than last years birds nest . The Confederate States Congress established a special committee to investigate the military losses , and Benjamin testified before it . The Secretary of State , Virginias Robert M . T . Hunter , had quarreled with Davis and resigned , and in March 1862 , Benjamin was appointed as his replacement . Varina Davis noted that some in Congress had sought Benjamins ouster because of reverses which no one could have averted , [ so ] the President promoted him to the State Department with a personal and aggrieved sense of injustice done to the man who had now become his friend and right hand . Richmond diarist Sallie Ann Brock Putnam wrote , Mr . Benjamin was not forgiven.. . this act on the part of the President [ in promoting Benjamin ] , in defiance of public opinion , was considered as unwise , arbitrary , and a reckless risking of his reputation and popularity.. . [ Benjamin ] was ever afterwards unpopular in the Confederacy , and particularly in Virginia . Despite the promotion , the committee reported that any blame for the defeat at Roanoke Island should attach to Wises superior , Major General Benjamin Huger , and the late secretary of war , J.P . Benjamin . Confederate Secretary of State . Throughout his time as Secretary of State , Benjamin tried to induce Britain and France to recognize the Confederacy—no other nation was likely to do so unless these powerful states led the way . The protection this would bring to the Confederacy and its foreign trade was hoped to be enough to save it . Basis of Confederate foreign policy . By the 1850s , cheap Southern cotton fueled the industries of Europe . The mills of Britain , developed during the first half of the 19th century , by 1860 used more cotton than the rest of the industrialized world combined . Cotton imports to Britain came almost entirely from the American South . According to an article in The Economist in 1853 , let any great social or physical convulsion visit the United States , and England would feel the shock from Lands End to John OGroats . The lives of nearly two million of our countrymen .. . hang upon a thread . In 1855 , an Ohioan , David Christy , published Cotton Is King : or Slavery in the Light of Political Economy . Christy argued that the flow of cotton was so important to the industrialized world that cutting it off would be devastating—not least to the Northern United States , as cotton was by far the largest U.S . export . This became known as the King Cotton theory , to which Davis was an enthusiastic subscriber . Benjamin also spoke in favor of the theory , though Butler suspected he may have known better , based on his firsthand knowledge of Europe . When war came , Davis , against Benjamins advice , imposed an embargo on exports of cotton to nations that had not recognized the Confederate government , hoping to force such relations , especially with Britain and France . As the Union was attempting to prevent cotton from being exported from Confederate ports by a blockade and other means , this played to a certain extent into the hands of Lincoln and his Secretary of State , William H . Seward . Additionally , when the war began , Britain had a large surplus of cotton in warehouses , enough to keep the mills running at least part-time for a year or so . Although many prominent Britons believed the South would prevail , there was a reluctance to recognize Richmond until it had gained the military victories to put its foe at bay . Much of this was due to hatred of slavery , though part of it stemmed from a desire to remain on good terms with the U.S . government—due to a drought in 1862 , Britain was forced to import large quantities of wheat and flour from the United States . Also , Britain feared the expansionist Americans might invade the vulnerable Canadian colonies , as Seward hinted they might . Appointment . Davis appointed Benjamin as Secretary of State on March 17 , 1862 . He was promptly confirmed by the Confederate Senate . A motion to reconsider the confirmation was lost , 13–8 . According to Butler , the appointment of Benjamin brought Davis little political support , as the average white Southerner did not understand Benjamin and somewhat disliked him . As there was not much open opposition to Davis in the South at the time , Benjamins appointment was not criticized , but was not given much praise either . Meade noted , the silence of many influential newspapers was ominous . [ Benjamins ] promotion in the face of such bitter criticism of his conduct in the war office caused the first serious lack of confidence in the Davis government . Meade wrote that , since the Secretary of State would have to work closely with Jefferson Davis , Benjamin was likely the person best suited to the position . In addition to his relationship with the President , Benjamin was very close to the Confederate First Lady , Varina Davis , with whom he exchanged confidences regarding war events and the Presidents health . Together , and by turns , they could help him over the most difficult days . For recreation , Benjamin frequented Richmonds gambling dens , playing poker and faro . He was incensed when British correspondent William Howard Russell publicized his gambling , feeling that it was an invasion of his private affairs . He was also displeased that Russell depicted him as a losing gambler , when his reputation was the opposite . Early days ( 1862–1863 ) . The Trent Affair had taken place before Benjamin took office as Secretary of State : a U.S . warship had in October 1861 removed Confederate diplomats James Mason and James Slidell ( Benjamins former Louisiana colleague in the U.S . Senate ) and their private secretaries from a British-flagged vessel . The crisis brought the U.S . and Britain near war , and was resolved by their release . By the time of Benjamins appointment , Mason and Slidell were at their posts in London and Paris as putative ministers from the Confederacy , seeking recognition by the governments of Britain and France . With difficult communications between the South and Europe ( dispatches were often lost or intercepted ) , Benjamin was initially reluctant to change the instructions given the agents by Secretary Hunter . Communications improved by 1863 , with Benjamin ordering that dispatches be sent to Bermuda or the Bahamas , from where they reached the Confederacy by blockade runner . As a practical matter , Benjamins chances of gaining European recognition rose and fell with the military fortunes of the Confederacy . When , at the end of June 1862 , Confederate General Robert E . Lee turned back Union General George B . McClellans Peninsula Campaign in the Seven Days Battles , ending the immediate threat to Richmond , Emperor Napoleon III of France favorably received proposals from Benjamin , through Slidell , for the French to intervene on the Confederacys behalf in exchange for trade concessions . Nevertheless , the Emperor proved unwilling to act without Britain . In August 1862 , Mason , angered by the refusal of British government ministers to meet with him , threatened to resign his post . Benjamin soothed him , stating that while Mason should not submit to insulting treatment , resignation should not take place without discussion . The bloody standoff at Antietam in September 1862 that ended Lees first major incursion into the North gave Lincoln the confidence in Union arms he needed to announce the Emancipation Proclamation . British newspapers mocked Lincoln for hypocrisy in freeing slaves only in Confederate-held areas , where he could exercise no authority . British officials had been shocked by the outcome of Antietam—they had expected Lee to deliver another brilliant victory—and now considered an additional reason for intervening in the conflict . Antietam , the bloodiest day of the war , had been a stalemate ; they read this as presaging an overall deadlock in the war , with North and South at each others throats for years as Britains mills sat empty and its people starved . France agreed with this assessment . The final few months of 1862 saw a high water mark for Benjamins diplomacy . In October , the British Chancellor of the Exchequer , William Gladstone , expressed confidence in Confederate victory , stating in Newcastle , There is no doubt that Jefferson Davis and other leaders of the South have made an army . They are making , it appears , a navy , and they have made what is more than either—they have made a nation . Later that month , Napoleon proposed to the British and Russians ( a U.S . ally ) that they combine to require a six months armistice for mediation , and an end to the blockade ; if they did so , it would likely lead to Southern independence . The proposal divided the British Cabinet . In mid-November , at the urgings of Palmerston and War Secretary George Cornewall Lewis , members decided to continue to wait for the South to defeat Lincolns forces before recognizing it . Although proponents of intervention were prepared to await another opportunity , growing realization among the British public that the Emancipation Proclamation meant that Union victory would be slaverys end made succoring the South politically infeasible . Benjamin had not been allowed to offer the inducement for intervention that might have succeeded—abolition of slavery in the Confederacy , and because of that , Meade deemed his diplomacy seriously , perhaps fatally handicapped . The Secretary of State blamed Napoleon for the failure , believing the Emperor had betrayed the Confederacy to get the ruler the French had installed in Mexico , Maximilian , accepted by the United States . In Paris , Slidell had been approached by the banking firm Erlanger et Cie . The company offered to float a loan to benefit the Confederacy . The proposed terms provided a large commission to Erlanger and would entitle the bondholder to cotton at a discounted price once the South won the war . Baron Frederic Emile dErlanger , head of the firm , journeyed to Richmond in early 1863 , and negotiated with Benjamin , although the transaction properly fell within the jurisdiction of Treasury Secretary Memminger . The banker softened the terms somewhat , though they were still lucrative for his firm . Benjamin felt the deal was worth it , as it would provide the Confederacy with badly needed funds to pay its agents in Europe . Increasing desperation ( 1863–1865 ) . The twin rebel defeats at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in early July 1863 made it unlikely that Britain , or any other nation , would recognize a slaveholding Confederacy staggering towards oblivion . Accordingly , in August , Benjamin wrote to Mason telling him that as Davis believed the British unwilling to recognize the South , he was free to leave the country . In October , with Davis absent on a trip to Tennessee , Benjamin heard that the British consul in Savannah had forbidden British subjects in the Confederate Army from being used against the United States . The Secretary of State convened a Cabinet meeting , that expelled the remaining British consuls in Confederate-controlled territory , then notified Davis by letter . Evans suggests that Benjamins actions made him the Confederacys acting president—the first Jewish president . Benjamin supervised the Confederate Secret Service , responsible for covert operations in the North , and financed former federal Interior Secretary Jacob Thompson to work behind the scenes financing operations that might undermine Lincoln politically . Although efforts were made to boost Peace Democrats , the most prominent actions proved to be the St . Albans Raid ( an attack on a Vermont town from Canada ) and an unsuccessful attempt to burn New York City . In the aftermath of the war , these activities led to accusations that Benjamin and Davis were involved in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln , as one Confederate courier , John H . Surratt , who had received money from Benjamin , was tried for involvement in the conspiracy , though Surratt was acquitted . As the Confederacys military fortunes flagged , there was increasing consideration of what would have been unthinkable in 1861—enlisting male slaves in the army and emancipating them for their service . In August 1863 , B . H . Micou , a relative of a former law partner , wrote to Benjamin proposing the use of black soldiers . Benjamin responded that this was not feasible , principally for legal and financial reasons , and that the slaves were performing valuable services for the Confederacy where they were . According to Meade , Benjamin did not offer any objections to Micous plan except on practical grounds—he was not repelled by the radical nature of the proposal . A British financial agent for the Confederacy , James Spence , also urged emancipation as a means of gaining British recognition . Benjamin allowed Spence to remain in his position for almost a year despite the differences with Confederate policy , before finally dismissing him in late 1863 . Despite official neutrality , tens of thousands from British-ruled Ireland were enlisting in the Union cause ; Benjamin sent an agent to Ireland hoping to impede those efforts and Dudley Mann to Rome to urge Pope Pius IX to forbid Catholic Irish from enlisting . The Pope did not do so , though he responded sympathetically . In January 1864 , Confederate General Patrick Cleburne , of the Army of Tennessee , proposed emancipating and arming the slaves . Davis , when he heard of it , turned it down and ordered it kept secret . Evans notes that Benjamin had been thinking in similar terms for much longer , and perhaps the recommendation of so respected an officer was just the impetus he needed . The year 1864 was a disastrous one for the Confederacy , with Lee forced within siege lines at Petersburg and Union General William T . Sherman sacking Atlanta and devastating Georgia on his march to the sea . Benjamin urged Davis to send the secretarys fellow Louisianan , Duncan Kenner , to Paris and London , with an offer of emancipation in exchange for recognition . Davis was only willing to offer gradual emancipation , and both Napoleon and Palmerston rejected the proposal . Benjamin continued to press the matter , addressing a mass meeting in Richmond in February 1865 in support of arming the slaves and emancipating them . A bill eventually emerged from the Confederate Congress in March , but it had many restrictions , and it was too late to affect the outcome of the war . In January 1865 , Lincoln , who had been re-elected the previous November , sent Francis Blair as an emissary to Richmond , hoping to secure reunion without further bloodshed . Both sides agreed to a meeting at Fort Monroe , Virginia . Benjamin drafted vague instructions for the Southern delegation , led by Vice President Alexander Stephens , but Davis insisted on modifying them to refer to North and South as two nations . This was the point that scuttled the Hampton Roads Conference ; Lincoln would not consider the South a separate entity , insisting on union and emancipation . Escape . By March 1865 , the Confederate military situation was desperate . Most major population centers had fallen , and General Lees defense of Richmond was faltering against massive Union forces . Nevertheless , Benjamin retained his usual good humor ; on the evening of April 1 , with evacuation likely , he was at the State Department offices , singing a silly ballad of his own composition , The Exit from Shocko Hill , a graveyard district located in Richmond . On April 2 , Lee sent word that he could only keep Union troops away from the line of the Richmond and Danville Railroad—the only railroad still running out of Richmond—for a short time . Those who did not leave Richmond would be trapped . At 11:00 pm that night , the Confederate President and Cabinet left aboard a Danville-bound train . Navy Secretary Stephen R . Mallory recorded that Benjamins hope and good humor [ was ] inexhaustible .. . with a never-give-up-the-ship sort of air , referred to other great national causes which had been redeemed from far gloomier reverses than ours . In Danville , Benjamin shared a room with another refugee , in the home of a banker . For a week , Danville served as capital of the Confederacy , until word came of Lees surrender at Appomattox Court House . With no army to shield the Confederate government , it would be captured by Union forces within days , so Davis and his Cabinet , including Benjamin , fled south to Greensboro , North Carolina . Five minutes after the train passed over the Haw River , Union cavalry raiders burned the bridge , trapping the trains that followed Daviss . Greensboro , fearing wrathful reprisal from the Union , gave the fugitives little hospitality , forcing Benjamin and the other Cabinet members to bunk in a railroad boxcar . Davis hoped to reach Texas , where rumor had it large Confederate forces remained active . The Cabinet met in Greensboro , and Generals Beauregard and Joseph E . Johnston sketched the bleak military situation . Davis , backed as usual by Benjamin , was determined to continue to fight . The refugee government moved south on April 15 . With the train tracks cut , most Cabinet members rode on horseback , but the heavyset Benjamin declared he would not ride on one until he had to , and shared an ambulance with Jules St . Martin and others . For the entertainment of his companions , Benjamin recited Tennysons Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington . In Charlotte , Benjamin stayed in the home of a Jewish merchant as surrender negotiations dragged . Here , Benjamin abandoned Daviss plan to fight on , telling him and the Cabinet that the cause was hopeless . When negotiations failed , Benjamin was part of the shrunken remnant of associates that moved on with Davis . The party reached Abbeville , South Carolina on May 2 , and Benjamin told Davis that he wanted to separate from the presidential party temporarily , and go to the Bahamas to be able to send instructions to foreign agents before rejoining Davis in Texas . According to historian William C . Davis , the pragmatic Secretary of State almost certainly never had any intention of returning to the South once gone . When he bade John Reagan goodbye , the postmaster general asked where Benjamin was going . To the farthest place from the United States , if it takes me to the middle of China . With one companion , Benjamin travelled south in a poor carriage , pretending to be a Frenchman who spoke no English . He had some gold with him , and left much of it for the support of relatives . He was traveling in the same general direction as the Davis party , but evaded capture whereas Davis was taken by Union troops . Benjamin reached Monticello , Florida , on May 13 to learn Union troops were in nearby Madison . Benjamin decided to continue alone on horseback , east and south along Floridas Gulf Coast , pretending to be a South Carolina farmer . John T . Lesley , James McKay , and C . J . Munnerlyn assisted in hiding Benjamin in a swamp , before eventually transporting him to Gamble Mansion in Ellenton , on the southwest coast of Florida . From there , assisted by the blockade runner Captain Frederick Tresca , he reached Bimini in the Bahamas . His escape from Florida to England was not without hardship : at one point he pretended to be a Jewish cook on Trescas vessel , to deceive American soldiers who inspected it—one of whom stated it was the first time he had seen a Jew do menial labor . The small sponge-carrying vessel on which he left Bimini bound for Nassau exploded on the way , and he and the three black crewmen eventually managed to return to Bimini . Trescas ship was still there , and he chartered it to take him to Nassau . From there , he took a ship for Havana , and on August 6 , 1865 , left there for Britain . He was not yet done with disaster ; his ship caught fire after departing St . Thomas , and the crew put out the flames only with difficulty . On August 30 , 1865 , Judah Benjamin arrived at Southampton , in Britain . Exile . Benjamin spent a week in London assisting Mason in winding up Confederate affairs . He then went to Paris to visit his wife and daughter for the first time since before the war . Friends in Paris urged him to join a mercantile firm there , but Benjamin felt that such a career would be subject to interference by Seward and the United States . Accordingly , Benjamin sought to shape his old course in a new country , resuming his legal career as an English barrister . Most of Benjamins property had been destroyed or confiscated , and he needed to make a living for himself and his relatives . He had money in the United Kingdom as he had , during the war , purchased cotton for transport to Liverpool by blockade runner . On January 13 , 1866 , Benjamin enrolled at Lincolns Inn , and soon thereafter was admitted to read law under Charles Pollock , son of Chief Baron Charles Edward Pollock , who took him as a pupil at his fathers direction . Benjamin , despite his age of 54 , was initially required , like his thirty-years-younger peers , to attend for twelve terms , that is , three years . According to Benjamins obituary in The Times , though , the secretary of the Confederacy was dispensed from the regular three years of unprofitable dining , and called to the bar on June 6 , 1866 . Once qualified as a barrister , Benjamin chose to join the Northern Circuit , as it included Liverpool , where his connections in New Orleans and knowledge of mercantile affairs would do him the most good . In an early case , he defended two former Confederate agents against a suit by the United States to gain assets said to belong to that nation . Although he lost that case ( United States v Wagner ) on appeal , he was successful against his former enemies in United States v McRae ( 1869 ) . He had need of rapid success , as most of his remaining assets were lost in the collapse of the firm of Overend , Gurney and Company . He was reduced to penning columns on international affairs for The Daily Telegraph . According to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , repeating his Louisiana progress , Benjamin made his reputation among his new peers by publication . In an early representation , he wrote a complex governing document for an insurance firm that other counsel had declined despite the substantial fee , due to the early deadline . After brief study , Benjamin wrote out the document , never making a correction or erasure . In 1868 , Benjamin published A Treatise on the Law of Sale of Personal Property , With Reference to the American Decisions , to the French Code , and Civil Law . This work , known for short as Benjamin on Sales , became a classic in both Britain and America , and launched his career as a barrister . It went through three editions prior to Benjamins death in 1884 ; an eighth edition was published in 2010 . Today Benjamins Sale of Goods forms part of the common law library of key practitioner texts on English civil law . In 1867 , Benjamin had been indicted in Richmond , along with Davis , Lee , and others , for waging war against the United States . The indictment was soon quashed . Davis visited London in 1868 , free on bail , and Benjamin advised him not to take legal action against the author of a book that had angered Davis , as it would only give the book publicity . Benjamin corresponded with Davis , and met with him on the former rebel presidents visits to Europe during Benjamins lifetime , though the two were never as close as they had been during the war . Benjamin was created a Palatine silk , entitled to the precedence of a Queens Counsel within Lancashire , in July 1869 . There was a large creation of Queens Counsel in early 1872 , but Benjamin was not included ; it was stated in his Times obituary that he had put his name forward . Later that year , he argued the case of Potter v Rankin before the House of Lords and so impressed Lord Hatherley that a patent of precedence was soon made out , giving Benjamin the privileges of a Queens Counsel . As he became prominent as a barrister , he discontinued practice before juries ( at which he was less successful ) in favor of trials or appeals before judges . In his last years in practice , he demanded an additional fee of 100 guineas ( £105 ) to appear in any court besides the House of Lords and the Privy Council . In 1875 , he was made a bencher of Lincolns Inn . In 1881 , Benjamin represented Arthur Orton , the Tichborne claimant , before the House of Lords . Orton , a butcher from Wagga Wagga , New South Wales , had claimed to be Sir Roger Tichborne , a baronet who had vanished some years previously , and Orton had perjured himself in the course of defending his claim . Benjamin sought to overturn the sentence of 14 years passed on Orton , but was not successful . In his final years , Benjamin suffered from health issues . In 1880 , he was badly injured in a fall from a tram in Paris . He also developed diabetes . He suffered a heart attack in Paris at the end of 1882 , and his doctor ordered him to retire . His health improved enough to allow him to travel to London in June 1883 for a dinner in his honor attended by the English bench and bar . He returned to Paris and suffered a relapse of his heart trouble in early 1884 . Natalie Benjamin had the last rites of the Catholic Church administered to her Jewish husband before his death in Paris on May 6 , 1884 , and funeral services were held in a church prior to Judah Benjamins interment at Père Lachaise Cemetery in the St . Martin family crypt . His grave did not bear his name until 1938 , when a plaque was placed by the Paris chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy . Appraisal . Benjamin was the first U.S . senator to profess the Jewish faith . In 1845 , David Yulee , born David Levy , the first cousin of Judah Benjamin’s father , had been sworn in for Florida , but he renounced Judaism and eventually formally converted to Christianity . As an adult , Benjamin married a non-Jew , was not a member of a synagogue , and took no part in communal affairs . He rarely spoke of his Jewish background publicly , but was not ashamed of it . Some of the stories told of Benjamin that touch on this subject come from Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise , who referred to an address Benjamin delivered in a San Francisco synagogue on Yom Kippur in 1860 , though whether this occurred is open to question as Wise was not there and it was not reported in the citys Jewish newspaper . One quote from Senate debate that remains part of the Benjamin legend , according to Evans , followed an allusion to Moses as a freer of slaves by a Northern senator , hinting that Benjamin was an Israelite in Egyptian clothing . Benjamin is supposed to have replied , It is true that I am a Jew , and when my ancestors were receiving their Ten Commandments from the immediate hand of deity , amidst the thunderings and lightnings of Mount Sinai , the ancestors of my opponent were herding swine in the forests of Great Britain . However , this anecdote is likely apocryphal as the same exchange between British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli ( a converted Jew ) and Daniel OConnell took place in the House of Commons in 1835 . Edgar M . Kahn , in his journal article on the 1860 California sojourn , wrote , Benjamins life is an example of a mans determination to overcome almost insurmountable barriers by industry , perseverance , and intelligent use of a remarkable brain . This brilliance was recognized by contemporaries ; Salomon de Rothschild , in 1861 , deemed Benjamin the greatest mind in North America . Nevertheless , according to Meade , he was given to quixotic enthusiasms and was sometimes too cocksure of his knowledge . Ginsburg said of Benjamin , he rose to the top of the legal profession twice in one lifetime , on two continents , beginning his first ascent as a raw youth and his second as a fugitive minister of a vanquished power . Davis , after Benjamins death , deemed him the most able member of his Cabinet , and said that the lawyers postwar career had fully vindicated his confidence in him . According to Brook , in every age , a heroic sage struggles to rescue Benjamin from obscurity—and invariably fails . Benjamin left no memoir and destroyed his personal papers , by which the task of future researchers and historians was made exceedingly difficult and laborious . After his death , Benjamin was rarely written about , in contrast to Davis and other Confederate leaders . Part of this was due to Benjamin depriving his potential biographers of source material , but even Davis , in his two-volume war memoir , mentions him only twice . Evans suggests that as Davis wrote the books in part to defend and memorialize his place in history , it would not have been characteristic of him to give much credit to Benjamin . Davis , in the midst of postwar business struggles , may have resented Benjamins success as a barrister , or may have feared that allegations of involvement in Lincolns assassination would again be made against the two men . Brook concurs that Benjamins postwar success , that began as Davis lay in prison and other Confederates struggled for survival , may have soured Southerners towards the former secretary , but that anti-Semitism was also likely a factor . For the guardians of Confederate memory after Reconstruction , Benjamin became a kind of pet Jew , generally ignored , but then trotted out at opportune moments to defend the segregated South against charges of bigotry . Those writing on Jewish history were reluctant to glorify a slaveowner , and reacted to Benjamins story with embarrassed dismay . This was especially so in the two generations following 1865 when the question of the Civil War remained an active issue in American politics . It was not until the 1930s that Benjamin began to be mentioned as a significant figure in the history of the United States , and in the chronicle of the Jews there . Nevertheless , Tom Mountain , in his 2009 article on Benjamin , points out that Benjamin was respected in the South as a leader of the rebel cause for a century after the Civil War , and that Southern schoolchildren who could not name the current Secretary of State in Washington knew about Benjamin . Reform Rabbi Daniel Polish noted in 1988 that Benjamin represent [ ed ] a significant dilemma [ in ] my years growing up as a Jew both proud of his people and with an intense commitment to the ideals of liberalism and human solidarity that I found embodied in the civil rights movement . Berman recounts a story that during the Civil War , Benjamin was called to the Torah at Beth Ahabah synagogue in Richmond . However , there is no proof of this , nor does Benjamins name appear in any surviving record of the Jews of that city . But whether or not Benjamin practiced Judaism overtly or contributed to Jewish causes , to the Jews of the South , he was a symbol of a coreligionist who was a man among men . According to Evans , Benjamin survives , as he willed it : a shadowy figure in Civil War history . Kahn noted that Benjamin is epitomized as a foremost orator , lawyer , and statesman , without a peer at the bars of two of the worlds greatest nations . Meade questioned whether Benjamins character can ever be fully understood :
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Judah P . Benjamin Judah Philip Benjamin , QC ( August 6 , 1811 – May 6 , 1884 ) was a lawyer and politician who was a United States Senator from Louisiana , a Cabinet officer of the Confederate States and , after his escape to the United Kingdom at the end of the American Civil War , an English barrister . Benjamin was the first Jew to hold a Cabinet position in North America and the first to be elected to the United States Senate who had not renounced his faith . Benjamin was born to Sephardic Jewish parents from London , who had moved to St . Croix in the Danish West Indies when it was occupied by Britain during the Napoleonic Wars . Seeking greater opportunities , his family immigrated to the United States , eventually settling in Charleston , South Carolina . Judah Benjamin attended Yale College but left without graduating . He moved to New Orleans , where he read law and passed the bar . Benjamin rose rapidly both at the bar and in politics . He became a wealthy planter and slaveowner and was elected to and served in both houses of the Louisiana legislature prior to his election by the legislature to the US Senate in 1852 . There , he was an eloquent supporter of slavery . After Louisiana seceded in 1861 , Benjamin resigned as senator and returned to New Orleans . He soon moved to Richmond after Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed him as Attorney General . Benjamin had little to do in that position , but Davis was impressed by his competence and appointed him as Secretary of War . Benjamin firmly supported Davis , and the President reciprocated the loyalty by promoting him to Secretary of State in March 1862 , while Benjamin was being criticized for the rebel defeat at the Battle of Roanoke Island . As Secretary of State , Benjamin attempted to gain official recognition for the Confederacy by France and the United Kingdom , but his efforts were ultimately unsuccessful . To preserve the Confederacy as military defeats made its situation increasingly desperate , he advocated freeing and arming the slaves late in the war , but his proposals were only partially accepted in the closing month of the war . When Davis fled the Confederate capital of Richmond in early 1865 , Benjamin went with him . He left the presidential party and was successful in escaping from the mainland United States , but Davis was captured by Union troops . Benjamin sailed to Great Britain , where he settled and became a barrister , again rising to the top of his profession before retiring in 1883 . He died in Paris the following year . Early and personal life . Judah Philip Benjamin was born on August 6 , 1811 , in St . Croix of the Danish West Indies ( today the United States Virgin Islands ) , a colony then occupied by the British during the Napoleonic Wars . His parents were Sephardi Jews who married in London , Philip Benjamin ( who had been born on the British colony of Nevis ) and the former Rebecca de Mendes . Philip and Rebecca had been shopkeepers and migrated to the West Indies in search of better opportunities . Judah , the third of seven children , was given the same name as an older brother who died in infancy . Following a tradition adhered to by some Sephardi , he was named for his paternal grandfather , who performed the brit milah , or circumcision ceremony . The Benjamins encountered hard times in the Danish West Indies , as normal trade was blocked by the British occupation . In 1813 the Benjamin family moved to Fayetteville , North Carolina , where they had relatives . Philip Benjamin was not financially successful there , and around 1821 moved with his family to Charleston , South Carolina . That city had the largest Jewish community in the United States and a reputation for religious tolerance . Benjamin was learned in his faith but not a successful businessman ; Rebecca earned money for the family by operating a fruit stand near the harbor . Phillip Benjamin was a first cousin and business partner of Moses Elias Levy from the West Indies . Levy also immigrated to the United States , in the early 1820s . Judah and two siblings were boarded with relatives in Fayetteville for about 18 months after the rest of the family moved to Charleston . He attended the Fayetteville Academy , a well-regarded school where his intelligence was recognized . In Charleston , his father was among the founders of the first Reform congregation in the United States . It developed practices that included shorter services conducted in English rather than in Hebrew . Benjamin was ultimately expelled from that community , as he did not keep the Sabbath . The extent of Judahs religious education is uncertain . The boys intelligence was noted by others in Charleston , one of whom offered to finance his education . At the age of 14 , in 1825 , Benjamin entered Yale College , an institution popular among white Southerners ; Vice President John C . Calhoun , a South Carolinian , was among its alumni . Although Benjamin was successful as a student at Yale , he left abruptly in 1827 without completing his course of study . The reasons for this are uncertain : In 1861 , when Louisiana left the Union and Benjamin resigned as a U.S . senator , an abolitionist newspaper alleged that he had been caught as a thief at Yale . He considered bringing suit for libel but litigation was impractical . In 1901 , his sole surviving classmate wrote that Benjamin had been expelled for gambling . One of his biographers , Robert Meade , considered the evidence of wrongdoing by Benjamin to be too strong to be ignored , but noted that at the time Benjamin left Yale , he was only 16 years old . After a brief return to Charleston , Benjamin moved to New Orleans , Louisiana . According to Rabbi Bertram W . Korns volume on that citys Jews , he arrived in New Orleans in 1828 , with no visible assets other than the wit , charm , omnivorous mind and boundless energy with which he would find his place in the sun . After working in a mercantile business , he became a clerk for a law firm , where he began to read law , studying as an apprentice . Knowledge of French was important in practicing law in Louisiana , as the states code was ( and is still ) based on French and Spanish law . To earn money , he tutored French Creoles in English ; he taught the language to Natalie Bauché de St . Martin on the condition that she teach him French . In late 1832 , at age 21 , he was admitted to the bar . Early the following year , Benjamin married Natalie , who was Catholic and from a wealthy French Creole family . As part of her dowry , she brought with her $3,000 and two female slaves , aged 11 and 16 ( together worth about $1,000 ) . Even before the marriage , Natalie St . Martin had scandalized New Orleans society by her conduct . William De Ville , in his journal article on the Benjamin marriage contract , suggests that the St . Martin family was not terribly distraught to be rid of their young daughter and that Benjamin was virtually suborned to marry [ Natalie ] , and did so without hesitation in order to further his ambitions . The marriage was not a success . By the 1840s , Natalie Benjamin was living in Paris with the couples only child , Ninette , whom she raised as a Catholic . Benjamin would visit them annually . While a senator , in the late 1850s he persuaded Natalie to rejoin him and expensively furnished a home in Washington for all three to live in . Natalie and their daughter soon embarked again for France . Benjamin , publicly humiliated by his failure to keep Natalie , consigned the household goods to auction . There were rumors , never substantiated , that Benjamin was impotent and that Natalie was unfaithful . Benjamins troubled married life has led to speculation that he was gay . Daniel Brook , in a 2012 article about Benjamin , suggests that early biographies read as though historians are presenting him as an almost farcically stereotypical gay man and yet wear such impervious heteronormative blinders that they themselves know not what they write . These conjectures were not given scholarly weight until 2001 , when in an introduction to a reprinting of Meades biography of Benjamin , Civil War historian William C . Davis acknowledged cloaked suggestions that he [ Benjamin ] was a homosexual . Louisiana lawyer . Within months of his admission to the bar , Benjamin argued his first case before the Supreme Court of Louisiana and won . Still , clients were slow to come in his first years in practice . He had enough free time to compile and publish , with Thomas Slidell , the Digest of the Reported Decisions of the Superior Court of the Late Territory of Orleans and the Supreme Court of the State of Louisiana in 1834 , which required the analysis of 6,000 cases . The book was an immediate success and helped launch Benjamins career . When Slidell published a revised edition in 1840 , he did so alone , as Benjamin was too busy litigating cases to participate . Benjamin became a specialist in commercial law , of which there was a great deal in New Orleans busy river port—a center of international commerce and the domestic slave trade . By 1840 , the city had become the fourth largest in the United States and among the wealthiest . Many of the best lawyers in the country practiced commercial law there , and Benjamin successfully competed with them . In one case , he successfully represented the seller of a slave against allegations that the seller knew the slave had incurable tuberculosis . Although Benjamin tried some jury cases , he preferred bench trials in commercial cases and was an expert at appeals . In 1842 , Benjamin had a group of cases with international implications . He represented insurance companies being sued for the value of slaves who had revolted aboard the ship Creole in 1841 , as they were being transported in the coastwise slave trade from Virginia to New Orleans . The rebels had sailed the ship to Nassau in the Bahamas , a British colony , where those who came ashore were freed , as Britain had abolished slavery in 1834 . The owners of the slaves brought suit for $150,000 against their insurers , who declined to pay . Benjamin made several arguments , the most prominent of which was that the slaveowners had brought the revolt on themselves by packing the slaves in overcrowded conditions . Benjamin said in his brief to the court : The court ruled for Benjamins clients , although on other grounds . Benjamins brief was widely reprinted , including by abolitionist groups . Historian Eli Evans , Benjamins biographer , does not believe that the argument in the Creole case represented Benjamins personal view ; rather , he was an advocate for his clients in an era when it was usual to write dramatically to distract attention from the weaker points of a case . Evans finds it remarkable and a testament to Benjamin that he could be elected to office in antebellum Louisiana , a slave society , after writing such words . Electoral career . State politician . Benjamin was a supporter of the Whig Party from the time of its formation in the early 1830s . He became increasingly involved in the party , and in 1841 ran unsuccessfully for the New Orleans Board of Aldermen . The following year , he was nominated for the Louisiana House of Representatives . He was elected , though the Democrats alleged fraud : Whig supporters , to obtain the vote at a time when the state had a restrictive property qualification for suffrage , acquired licenses for carriages . A voter did not have to demonstrate that the carriage existed , but his license had to be accepted as evidence of ownership by election officials . The Democratic press blamed Benjamin as the strategist behind this maneuver . In 1844 , the legislature voted to hold a constitutional convention , and Benjamin was chosen as a delegate from New Orleans . At the convention , Benjamin successfully opposed counting a slave as three-fifths of a human being for purposes of representation in state elections , as was done in federal elections . His position prevailed , and slaves were not counted at all for electoral purposes in Louisiana state elections . According to Evans , his tact , courtesy , and ability to find compromises impressed the political elders in all corners of the state . Rabbi Myron Berman , in his history of Jews in Richmond , describes the attitude of antebellum white Southerners toward Jews : By the early 1840s , Benjamin was wealthy from his law practice and , with a partner , bought a sugar cane plantation , Bellechasse . This purchase , and the subsequent construction of a grand house there , advanced Benjamins ambitions ; the planter class controlled Louisiana politics and would trust only a man who also owned substantial land and slaves . The Benjamin marriage was by then failing , and he hoped in vain that his wife would be content at the plantation . Benjamin threw his energy into improving Bellechasse , importing new varieties of sugar cane and adopting up-to-date methods and equipment to extract and process the sugar . He purchased 140 slaves to work the plantation , and had a reputation as a humane slaveowner . Benjamin scaled back his involvement in politics in the late 1840s , distracted by his plantation and law practice . His mother Rebecca , whom he had brought to New Orleans , died in 1847 during a yellow fever epidemic . In 1848 , Benjamin was a Whig member of the Electoral College ; he voted for fellow Louisiana planter , General Zachary Taylor , who was elected U.S . President . He and other Louisianans accompanied President-elect Taylor to Washington for his inauguration , and Benjamin attended a state dinner given by outgoing president James K . Polk . In 1850 , Millard Fillmore , who succeeded Taylor after his death earlier that year , appointed Benjamin as judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California . He was confirmed by the Senate , but he declined the appointment as the salary of $3,500 was too small . The following year , Benjamin assisted the United States Attorney in New Orleans in prosecuting American adventurers who had tried to spark a rebellion against Spanish rule in Cuba , but two trials both ended in hung juries . Mexican railroad . Benjamin became interested in strengthening trade connections between New Orleans and California , and promoted an infrastructure project to build a railroad across the Mexican isthmus near Oaxaca ; this would speed passenger traffic and cargo shipments . According to The New York Times , in an 1852 speech to a railroad builders convention , Benjamin said this trade route belongs to New Orleans . Its commerce makes empires of the countries to which it flows . Benjamin lobbied fellow lawmakers about the project , gained funds from private New York bankers , and even helped organize construction crews . In private correspondence he warned backers of problems ; project workers suffered yellow fever , shipments of construction materials hit rough seas , and actions or inaction by both U.S . and Mexican officials caused delays and increases in construction costs . Backers had invested several hundred thousand dollars by the time the project died after the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 . Election to the Senate . Benjamin spent the summer of 1851 abroad , including a visit to Paris to see Natalie and Ninette . He was still away in October 1851 , when the Whigs nominated him for the state Senate . Despite his absence , he was easily elected . When the new legislature met in January 1852 , Benjamin emerged as one of the leading Whig candidates for election to the U.S . Senate seat that would become vacant on March 4 , 1853 . As the Louisiana legislature , responsible for electing the states senators , met once in two years under the 1845 constitution , it was not scheduled to meet again before the seat became vacant . Some Whig newspapers thought Benjamin too young and inexperienced at forty , despite his undoubted talent , but the Whig legislative caucus selected him on the second ballot , and he was elected by the two houses over Democrat Solomon W . Downs . The outgoing president , Fillmore , offered to nominate Benjamin , a fellow Whig , to fill a Supreme Court vacancy after the Senate Democrats had defeated Fillmores other nominees for the post . The New York Times reported on February 15 , 1853 , that if the President nominates Benjamin , the Democrats are determined to confirm him . The new president , Franklin Pierce , a Democrat , also offered Benjamin a place on the Supreme Court . Pierce Butler suggested in his 1908 biography of Benjamin that the newly elected senator likely declined these offers not only because he preferred active politics , but because he could maintain his law practice and substantial income as a senator , but could not as a justice . As an advocate before the U.S . Supreme Court , Benjamin won 13 of his first 18 cases . Judah Benjamin was sworn in as senator from Louisiana on March 4 , 1853 , at a brief meeting called just prior to President Pierces inauguration . These new colleagues included Stephen A . Douglas of Illinois , Robert M . T . Hunter of Virginia , and Sam Houston of Texas . The slavery issue was in a brief remission as much of the country wished to accept the Compromise of 1850 as a final settlement . When the Senate was not in session , Benjamin remained in Washington , D.C. , conducting a lucrative practice including many cases before the Supreme Court , then conveniently located in a room of the Capitol . His law partners in New Orleans took care of his firms affairs there . About this time Benjamin sold his interest in Bellechasse , lacking the time to deal with plantation business . Spokesman for slavery . Benjamins view that slavery should continue was based in his belief that citizens had a right to their property as guaranteed by the Constitution . As Butler put it , he could no more see that it was right for Northern people to rob him of his slave than it would be for him to connive at horse stealing . He avoided the arguments of some that the slaves were inferior beings , and that their position was ordained by God : Evans ascribes this to Benjamin not being raised as a slaveowner , but coming to it later in life . Benjamin joined in a widespread view of white Southerners that the African American would not be ready for emancipation for many years , if ever . They feared that freeing the slaves would ruin many and lead to murders and rapes by the newly liberated of their former masters and mistresses . Such a massacre had been feared by Southerners since the Haitian Revolution , the violent revolt known as Santo Domingo in the South , in which the slaves of what became Haiti killed many whites and mulattoes in 1804 while gaining independence from French control . When the anti-slavery book Uncle Toms Cabin was published in 1852 , Benjamin spoke out against Harriet Beecher Stowes portrayal . He said that slaves were for the most part well treated , and plantation punishments , such as whipping or branding , were more merciful than sentences of imprisonment that a white man might receive in the North for similar conduct . In early 1854 , Senator Douglas introduced his Kansas–Nebraska Bill , calling for popular sovereignty to determine whether the Kansas and Nebraska territories should enter the Union as slave or free states . Depending on the outcome of such elections , slavery might spread to territories closed to it under the Missouri Compromise of 1820 . In the debate over the bill , Benjamin defended this change as returning to the traditions of the fathers , that the federal government not legislate on the subject of slavery . He said that the South merely wished to be left alone . The bill passed , but its passage had drastic political effects , as the differences between North and South that had been settled by both the 1820 and 1850 compromises were reopened . The Whig Party was torn apart North from South , with many Northern Whigs joining the new Republican Party , a group pledged to oppose the spread of slavery . Benjamin continued to caucus with the remains of the Whig Party through 1854 and 1855 , but as a member of a legislative minority , he had little influence on legislation , and received no important committee assignments . In May 1856 Benjamin joined the Democrats , stating they had the principles of the old-time Whig Party . He indicated , in a letter to constituents , that as Northern Whigs had failed to vote to uphold the rights granted to Southern states in the Constitution , the Whigs , as a national party , were no more . At a state dinner given by Pierce , Benjamin first met Secretary of War Jefferson Davis , whose wife Varina described the Louisiana senator as having rather the air of a witty bon vivant than of a great senator . The two men , both ambitious for leadership in the South and the nation , formed a relationship that Evans describes as respectful but wary . The two had occasional differences ; when in 1858 , Davis , by then a Mississippi senator , was irritated by Benjamins questioning him on a military bill and suggested that Benjamin was acting as a paid attorney , the Louisianan challenged him to a duel . Davis apologized . Benjamin , in his speeches in the Senate , took the position that the Union was a compact by the states from which any of them could secede . Nevertheless , he understood that any dissolution would not be peaceful , stating in 1856 that dreadful will be the internecine war that must ensue . In 1859 , Benjamin was elected to a second term , but allegations of involvement in land scandals and the fact that upstate legislators objected to both of Louisianas senators being from New Orleans stretched the contest to 42 ballots before he prevailed . Secession crisis . Benjamin worked to deny Douglas the 1860 Democratic presidential nomination , feeling he had turned against the South . Douglas contended that although the Supreme Court , in Dred Scott v . Sandford , had stated Congress could not restrict slavery in the territories , the people of each territory could pass legislation to bar it . This position was anathema to the South . Benjamin praised Douglass opponent in his re-election bid , former congressman Abraham Lincoln , for at least being true to his principles as an opponent of the expansion of slavery , whereas the senator considered Douglas to be a hypocrite . Benjamin was joined in his opposition to Douglas by Senator Davis ; the two were so successful that the 1860 convention was not able to nominate anyone and split into Northern and Southern factions . The Northerners backed Douglas while Southern delegates chose Vice President John C . Breckinridge of Kentucky . Despite their agreement in opposing Douglas , Benjamin and Davis differed on some race issues : in May , Benjamin voted for a bill to aid Africans liberated by U.S . naval vessels from illegal slave ships , in order to return them to their native continent from Key West . Davis and many other Southerners opposed the bill . Between June and December 1860 Benjamin was almost entirely absorbed in the case of United States v . Castillero that was tried in San Francisco during the latter part of that period . The case concerned a land grant by the former Mexican government of California . Castillero had leased part of his land to British mining companies , and when American authorities ruled the grant invalid , they hired Benjamin ; he spent four months in San Francisco working on the case . The trial began in October , and Benjamin gave an address lasting six days . The local correspondent for The New York Times wrote that Benjamin , a distinguished stranger , drew the largest crowds to the courtroom and the Senator is making this terribly tedious case interesting . Benjamin sailed for New York once the case was submitted for decision in early November . The courts ruling , rendered in January 1861 , was substantially for the company but , not satisfied , it appealed . It lost the case entirely to an adverse decision by the U.S . Supreme Court , three justices dissenting , the following year . Benjamin was by then a Confederate Cabinet officer , and could not argue the case . His co-counsel filed his brief with the court . By the time Benjamin returned to the East Coast , the Republican candidate , Lincoln , had been elected president , and there was talk , in Louisiana and elsewhere , of secession from the Union . The New Orleans Picayune reported that Benjamin favored secession only in the last resort . On December 23 , 1860 , another Louisiana periodical , the Delta , printed a letter from Benjamin dated the eighth stating that , as the people of the North were of unalterable hostility to their Southern brethren , the latter should depart from the government common to them . He also signed a joint letter from Southern congressmen to their constituents , urging the formation of a confederation of the seceding states . According to a letter reportedly written by Benjamin during the crisis , he saw secession as a means of obtaining more favorable terms in a reformed Union . With Southern opinion turning in favor of secession , Benjamin made a farewell speech in the Senate on December 31 , 1860 , to a packed gallery , desirous of hearing one of the Souths most eloquent voices . They were not disappointed ; Evans writes that historians consider Benjamins farewell .. . one of the great speeches in American history . Benjamin foresaw that the Souths departure would lead to civil war : According to Geoffrey D . Cunningham in his article on Benjamins role in secession , Swept up in the popular cries for independence , Benjamin willingly went out with the Southern tide . He and his Louisiana colleague , John Slidell , resigned from the U.S . Senate on February 4 , 1861 , nine days after their state voted to secede from the Union . Confederate statesman . Attorney General . Fearful of arrest as a rebel once he left the Senate , Benjamin quickly departed Washington for New Orleans . On the day of Benjamins resignation , the Provisional Confederate States Congress gathered in Montgomery , Alabama , and soon chose Davis as president . Davis was sworn in as provisional Confederate States President on February 18 , 1861 . At home in New Orleans for , it would prove , the last time , Benjamin addressed a rally on Washingtons Birthday , February 22 , 1861 . On February 25 , Davis appointed Benjamin , still in New Orleans , as attorney general ; the Louisianan was approved immediately and unanimously by the provisional Congress . Davis thus became the first chief executive in North America to appoint a Jew to his Cabinet . Davis , in his memoirs , remarked that he chose Benjamin because he had a very high reputation as a lawyer , and my acquaintance with him in the Senate had impressed me with the lucidity of his intellect , his systematic habits , and capacity for labor . Meade suggested that Davis wanted to have a Louisianan in his Cabinet , but that a smarter course of action would have been to send Benjamin abroad to win over the European governments . Butler called Benjamins appointment a waste of good material . Historian William C . Davis , in his volume on the formation of the Confederate government , notes , For some there was next to nothing to do , none more so than Benjamin . The role of the attorney general in a Confederacy that did not yet have federal courts or marshals was so minimal that initial layouts for the building housing the government in Montgomery allotted no space to the Justice Department . Meade found the time that Benjamin spent as attorney general to be fruitful , as it allowed him the opportunity to judge Daviss character and to ingratiate himself with the president . Benjamin served as a host , entertaining dignitaries and others Davis had no time to see . At the first Cabinet meeting , Benjamin counseled Davis to have the government buy 150,000 bales of cotton for shipment to the United Kingdom , with the proceeds used to buy arms and for future needs . His advice was not taken , as the Cabinet believed the war would be short and successful . Benjamin was called upon from time to time to render legal opinions , writing on April 1 to assure Treasury Secretary Christopher Memminger that lemons and oranges could enter the Confederacy duty-free , but walnuts could not . Once Virginia joined the Confederacy , the capital was moved to Richmond , though against Benjamins advice—he believed that the city was too close to the North . Nevertheless , he traveled there with his brother-in-law , Jules St . Martin ; the two lived in the same house throughout the war , and Benjamin probably procured the young mans job at the War Department . Although Alabamas Leroy Walker was Secretary of War , Davis—a war hero and former U.S . War Secretary—considered himself more qualified and gave many orders himself . When the Confederates were unable to follow up their victory at the First Battle of Manassas by threatening Washington , Walker was criticized in the press . In September , Walker resigned to join the army as a brigadier general , and Davis appointed Benjamin in his place . Butler wrote that Davis had found the cheerfully competent Benjamin a most useful member of the official family , and thought him suited for almost any post in it . In addition to his appointment as War Secretary , Benjamin continued to act as Attorney General until November 15 , 1861 . Secretary of War . As War Secretary , Benjamin was responsible for a territory stretching from Virginia to Texas . It was his job , with Davis looking over his shoulder , to supervise the Confederate Army and to feed , supply , and arm it in a nascent country with almost no arms manufacturers . Accordingly , Benjamin saw his job as closely tied to foreign affairs , as the Confederacy was dependent on imports to supply its troops . Davis had chosen a defensive war strategy : the Confederacy would await invasion by the Union and then seek to defeat its armies until Lincoln tired of sending them . Davis and Benjamin worked together closely , and as Davis came to realize that his subordinate was loyal to the Confederacy and to Davis personally , he returned complete trust in Benjamin . Varina Davis wrote , It was to me a curious spectacle , the steady approximation to a thorough friendliness of the President and his War Minister . It was a very gradual rapprochement , but all the more solid for that reason . In his months as War Secretary , Benjamin sent thousands of communications . According to Evans , Benjamin initially turn [ ed ] prejudice to his favor and play [ ed ] on the Southerners instinctive respect for the Jewish mind with a brilliant performance . Nevertheless , Benjamin faced difficulties that he could do little to solve . The Confederacy lacked sufficient soldiers , trained officers to command them , naval and civilian ships , manufacturing capacity to make ships and many weapons , and powder for guns and cannon . The Union had those things and moved to block the Souths access to European supplies , both by blockades and by buying up supplies that the South might have secured . Other problems included drunkenness among the men and their officers and uncertainty as to when and where the expected Northern invasion would begin . Also , Benjamin had no experience of the military or of the executive branch of the government , placing him in a poor position to contradict Davis . An insurgency against the Confederacy developed in staunchly pro-Union East Tennessee in late 1861 , and at Daviss order , Benjamin sent troops to crush it . Once it was put down , Benjamin and Davis were in a quandary about what to do about its leader , William Parson Brownlow , who had been captured , and eventually allowed him to cross to Union-controlled territory in the hope that it would cause Lincoln to release Confederate prisoners . While Brownlow was in Southern custody , he stated that he expected , no more mercy from Benjamin than was shown by his illustrious predecessors towards Jesus Christ . Benjamin had difficulty in managing the Confederacys generals . He quarreled with General P.G.T . Beauregard , a war hero since his victory at First Manassas . Beauregard sought to add a rocket battery to his command , an action that Benjamin stated was not authorized by law . He was most likely relaying Daviss views , and when challenged by Beauregard , Davis backed Benjamin , advising the general to dismiss this small matter from your mind . In the hostile masses before you , you have a subject more worthy of your contemplation . In January 1862 , Stonewall Jacksons forces had advanced in western Virginia , leaving troops under William W . Loring at the small town of Romney . Distant from Jacksons other forces and ill-supplied , Loring and other officers petitioned the War Department to be recalled , and Benjamin , after consulting Davis , so ordered after he used the pretext of rumored Union troop movements in the area . Jackson complied but , in a letter to Benjamin , asked to be removed from the front or to resign . High-ranking Confederates soothed Jackson into withdrawing his request . The power of state governments was another flaw in the Confederacy and a problem for Benjamin . Georgia Governor Joseph E . Brown repeatedly demanded arms and the return of Georgian troops to defend his state . North Carolina Governor Henry T . Clark also wanted troops returned to him to defend his coastline . After Cape Hatteras , on the North Carolinas coast , was captured , Confederate forces fell back to Roanoke Island . If it fell , a number of ports in that area of the coast would be at risk , and Norfolk , Virginia , might be threatened by land . General Henry A . Wise , commanding Roanoke , also demanded troops and supplies . He received little from Benjamins War Department that had no arms to send , as the Union blockade was preventing supplies from being imported . That Confederate armories were empty was a fact not publicly known at the time . Benjamin and Davis hoped that the islands defenses could hold off the Union forces , but an overwhelming number of troops were landed in February 1862 at an undefended point , and the Confederates were quickly defeated . Combined with Union General Ulysses S . Grants capture of Fort Henry , the site of the Battle of Fort Henry , and Fort Donelson in Tennessee , it was the most severe military blow yet to the Confederacy , and there was a public outcry against Benjamin , led by General Wise . It was revealed a quarter-century after the war that Benjamin and Davis had agreed for Benjamin to act as a scapegoat , rather than to reveal the shortage of arms . Not knowing it , the Richmond Examiner accused Benjamin of stupid complacency . Diarist Mary Chestnut recorded that the mob calls him Mr . Daviss pet Jew . The Wise family never forgave Benjamin , to the detriment of his memory in Southern eyes . Wises son , Captain Jennings Wise , fell at Roanoke Island , and Henrys grandson John Wise , interviewed in 1936 , told Meade that the fat Jew sitting at his desk was to blame . Another of the generals sons , also named John Wise , wrote a highly-popular book about the South in the Civil War , The End of an Era ( 1899 ) in which he said that Benjamin had more brains and less heart than any other civic leader in the South.. . The Confederacy and its collapse were no more to Judah P . Benjamin than last years birds nest . The Confederate States Congress established a special committee to investigate the military losses , and Benjamin testified before it . The Secretary of State , Virginias Robert M . T . Hunter , had quarreled with Davis and resigned , and in March 1862 , Benjamin was appointed as his replacement . Varina Davis noted that some in Congress had sought Benjamins ouster because of reverses which no one could have averted , [ so ] the President promoted him to the State Department with a personal and aggrieved sense of injustice done to the man who had now become his friend and right hand . Richmond diarist Sallie Ann Brock Putnam wrote , Mr . Benjamin was not forgiven.. . this act on the part of the President [ in promoting Benjamin ] , in defiance of public opinion , was considered as unwise , arbitrary , and a reckless risking of his reputation and popularity.. . [ Benjamin ] was ever afterwards unpopular in the Confederacy , and particularly in Virginia . Despite the promotion , the committee reported that any blame for the defeat at Roanoke Island should attach to Wises superior , Major General Benjamin Huger , and the late secretary of war , J.P . Benjamin . Confederate Secretary of State . Throughout his time as Secretary of State , Benjamin tried to induce Britain and France to recognize the Confederacy—no other nation was likely to do so unless these powerful states led the way . The protection this would bring to the Confederacy and its foreign trade was hoped to be enough to save it . Basis of Confederate foreign policy . By the 1850s , cheap Southern cotton fueled the industries of Europe . The mills of Britain , developed during the first half of the 19th century , by 1860 used more cotton than the rest of the industrialized world combined . Cotton imports to Britain came almost entirely from the American South . According to an article in The Economist in 1853 , let any great social or physical convulsion visit the United States , and England would feel the shock from Lands End to John OGroats . The lives of nearly two million of our countrymen .. . hang upon a thread . In 1855 , an Ohioan , David Christy , published Cotton Is King : or Slavery in the Light of Political Economy . Christy argued that the flow of cotton was so important to the industrialized world that cutting it off would be devastating—not least to the Northern United States , as cotton was by far the largest U.S . export . This became known as the King Cotton theory , to which Davis was an enthusiastic subscriber . Benjamin also spoke in favor of the theory , though Butler suspected he may have known better , based on his firsthand knowledge of Europe . When war came , Davis , against Benjamins advice , imposed an embargo on exports of cotton to nations that had not recognized the Confederate government , hoping to force such relations , especially with Britain and France . As the Union was attempting to prevent cotton from being exported from Confederate ports by a blockade and other means , this played to a certain extent into the hands of Lincoln and his Secretary of State , William H . Seward . Additionally , when the war began , Britain had a large surplus of cotton in warehouses , enough to keep the mills running at least part-time for a year or so . Although many prominent Britons believed the South would prevail , there was a reluctance to recognize Richmond until it had gained the military victories to put its foe at bay . Much of this was due to hatred of slavery , though part of it stemmed from a desire to remain on good terms with the U.S . government—due to a drought in 1862 , Britain was forced to import large quantities of wheat and flour from the United States . Also , Britain feared the expansionist Americans might invade the vulnerable Canadian colonies , as Seward hinted they might . Appointment . Davis appointed Benjamin as Secretary of State on March 17 , 1862 . He was promptly confirmed by the Confederate Senate . A motion to reconsider the confirmation was lost , 13–8 . According to Butler , the appointment of Benjamin brought Davis little political support , as the average white Southerner did not understand Benjamin and somewhat disliked him . As there was not much open opposition to Davis in the South at the time , Benjamins appointment was not criticized , but was not given much praise either . Meade noted , the silence of many influential newspapers was ominous . [ Benjamins ] promotion in the face of such bitter criticism of his conduct in the war office caused the first serious lack of confidence in the Davis government . Meade wrote that , since the Secretary of State would have to work closely with Jefferson Davis , Benjamin was likely the person best suited to the position . In addition to his relationship with the President , Benjamin was very close to the Confederate First Lady , Varina Davis , with whom he exchanged confidences regarding war events and the Presidents health . Together , and by turns , they could help him over the most difficult days . For recreation , Benjamin frequented Richmonds gambling dens , playing poker and faro . He was incensed when British correspondent William Howard Russell publicized his gambling , feeling that it was an invasion of his private affairs . He was also displeased that Russell depicted him as a losing gambler , when his reputation was the opposite . Early days ( 1862–1863 ) . The Trent Affair had taken place before Benjamin took office as Secretary of State : a U.S . warship had in October 1861 removed Confederate diplomats James Mason and James Slidell ( Benjamins former Louisiana colleague in the U.S . Senate ) and their private secretaries from a British-flagged vessel . The crisis brought the U.S . and Britain near war , and was resolved by their release . By the time of Benjamins appointment , Mason and Slidell were at their posts in London and Paris as putative ministers from the Confederacy , seeking recognition by the governments of Britain and France . With difficult communications between the South and Europe ( dispatches were often lost or intercepted ) , Benjamin was initially reluctant to change the instructions given the agents by Secretary Hunter . Communications improved by 1863 , with Benjamin ordering that dispatches be sent to Bermuda or the Bahamas , from where they reached the Confederacy by blockade runner . As a practical matter , Benjamins chances of gaining European recognition rose and fell with the military fortunes of the Confederacy . When , at the end of June 1862 , Confederate General Robert E . Lee turned back Union General George B . McClellans Peninsula Campaign in the Seven Days Battles , ending the immediate threat to Richmond , Emperor Napoleon III of France favorably received proposals from Benjamin , through Slidell , for the French to intervene on the Confederacys behalf in exchange for trade concessions . Nevertheless , the Emperor proved unwilling to act without Britain . In August 1862 , Mason , angered by the refusal of British government ministers to meet with him , threatened to resign his post . Benjamin soothed him , stating that while Mason should not submit to insulting treatment , resignation should not take place without discussion . The bloody standoff at Antietam in September 1862 that ended Lees first major incursion into the North gave Lincoln the confidence in Union arms he needed to announce the Emancipation Proclamation . British newspapers mocked Lincoln for hypocrisy in freeing slaves only in Confederate-held areas , where he could exercise no authority . British officials had been shocked by the outcome of Antietam—they had expected Lee to deliver another brilliant victory—and now considered an additional reason for intervening in the conflict . Antietam , the bloodiest day of the war , had been a stalemate ; they read this as presaging an overall deadlock in the war , with North and South at each others throats for years as Britains mills sat empty and its people starved . France agreed with this assessment . The final few months of 1862 saw a high water mark for Benjamins diplomacy . In October , the British Chancellor of the Exchequer , William Gladstone , expressed confidence in Confederate victory , stating in Newcastle , There is no doubt that Jefferson Davis and other leaders of the South have made an army . They are making , it appears , a navy , and they have made what is more than either—they have made a nation . Later that month , Napoleon proposed to the British and Russians ( a U.S . ally ) that they combine to require a six months armistice for mediation , and an end to the blockade ; if they did so , it would likely lead to Southern independence . The proposal divided the British Cabinet . In mid-November , at the urgings of Palmerston and War Secretary George Cornewall Lewis , members decided to continue to wait for the South to defeat Lincolns forces before recognizing it . Although proponents of intervention were prepared to await another opportunity , growing realization among the British public that the Emancipation Proclamation meant that Union victory would be slaverys end made succoring the South politically infeasible . Benjamin had not been allowed to offer the inducement for intervention that might have succeeded—abolition of slavery in the Confederacy , and because of that , Meade deemed his diplomacy seriously , perhaps fatally handicapped . The Secretary of State blamed Napoleon for the failure , believing the Emperor had betrayed the Confederacy to get the ruler the French had installed in Mexico , Maximilian , accepted by the United States . In Paris , Slidell had been approached by the banking firm Erlanger et Cie . The company offered to float a loan to benefit the Confederacy . The proposed terms provided a large commission to Erlanger and would entitle the bondholder to cotton at a discounted price once the South won the war . Baron Frederic Emile dErlanger , head of the firm , journeyed to Richmond in early 1863 , and negotiated with Benjamin , although the transaction properly fell within the jurisdiction of Treasury Secretary Memminger . The banker softened the terms somewhat , though they were still lucrative for his firm . Benjamin felt the deal was worth it , as it would provide the Confederacy with badly needed funds to pay its agents in Europe . Increasing desperation ( 1863–1865 ) . The twin rebel defeats at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in early July 1863 made it unlikely that Britain , or any other nation , would recognize a slaveholding Confederacy staggering towards oblivion . Accordingly , in August , Benjamin wrote to Mason telling him that as Davis believed the British unwilling to recognize the South , he was free to leave the country . In October , with Davis absent on a trip to Tennessee , Benjamin heard that the British consul in Savannah had forbidden British subjects in the Confederate Army from being used against the United States . The Secretary of State convened a Cabinet meeting , that expelled the remaining British consuls in Confederate-controlled territory , then notified Davis by letter . Evans suggests that Benjamins actions made him the Confederacys acting president—the first Jewish president . Benjamin supervised the Confederate Secret Service , responsible for covert operations in the North , and financed former federal Interior Secretary Jacob Thompson to work behind the scenes financing operations that might undermine Lincoln politically . Although efforts were made to boost Peace Democrats , the most prominent actions proved to be the St . Albans Raid ( an attack on a Vermont town from Canada ) and an unsuccessful attempt to burn New York City . In the aftermath of the war , these activities led to accusations that Benjamin and Davis were involved in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln , as one Confederate courier , John H . Surratt , who had received money from Benjamin , was tried for involvement in the conspiracy , though Surratt was acquitted . As the Confederacys military fortunes flagged , there was increasing consideration of what would have been unthinkable in 1861—enlisting male slaves in the army and emancipating them for their service . In August 1863 , B . H . Micou , a relative of a former law partner , wrote to Benjamin proposing the use of black soldiers . Benjamin responded that this was not feasible , principally for legal and financial reasons , and that the slaves were performing valuable services for the Confederacy where they were . According to Meade , Benjamin did not offer any objections to Micous plan except on practical grounds—he was not repelled by the radical nature of the proposal . A British financial agent for the Confederacy , James Spence , also urged emancipation as a means of gaining British recognition . Benjamin allowed Spence to remain in his position for almost a year despite the differences with Confederate policy , before finally dismissing him in late 1863 . Despite official neutrality , tens of thousands from British-ruled Ireland were enlisting in the Union cause ; Benjamin sent an agent to Ireland hoping to impede those efforts and Dudley Mann to Rome to urge Pope Pius IX to forbid Catholic Irish from enlisting . The Pope did not do so , though he responded sympathetically . In January 1864 , Confederate General Patrick Cleburne , of the Army of Tennessee , proposed emancipating and arming the slaves . Davis , when he heard of it , turned it down and ordered it kept secret . Evans notes that Benjamin had been thinking in similar terms for much longer , and perhaps the recommendation of so respected an officer was just the impetus he needed . The year 1864 was a disastrous one for the Confederacy , with Lee forced within siege lines at Petersburg and Union General William T . Sherman sacking Atlanta and devastating Georgia on his march to the sea . Benjamin urged Davis to send the secretarys fellow Louisianan , Duncan Kenner , to Paris and London , with an offer of emancipation in exchange for recognition . Davis was only willing to offer gradual emancipation , and both Napoleon and Palmerston rejected the proposal . Benjamin continued to press the matter , addressing a mass meeting in Richmond in February 1865 in support of arming the slaves and emancipating them . A bill eventually emerged from the Confederate Congress in March , but it had many restrictions , and it was too late to affect the outcome of the war . In January 1865 , Lincoln , who had been re-elected the previous November , sent Francis Blair as an emissary to Richmond , hoping to secure reunion without further bloodshed . Both sides agreed to a meeting at Fort Monroe , Virginia . Benjamin drafted vague instructions for the Southern delegation , led by Vice President Alexander Stephens , but Davis insisted on modifying them to refer to North and South as two nations . This was the point that scuttled the Hampton Roads Conference ; Lincoln would not consider the South a separate entity , insisting on union and emancipation . Escape . By March 1865 , the Confederate military situation was desperate . Most major population centers had fallen , and General Lees defense of Richmond was faltering against massive Union forces . Nevertheless , Benjamin retained his usual good humor ; on the evening of April 1 , with evacuation likely , he was at the State Department offices , singing a silly ballad of his own composition , The Exit from Shocko Hill , a graveyard district located in Richmond . On April 2 , Lee sent word that he could only keep Union troops away from the line of the Richmond and Danville Railroad—the only railroad still running out of Richmond—for a short time . Those who did not leave Richmond would be trapped . At 11:00 pm that night , the Confederate President and Cabinet left aboard a Danville-bound train . Navy Secretary Stephen R . Mallory recorded that Benjamins hope and good humor [ was ] inexhaustible .. . with a never-give-up-the-ship sort of air , referred to other great national causes which had been redeemed from far gloomier reverses than ours . In Danville , Benjamin shared a room with another refugee , in the home of a banker . For a week , Danville served as capital of the Confederacy , until word came of Lees surrender at Appomattox Court House . With no army to shield the Confederate government , it would be captured by Union forces within days , so Davis and his Cabinet , including Benjamin , fled south to Greensboro , North Carolina . Five minutes after the train passed over the Haw River , Union cavalry raiders burned the bridge , trapping the trains that followed Daviss . Greensboro , fearing wrathful reprisal from the Union , gave the fugitives little hospitality , forcing Benjamin and the other Cabinet members to bunk in a railroad boxcar . Davis hoped to reach Texas , where rumor had it large Confederate forces remained active . The Cabinet met in Greensboro , and Generals Beauregard and Joseph E . Johnston sketched the bleak military situation . Davis , backed as usual by Benjamin , was determined to continue to fight . The refugee government moved south on April 15 . With the train tracks cut , most Cabinet members rode on horseback , but the heavyset Benjamin declared he would not ride on one until he had to , and shared an ambulance with Jules St . Martin and others . For the entertainment of his companions , Benjamin recited Tennysons Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington . In Charlotte , Benjamin stayed in the home of a Jewish merchant as surrender negotiations dragged . Here , Benjamin abandoned Daviss plan to fight on , telling him and the Cabinet that the cause was hopeless . When negotiations failed , Benjamin was part of the shrunken remnant of associates that moved on with Davis . The party reached Abbeville , South Carolina on May 2 , and Benjamin told Davis that he wanted to separate from the presidential party temporarily , and go to the Bahamas to be able to send instructions to foreign agents before rejoining Davis in Texas . According to historian William C . Davis , the pragmatic Secretary of State almost certainly never had any intention of returning to the South once gone . When he bade John Reagan goodbye , the postmaster general asked where Benjamin was going . To the farthest place from the United States , if it takes me to the middle of China . With one companion , Benjamin travelled south in a poor carriage , pretending to be a Frenchman who spoke no English . He had some gold with him , and left much of it for the support of relatives . He was traveling in the same general direction as the Davis party , but evaded capture whereas Davis was taken by Union troops . Benjamin reached Monticello , Florida , on May 13 to learn Union troops were in nearby Madison . Benjamin decided to continue alone on horseback , east and south along Floridas Gulf Coast , pretending to be a South Carolina farmer . John T . Lesley , James McKay , and C . J . Munnerlyn assisted in hiding Benjamin in a swamp , before eventually transporting him to Gamble Mansion in Ellenton , on the southwest coast of Florida . From there , assisted by the blockade runner Captain Frederick Tresca , he reached Bimini in the Bahamas . His escape from Florida to England was not without hardship : at one point he pretended to be a Jewish cook on Trescas vessel , to deceive American soldiers who inspected it—one of whom stated it was the first time he had seen a Jew do menial labor . The small sponge-carrying vessel on which he left Bimini bound for Nassau exploded on the way , and he and the three black crewmen eventually managed to return to Bimini . Trescas ship was still there , and he chartered it to take him to Nassau . From there , he took a ship for Havana , and on August 6 , 1865 , left there for Britain . He was not yet done with disaster ; his ship caught fire after departing St . Thomas , and the crew put out the flames only with difficulty . On August 30 , 1865 , Judah Benjamin arrived at Southampton , in Britain . Exile . Benjamin spent a week in London assisting Mason in winding up Confederate affairs . He then went to Paris to visit his wife and daughter for the first time since before the war . Friends in Paris urged him to join a mercantile firm there , but Benjamin felt that such a career would be subject to interference by Seward and the United States . Accordingly , Benjamin sought to shape his old course in a new country , resuming his legal career as an English barrister . Most of Benjamins property had been destroyed or confiscated , and he needed to make a living for himself and his relatives . He had money in the United Kingdom as he had , during the war , purchased cotton for transport to Liverpool by blockade runner . On January 13 , 1866 , Benjamin enrolled at Lincolns Inn , and soon thereafter was admitted to read law under Charles Pollock , son of Chief Baron Charles Edward Pollock , who took him as a pupil at his fathers direction . Benjamin , despite his age of 54 , was initially required , like his thirty-years-younger peers , to attend for twelve terms , that is , three years . According to Benjamins obituary in The Times , though , the secretary of the Confederacy was dispensed from the regular three years of unprofitable dining , and called to the bar on June 6 , 1866 . Once qualified as a barrister , Benjamin chose to join the Northern Circuit , as it included Liverpool , where his connections in New Orleans and knowledge of mercantile affairs would do him the most good . In an early case , he defended two former Confederate agents against a suit by the United States to gain assets said to belong to that nation . Although he lost that case ( United States v Wagner ) on appeal , he was successful against his former enemies in United States v McRae ( 1869 ) . He had need of rapid success , as most of his remaining assets were lost in the collapse of the firm of Overend , Gurney and Company . He was reduced to penning columns on international affairs for The Daily Telegraph . According to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , repeating his Louisiana progress , Benjamin made his reputation among his new peers by publication . In an early representation , he wrote a complex governing document for an insurance firm that other counsel had declined despite the substantial fee , due to the early deadline . After brief study , Benjamin wrote out the document , never making a correction or erasure . In 1868 , Benjamin published A Treatise on the Law of Sale of Personal Property , With Reference to the American Decisions , to the French Code , and Civil Law . This work , known for short as Benjamin on Sales , became a classic in both Britain and America , and launched his career as a barrister . It went through three editions prior to Benjamins death in 1884 ; an eighth edition was published in 2010 . Today Benjamins Sale of Goods forms part of the common law library of key practitioner texts on English civil law . In 1867 , Benjamin had been indicted in Richmond , along with Davis , Lee , and others , for waging war against the United States . The indictment was soon quashed . Davis visited London in 1868 , free on bail , and Benjamin advised him not to take legal action against the author of a book that had angered Davis , as it would only give the book publicity . Benjamin corresponded with Davis , and met with him on the former rebel presidents visits to Europe during Benjamins lifetime , though the two were never as close as they had been during the war . Benjamin was created a Palatine silk , entitled to the precedence of a Queens Counsel within Lancashire , in July 1869 . There was a large creation of Queens Counsel in early 1872 , but Benjamin was not included ; it was stated in his Times obituary that he had put his name forward . Later that year , he argued the case of Potter v Rankin before the House of Lords and so impressed Lord Hatherley that a patent of precedence was soon made out , giving Benjamin the privileges of a Queens Counsel . As he became prominent as a barrister , he discontinued practice before juries ( at which he was less successful ) in favor of trials or appeals before judges . In his last years in practice , he demanded an additional fee of 100 guineas ( £105 ) to appear in any court besides the House of Lords and the Privy Council . In 1875 , he was made a bencher of Lincolns Inn . In 1881 , Benjamin represented Arthur Orton , the Tichborne claimant , before the House of Lords . Orton , a butcher from Wagga Wagga , New South Wales , had claimed to be Sir Roger Tichborne , a baronet who had vanished some years previously , and Orton had perjured himself in the course of defending his claim . Benjamin sought to overturn the sentence of 14 years passed on Orton , but was not successful . In his final years , Benjamin suffered from health issues . In 1880 , he was badly injured in a fall from a tram in Paris . He also developed diabetes . He suffered a heart attack in Paris at the end of 1882 , and his doctor ordered him to retire . His health improved enough to allow him to travel to London in June 1883 for a dinner in his honor attended by the English bench and bar . He returned to Paris and suffered a relapse of his heart trouble in early 1884 . Natalie Benjamin had the last rites of the Catholic Church administered to her Jewish husband before his death in Paris on May 6 , 1884 , and funeral services were held in a church prior to Judah Benjamins interment at Père Lachaise Cemetery in the St . Martin family crypt . His grave did not bear his name until 1938 , when a plaque was placed by the Paris chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy . Appraisal . Benjamin was the first U.S . senator to profess the Jewish faith . In 1845 , David Yulee , born David Levy , the first cousin of Judah Benjamin’s father , had been sworn in for Florida , but he renounced Judaism and eventually formally converted to Christianity . As an adult , Benjamin married a non-Jew , was not a member of a synagogue , and took no part in communal affairs . He rarely spoke of his Jewish background publicly , but was not ashamed of it . Some of the stories told of Benjamin that touch on this subject come from Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise , who referred to an address Benjamin delivered in a San Francisco synagogue on Yom Kippur in 1860 , though whether this occurred is open to question as Wise was not there and it was not reported in the citys Jewish newspaper . One quote from Senate debate that remains part of the Benjamin legend , according to Evans , followed an allusion to Moses as a freer of slaves by a Northern senator , hinting that Benjamin was an Israelite in Egyptian clothing . Benjamin is supposed to have replied , It is true that I am a Jew , and when my ancestors were receiving their Ten Commandments from the immediate hand of deity , amidst the thunderings and lightnings of Mount Sinai , the ancestors of my opponent were herding swine in the forests of Great Britain . However , this anecdote is likely apocryphal as the same exchange between British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli ( a converted Jew ) and Daniel OConnell took place in the House of Commons in 1835 . Edgar M . Kahn , in his journal article on the 1860 California sojourn , wrote , Benjamins life is an example of a mans determination to overcome almost insurmountable barriers by industry , perseverance , and intelligent use of a remarkable brain . This brilliance was recognized by contemporaries ; Salomon de Rothschild , in 1861 , deemed Benjamin the greatest mind in North America . Nevertheless , according to Meade , he was given to quixotic enthusiasms and was sometimes too cocksure of his knowledge . Ginsburg said of Benjamin , he rose to the top of the legal profession twice in one lifetime , on two continents , beginning his first ascent as a raw youth and his second as a fugitive minister of a vanquished power . Davis , after Benjamins death , deemed him the most able member of his Cabinet , and said that the lawyers postwar career had fully vindicated his confidence in him . According to Brook , in every age , a heroic sage struggles to rescue Benjamin from obscurity—and invariably fails . Benjamin left no memoir and destroyed his personal papers , by which the task of future researchers and historians was made exceedingly difficult and laborious . After his death , Benjamin was rarely written about , in contrast to Davis and other Confederate leaders . Part of this was due to Benjamin depriving his potential biographers of source material , but even Davis , in his two-volume war memoir , mentions him only twice . Evans suggests that as Davis wrote the books in part to defend and memorialize his place in history , it would not have been characteristic of him to give much credit to Benjamin . Davis , in the midst of postwar business struggles , may have resented Benjamins success as a barrister , or may have feared that allegations of involvement in Lincolns assassination would again be made against the two men . Brook concurs that Benjamins postwar success , that began as Davis lay in prison and other Confederates struggled for survival , may have soured Southerners towards the former secretary , but that anti-Semitism was also likely a factor . For the guardians of Confederate memory after Reconstruction , Benjamin became a kind of pet Jew , generally ignored , but then trotted out at opportune moments to defend the segregated South against charges of bigotry . Those writing on Jewish history were reluctant to glorify a slaveowner , and reacted to Benjamins story with embarrassed dismay . This was especially so in the two generations following 1865 when the question of the Civil War remained an active issue in American politics . It was not until the 1930s that Benjamin began to be mentioned as a significant figure in the history of the United States , and in the chronicle of the Jews there . Nevertheless , Tom Mountain , in his 2009 article on Benjamin , points out that Benjamin was respected in the South as a leader of the rebel cause for a century after the Civil War , and that Southern schoolchildren who could not name the current Secretary of State in Washington knew about Benjamin . Reform Rabbi Daniel Polish noted in 1988 that Benjamin represent [ ed ] a significant dilemma [ in ] my years growing up as a Jew both proud of his people and with an intense commitment to the ideals of liberalism and human solidarity that I found embodied in the civil rights movement . Berman recounts a story that during the Civil War , Benjamin was called to the Torah at Beth Ahabah synagogue in Richmond . However , there is no proof of this , nor does Benjamins name appear in any surviving record of the Jews of that city . But whether or not Benjamin practiced Judaism overtly or contributed to Jewish causes , to the Jews of the South , he was a symbol of a coreligionist who was a man among men . According to Evans , Benjamin survives , as he willed it : a shadowy figure in Civil War history . Kahn noted that Benjamin is epitomized as a foremost orator , lawyer , and statesman , without a peer at the bars of two of the worlds greatest nations . Meade questioned whether Benjamins character can ever be fully understood :
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Judah P . Benjamin Judah Philip Benjamin , QC ( August 6 , 1811 – May 6 , 1884 ) was a lawyer and politician who was a United States Senator from Louisiana , a Cabinet officer of the Confederate States and , after his escape to the United Kingdom at the end of the American Civil War , an English barrister . Benjamin was the first Jew to hold a Cabinet position in North America and the first to be elected to the United States Senate who had not renounced his faith . Benjamin was born to Sephardic Jewish parents from London , who had moved to St . Croix in the Danish West Indies when it was occupied by Britain during the Napoleonic Wars . Seeking greater opportunities , his family immigrated to the United States , eventually settling in Charleston , South Carolina . Judah Benjamin attended Yale College but left without graduating . He moved to New Orleans , where he read law and passed the bar . Benjamin rose rapidly both at the bar and in politics . He became a wealthy planter and slaveowner and was elected to and served in both houses of the Louisiana legislature prior to his election by the legislature to the US Senate in 1852 . There , he was an eloquent supporter of slavery . After Louisiana seceded in 1861 , Benjamin resigned as senator and returned to New Orleans . He soon moved to Richmond after Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed him as Attorney General . Benjamin had little to do in that position , but Davis was impressed by his competence and appointed him as Secretary of War . Benjamin firmly supported Davis , and the President reciprocated the loyalty by promoting him to Secretary of State in March 1862 , while Benjamin was being criticized for the rebel defeat at the Battle of Roanoke Island . As Secretary of State , Benjamin attempted to gain official recognition for the Confederacy by France and the United Kingdom , but his efforts were ultimately unsuccessful . To preserve the Confederacy as military defeats made its situation increasingly desperate , he advocated freeing and arming the slaves late in the war , but his proposals were only partially accepted in the closing month of the war . When Davis fled the Confederate capital of Richmond in early 1865 , Benjamin went with him . He left the presidential party and was successful in escaping from the mainland United States , but Davis was captured by Union troops . Benjamin sailed to Great Britain , where he settled and became a barrister , again rising to the top of his profession before retiring in 1883 . He died in Paris the following year . Early and personal life . Judah Philip Benjamin was born on August 6 , 1811 , in St . Croix of the Danish West Indies ( today the United States Virgin Islands ) , a colony then occupied by the British during the Napoleonic Wars . His parents were Sephardi Jews who married in London , Philip Benjamin ( who had been born on the British colony of Nevis ) and the former Rebecca de Mendes . Philip and Rebecca had been shopkeepers and migrated to the West Indies in search of better opportunities . Judah , the third of seven children , was given the same name as an older brother who died in infancy . Following a tradition adhered to by some Sephardi , he was named for his paternal grandfather , who performed the brit milah , or circumcision ceremony . The Benjamins encountered hard times in the Danish West Indies , as normal trade was blocked by the British occupation . In 1813 the Benjamin family moved to Fayetteville , North Carolina , where they had relatives . Philip Benjamin was not financially successful there , and around 1821 moved with his family to Charleston , South Carolina . That city had the largest Jewish community in the United States and a reputation for religious tolerance . Benjamin was learned in his faith but not a successful businessman ; Rebecca earned money for the family by operating a fruit stand near the harbor . Phillip Benjamin was a first cousin and business partner of Moses Elias Levy from the West Indies . Levy also immigrated to the United States , in the early 1820s . Judah and two siblings were boarded with relatives in Fayetteville for about 18 months after the rest of the family moved to Charleston . He attended the Fayetteville Academy , a well-regarded school where his intelligence was recognized . In Charleston , his father was among the founders of the first Reform congregation in the United States . It developed practices that included shorter services conducted in English rather than in Hebrew . Benjamin was ultimately expelled from that community , as he did not keep the Sabbath . The extent of Judahs religious education is uncertain . The boys intelligence was noted by others in Charleston , one of whom offered to finance his education . At the age of 14 , in 1825 , Benjamin entered Yale College , an institution popular among white Southerners ; Vice President John C . Calhoun , a South Carolinian , was among its alumni . Although Benjamin was successful as a student at Yale , he left abruptly in 1827 without completing his course of study . The reasons for this are uncertain : In 1861 , when Louisiana left the Union and Benjamin resigned as a U.S . senator , an abolitionist newspaper alleged that he had been caught as a thief at Yale . He considered bringing suit for libel but litigation was impractical . In 1901 , his sole surviving classmate wrote that Benjamin had been expelled for gambling . One of his biographers , Robert Meade , considered the evidence of wrongdoing by Benjamin to be too strong to be ignored , but noted that at the time Benjamin left Yale , he was only 16 years old . After a brief return to Charleston , Benjamin moved to New Orleans , Louisiana . According to Rabbi Bertram W . Korns volume on that citys Jews , he arrived in New Orleans in 1828 , with no visible assets other than the wit , charm , omnivorous mind and boundless energy with which he would find his place in the sun . After working in a mercantile business , he became a clerk for a law firm , where he began to read law , studying as an apprentice . Knowledge of French was important in practicing law in Louisiana , as the states code was ( and is still ) based on French and Spanish law . To earn money , he tutored French Creoles in English ; he taught the language to Natalie Bauché de St . Martin on the condition that she teach him French . In late 1832 , at age 21 , he was admitted to the bar . Early the following year , Benjamin married Natalie , who was Catholic and from a wealthy French Creole family . As part of her dowry , she brought with her $3,000 and two female slaves , aged 11 and 16 ( together worth about $1,000 ) . Even before the marriage , Natalie St . Martin had scandalized New Orleans society by her conduct . William De Ville , in his journal article on the Benjamin marriage contract , suggests that the St . Martin family was not terribly distraught to be rid of their young daughter and that Benjamin was virtually suborned to marry [ Natalie ] , and did so without hesitation in order to further his ambitions . The marriage was not a success . By the 1840s , Natalie Benjamin was living in Paris with the couples only child , Ninette , whom she raised as a Catholic . Benjamin would visit them annually . While a senator , in the late 1850s he persuaded Natalie to rejoin him and expensively furnished a home in Washington for all three to live in . Natalie and their daughter soon embarked again for France . Benjamin , publicly humiliated by his failure to keep Natalie , consigned the household goods to auction . There were rumors , never substantiated , that Benjamin was impotent and that Natalie was unfaithful . Benjamins troubled married life has led to speculation that he was gay . Daniel Brook , in a 2012 article about Benjamin , suggests that early biographies read as though historians are presenting him as an almost farcically stereotypical gay man and yet wear such impervious heteronormative blinders that they themselves know not what they write . These conjectures were not given scholarly weight until 2001 , when in an introduction to a reprinting of Meades biography of Benjamin , Civil War historian William C . Davis acknowledged cloaked suggestions that he [ Benjamin ] was a homosexual . Louisiana lawyer . Within months of his admission to the bar , Benjamin argued his first case before the Supreme Court of Louisiana and won . Still , clients were slow to come in his first years in practice . He had enough free time to compile and publish , with Thomas Slidell , the Digest of the Reported Decisions of the Superior Court of the Late Territory of Orleans and the Supreme Court of the State of Louisiana in 1834 , which required the analysis of 6,000 cases . The book was an immediate success and helped launch Benjamins career . When Slidell published a revised edition in 1840 , he did so alone , as Benjamin was too busy litigating cases to participate . Benjamin became a specialist in commercial law , of which there was a great deal in New Orleans busy river port—a center of international commerce and the domestic slave trade . By 1840 , the city had become the fourth largest in the United States and among the wealthiest . Many of the best lawyers in the country practiced commercial law there , and Benjamin successfully competed with them . In one case , he successfully represented the seller of a slave against allegations that the seller knew the slave had incurable tuberculosis . Although Benjamin tried some jury cases , he preferred bench trials in commercial cases and was an expert at appeals . In 1842 , Benjamin had a group of cases with international implications . He represented insurance companies being sued for the value of slaves who had revolted aboard the ship Creole in 1841 , as they were being transported in the coastwise slave trade from Virginia to New Orleans . The rebels had sailed the ship to Nassau in the Bahamas , a British colony , where those who came ashore were freed , as Britain had abolished slavery in 1834 . The owners of the slaves brought suit for $150,000 against their insurers , who declined to pay . Benjamin made several arguments , the most prominent of which was that the slaveowners had brought the revolt on themselves by packing the slaves in overcrowded conditions . Benjamin said in his brief to the court : The court ruled for Benjamins clients , although on other grounds . Benjamins brief was widely reprinted , including by abolitionist groups . Historian Eli Evans , Benjamins biographer , does not believe that the argument in the Creole case represented Benjamins personal view ; rather , he was an advocate for his clients in an era when it was usual to write dramatically to distract attention from the weaker points of a case . Evans finds it remarkable and a testament to Benjamin that he could be elected to office in antebellum Louisiana , a slave society , after writing such words . Electoral career . State politician . Benjamin was a supporter of the Whig Party from the time of its formation in the early 1830s . He became increasingly involved in the party , and in 1841 ran unsuccessfully for the New Orleans Board of Aldermen . The following year , he was nominated for the Louisiana House of Representatives . He was elected , though the Democrats alleged fraud : Whig supporters , to obtain the vote at a time when the state had a restrictive property qualification for suffrage , acquired licenses for carriages . A voter did not have to demonstrate that the carriage existed , but his license had to be accepted as evidence of ownership by election officials . The Democratic press blamed Benjamin as the strategist behind this maneuver . In 1844 , the legislature voted to hold a constitutional convention , and Benjamin was chosen as a delegate from New Orleans . At the convention , Benjamin successfully opposed counting a slave as three-fifths of a human being for purposes of representation in state elections , as was done in federal elections . His position prevailed , and slaves were not counted at all for electoral purposes in Louisiana state elections . According to Evans , his tact , courtesy , and ability to find compromises impressed the political elders in all corners of the state . Rabbi Myron Berman , in his history of Jews in Richmond , describes the attitude of antebellum white Southerners toward Jews : By the early 1840s , Benjamin was wealthy from his law practice and , with a partner , bought a sugar cane plantation , Bellechasse . This purchase , and the subsequent construction of a grand house there , advanced Benjamins ambitions ; the planter class controlled Louisiana politics and would trust only a man who also owned substantial land and slaves . The Benjamin marriage was by then failing , and he hoped in vain that his wife would be content at the plantation . Benjamin threw his energy into improving Bellechasse , importing new varieties of sugar cane and adopting up-to-date methods and equipment to extract and process the sugar . He purchased 140 slaves to work the plantation , and had a reputation as a humane slaveowner . Benjamin scaled back his involvement in politics in the late 1840s , distracted by his plantation and law practice . His mother Rebecca , whom he had brought to New Orleans , died in 1847 during a yellow fever epidemic . In 1848 , Benjamin was a Whig member of the Electoral College ; he voted for fellow Louisiana planter , General Zachary Taylor , who was elected U.S . President . He and other Louisianans accompanied President-elect Taylor to Washington for his inauguration , and Benjamin attended a state dinner given by outgoing president James K . Polk . In 1850 , Millard Fillmore , who succeeded Taylor after his death earlier that year , appointed Benjamin as judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California . He was confirmed by the Senate , but he declined the appointment as the salary of $3,500 was too small . The following year , Benjamin assisted the United States Attorney in New Orleans in prosecuting American adventurers who had tried to spark a rebellion against Spanish rule in Cuba , but two trials both ended in hung juries . Mexican railroad . Benjamin became interested in strengthening trade connections between New Orleans and California , and promoted an infrastructure project to build a railroad across the Mexican isthmus near Oaxaca ; this would speed passenger traffic and cargo shipments . According to The New York Times , in an 1852 speech to a railroad builders convention , Benjamin said this trade route belongs to New Orleans . Its commerce makes empires of the countries to which it flows . Benjamin lobbied fellow lawmakers about the project , gained funds from private New York bankers , and even helped organize construction crews . In private correspondence he warned backers of problems ; project workers suffered yellow fever , shipments of construction materials hit rough seas , and actions or inaction by both U.S . and Mexican officials caused delays and increases in construction costs . Backers had invested several hundred thousand dollars by the time the project died after the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 . Election to the Senate . Benjamin spent the summer of 1851 abroad , including a visit to Paris to see Natalie and Ninette . He was still away in October 1851 , when the Whigs nominated him for the state Senate . Despite his absence , he was easily elected . When the new legislature met in January 1852 , Benjamin emerged as one of the leading Whig candidates for election to the U.S . Senate seat that would become vacant on March 4 , 1853 . As the Louisiana legislature , responsible for electing the states senators , met once in two years under the 1845 constitution , it was not scheduled to meet again before the seat became vacant . Some Whig newspapers thought Benjamin too young and inexperienced at forty , despite his undoubted talent , but the Whig legislative caucus selected him on the second ballot , and he was elected by the two houses over Democrat Solomon W . Downs . The outgoing president , Fillmore , offered to nominate Benjamin , a fellow Whig , to fill a Supreme Court vacancy after the Senate Democrats had defeated Fillmores other nominees for the post . The New York Times reported on February 15 , 1853 , that if the President nominates Benjamin , the Democrats are determined to confirm him . The new president , Franklin Pierce , a Democrat , also offered Benjamin a place on the Supreme Court . Pierce Butler suggested in his 1908 biography of Benjamin that the newly elected senator likely declined these offers not only because he preferred active politics , but because he could maintain his law practice and substantial income as a senator , but could not as a justice . As an advocate before the U.S . Supreme Court , Benjamin won 13 of his first 18 cases . Judah Benjamin was sworn in as senator from Louisiana on March 4 , 1853 , at a brief meeting called just prior to President Pierces inauguration . These new colleagues included Stephen A . Douglas of Illinois , Robert M . T . Hunter of Virginia , and Sam Houston of Texas . The slavery issue was in a brief remission as much of the country wished to accept the Compromise of 1850 as a final settlement . When the Senate was not in session , Benjamin remained in Washington , D.C. , conducting a lucrative practice including many cases before the Supreme Court , then conveniently located in a room of the Capitol . His law partners in New Orleans took care of his firms affairs there . About this time Benjamin sold his interest in Bellechasse , lacking the time to deal with plantation business . Spokesman for slavery . Benjamins view that slavery should continue was based in his belief that citizens had a right to their property as guaranteed by the Constitution . As Butler put it , he could no more see that it was right for Northern people to rob him of his slave than it would be for him to connive at horse stealing . He avoided the arguments of some that the slaves were inferior beings , and that their position was ordained by God : Evans ascribes this to Benjamin not being raised as a slaveowner , but coming to it later in life . Benjamin joined in a widespread view of white Southerners that the African American would not be ready for emancipation for many years , if ever . They feared that freeing the slaves would ruin many and lead to murders and rapes by the newly liberated of their former masters and mistresses . Such a massacre had been feared by Southerners since the Haitian Revolution , the violent revolt known as Santo Domingo in the South , in which the slaves of what became Haiti killed many whites and mulattoes in 1804 while gaining independence from French control . When the anti-slavery book Uncle Toms Cabin was published in 1852 , Benjamin spoke out against Harriet Beecher Stowes portrayal . He said that slaves were for the most part well treated , and plantation punishments , such as whipping or branding , were more merciful than sentences of imprisonment that a white man might receive in the North for similar conduct . In early 1854 , Senator Douglas introduced his Kansas–Nebraska Bill , calling for popular sovereignty to determine whether the Kansas and Nebraska territories should enter the Union as slave or free states . Depending on the outcome of such elections , slavery might spread to territories closed to it under the Missouri Compromise of 1820 . In the debate over the bill , Benjamin defended this change as returning to the traditions of the fathers , that the federal government not legislate on the subject of slavery . He said that the South merely wished to be left alone . The bill passed , but its passage had drastic political effects , as the differences between North and South that had been settled by both the 1820 and 1850 compromises were reopened . The Whig Party was torn apart North from South , with many Northern Whigs joining the new Republican Party , a group pledged to oppose the spread of slavery . Benjamin continued to caucus with the remains of the Whig Party through 1854 and 1855 , but as a member of a legislative minority , he had little influence on legislation , and received no important committee assignments . In May 1856 Benjamin joined the Democrats , stating they had the principles of the old-time Whig Party . He indicated , in a letter to constituents , that as Northern Whigs had failed to vote to uphold the rights granted to Southern states in the Constitution , the Whigs , as a national party , were no more . At a state dinner given by Pierce , Benjamin first met Secretary of War Jefferson Davis , whose wife Varina described the Louisiana senator as having rather the air of a witty bon vivant than of a great senator . The two men , both ambitious for leadership in the South and the nation , formed a relationship that Evans describes as respectful but wary . The two had occasional differences ; when in 1858 , Davis , by then a Mississippi senator , was irritated by Benjamins questioning him on a military bill and suggested that Benjamin was acting as a paid attorney , the Louisianan challenged him to a duel . Davis apologized . Benjamin , in his speeches in the Senate , took the position that the Union was a compact by the states from which any of them could secede . Nevertheless , he understood that any dissolution would not be peaceful , stating in 1856 that dreadful will be the internecine war that must ensue . In 1859 , Benjamin was elected to a second term , but allegations of involvement in land scandals and the fact that upstate legislators objected to both of Louisianas senators being from New Orleans stretched the contest to 42 ballots before he prevailed . Secession crisis . Benjamin worked to deny Douglas the 1860 Democratic presidential nomination , feeling he had turned against the South . Douglas contended that although the Supreme Court , in Dred Scott v . Sandford , had stated Congress could not restrict slavery in the territories , the people of each territory could pass legislation to bar it . This position was anathema to the South . Benjamin praised Douglass opponent in his re-election bid , former congressman Abraham Lincoln , for at least being true to his principles as an opponent of the expansion of slavery , whereas the senator considered Douglas to be a hypocrite . Benjamin was joined in his opposition to Douglas by Senator Davis ; the two were so successful that the 1860 convention was not able to nominate anyone and split into Northern and Southern factions . The Northerners backed Douglas while Southern delegates chose Vice President John C . Breckinridge of Kentucky . Despite their agreement in opposing Douglas , Benjamin and Davis differed on some race issues : in May , Benjamin voted for a bill to aid Africans liberated by U.S . naval vessels from illegal slave ships , in order to return them to their native continent from Key West . Davis and many other Southerners opposed the bill . Between June and December 1860 Benjamin was almost entirely absorbed in the case of United States v . Castillero that was tried in San Francisco during the latter part of that period . The case concerned a land grant by the former Mexican government of California . Castillero had leased part of his land to British mining companies , and when American authorities ruled the grant invalid , they hired Benjamin ; he spent four months in San Francisco working on the case . The trial began in October , and Benjamin gave an address lasting six days . The local correspondent for The New York Times wrote that Benjamin , a distinguished stranger , drew the largest crowds to the courtroom and the Senator is making this terribly tedious case interesting . Benjamin sailed for New York once the case was submitted for decision in early November . The courts ruling , rendered in January 1861 , was substantially for the company but , not satisfied , it appealed . It lost the case entirely to an adverse decision by the U.S . Supreme Court , three justices dissenting , the following year . Benjamin was by then a Confederate Cabinet officer , and could not argue the case . His co-counsel filed his brief with the court . By the time Benjamin returned to the East Coast , the Republican candidate , Lincoln , had been elected president , and there was talk , in Louisiana and elsewhere , of secession from the Union . The New Orleans Picayune reported that Benjamin favored secession only in the last resort . On December 23 , 1860 , another Louisiana periodical , the Delta , printed a letter from Benjamin dated the eighth stating that , as the people of the North were of unalterable hostility to their Southern brethren , the latter should depart from the government common to them . He also signed a joint letter from Southern congressmen to their constituents , urging the formation of a confederation of the seceding states . According to a letter reportedly written by Benjamin during the crisis , he saw secession as a means of obtaining more favorable terms in a reformed Union . With Southern opinion turning in favor of secession , Benjamin made a farewell speech in the Senate on December 31 , 1860 , to a packed gallery , desirous of hearing one of the Souths most eloquent voices . They were not disappointed ; Evans writes that historians consider Benjamins farewell .. . one of the great speeches in American history . Benjamin foresaw that the Souths departure would lead to civil war : According to Geoffrey D . Cunningham in his article on Benjamins role in secession , Swept up in the popular cries for independence , Benjamin willingly went out with the Southern tide . He and his Louisiana colleague , John Slidell , resigned from the U.S . Senate on February 4 , 1861 , nine days after their state voted to secede from the Union . Confederate statesman . Attorney General . Fearful of arrest as a rebel once he left the Senate , Benjamin quickly departed Washington for New Orleans . On the day of Benjamins resignation , the Provisional Confederate States Congress gathered in Montgomery , Alabama , and soon chose Davis as president . Davis was sworn in as provisional Confederate States President on February 18 , 1861 . At home in New Orleans for , it would prove , the last time , Benjamin addressed a rally on Washingtons Birthday , February 22 , 1861 . On February 25 , Davis appointed Benjamin , still in New Orleans , as attorney general ; the Louisianan was approved immediately and unanimously by the provisional Congress . Davis thus became the first chief executive in North America to appoint a Jew to his Cabinet . Davis , in his memoirs , remarked that he chose Benjamin because he had a very high reputation as a lawyer , and my acquaintance with him in the Senate had impressed me with the lucidity of his intellect , his systematic habits , and capacity for labor . Meade suggested that Davis wanted to have a Louisianan in his Cabinet , but that a smarter course of action would have been to send Benjamin abroad to win over the European governments . Butler called Benjamins appointment a waste of good material . Historian William C . Davis , in his volume on the formation of the Confederate government , notes , For some there was next to nothing to do , none more so than Benjamin . The role of the attorney general in a Confederacy that did not yet have federal courts or marshals was so minimal that initial layouts for the building housing the government in Montgomery allotted no space to the Justice Department . Meade found the time that Benjamin spent as attorney general to be fruitful , as it allowed him the opportunity to judge Daviss character and to ingratiate himself with the president . Benjamin served as a host , entertaining dignitaries and others Davis had no time to see . At the first Cabinet meeting , Benjamin counseled Davis to have the government buy 150,000 bales of cotton for shipment to the United Kingdom , with the proceeds used to buy arms and for future needs . His advice was not taken , as the Cabinet believed the war would be short and successful . Benjamin was called upon from time to time to render legal opinions , writing on April 1 to assure Treasury Secretary Christopher Memminger that lemons and oranges could enter the Confederacy duty-free , but walnuts could not . Once Virginia joined the Confederacy , the capital was moved to Richmond , though against Benjamins advice—he believed that the city was too close to the North . Nevertheless , he traveled there with his brother-in-law , Jules St . Martin ; the two lived in the same house throughout the war , and Benjamin probably procured the young mans job at the War Department . Although Alabamas Leroy Walker was Secretary of War , Davis—a war hero and former U.S . War Secretary—considered himself more qualified and gave many orders himself . When the Confederates were unable to follow up their victory at the First Battle of Manassas by threatening Washington , Walker was criticized in the press . In September , Walker resigned to join the army as a brigadier general , and Davis appointed Benjamin in his place . Butler wrote that Davis had found the cheerfully competent Benjamin a most useful member of the official family , and thought him suited for almost any post in it . In addition to his appointment as War Secretary , Benjamin continued to act as Attorney General until November 15 , 1861 . Secretary of War . As War Secretary , Benjamin was responsible for a territory stretching from Virginia to Texas . It was his job , with Davis looking over his shoulder , to supervise the Confederate Army and to feed , supply , and arm it in a nascent country with almost no arms manufacturers . Accordingly , Benjamin saw his job as closely tied to foreign affairs , as the Confederacy was dependent on imports to supply its troops . Davis had chosen a defensive war strategy : the Confederacy would await invasion by the Union and then seek to defeat its armies until Lincoln tired of sending them . Davis and Benjamin worked together closely , and as Davis came to realize that his subordinate was loyal to the Confederacy and to Davis personally , he returned complete trust in Benjamin . Varina Davis wrote , It was to me a curious spectacle , the steady approximation to a thorough friendliness of the President and his War Minister . It was a very gradual rapprochement , but all the more solid for that reason . In his months as War Secretary , Benjamin sent thousands of communications . According to Evans , Benjamin initially turn [ ed ] prejudice to his favor and play [ ed ] on the Southerners instinctive respect for the Jewish mind with a brilliant performance . Nevertheless , Benjamin faced difficulties that he could do little to solve . The Confederacy lacked sufficient soldiers , trained officers to command them , naval and civilian ships , manufacturing capacity to make ships and many weapons , and powder for guns and cannon . The Union had those things and moved to block the Souths access to European supplies , both by blockades and by buying up supplies that the South might have secured . Other problems included drunkenness among the men and their officers and uncertainty as to when and where the expected Northern invasion would begin . Also , Benjamin had no experience of the military or of the executive branch of the government , placing him in a poor position to contradict Davis . An insurgency against the Confederacy developed in staunchly pro-Union East Tennessee in late 1861 , and at Daviss order , Benjamin sent troops to crush it . Once it was put down , Benjamin and Davis were in a quandary about what to do about its leader , William Parson Brownlow , who had been captured , and eventually allowed him to cross to Union-controlled territory in the hope that it would cause Lincoln to release Confederate prisoners . While Brownlow was in Southern custody , he stated that he expected , no more mercy from Benjamin than was shown by his illustrious predecessors towards Jesus Christ . Benjamin had difficulty in managing the Confederacys generals . He quarreled with General P.G.T . Beauregard , a war hero since his victory at First Manassas . Beauregard sought to add a rocket battery to his command , an action that Benjamin stated was not authorized by law . He was most likely relaying Daviss views , and when challenged by Beauregard , Davis backed Benjamin , advising the general to dismiss this small matter from your mind . In the hostile masses before you , you have a subject more worthy of your contemplation . In January 1862 , Stonewall Jacksons forces had advanced in western Virginia , leaving troops under William W . Loring at the small town of Romney . Distant from Jacksons other forces and ill-supplied , Loring and other officers petitioned the War Department to be recalled , and Benjamin , after consulting Davis , so ordered after he used the pretext of rumored Union troop movements in the area . Jackson complied but , in a letter to Benjamin , asked to be removed from the front or to resign . High-ranking Confederates soothed Jackson into withdrawing his request . The power of state governments was another flaw in the Confederacy and a problem for Benjamin . Georgia Governor Joseph E . Brown repeatedly demanded arms and the return of Georgian troops to defend his state . North Carolina Governor Henry T . Clark also wanted troops returned to him to defend his coastline . After Cape Hatteras , on the North Carolinas coast , was captured , Confederate forces fell back to Roanoke Island . If it fell , a number of ports in that area of the coast would be at risk , and Norfolk , Virginia , might be threatened by land . General Henry A . Wise , commanding Roanoke , also demanded troops and supplies . He received little from Benjamins War Department that had no arms to send , as the Union blockade was preventing supplies from being imported . That Confederate armories were empty was a fact not publicly known at the time . Benjamin and Davis hoped that the islands defenses could hold off the Union forces , but an overwhelming number of troops were landed in February 1862 at an undefended point , and the Confederates were quickly defeated . Combined with Union General Ulysses S . Grants capture of Fort Henry , the site of the Battle of Fort Henry , and Fort Donelson in Tennessee , it was the most severe military blow yet to the Confederacy , and there was a public outcry against Benjamin , led by General Wise . It was revealed a quarter-century after the war that Benjamin and Davis had agreed for Benjamin to act as a scapegoat , rather than to reveal the shortage of arms . Not knowing it , the Richmond Examiner accused Benjamin of stupid complacency . Diarist Mary Chestnut recorded that the mob calls him Mr . Daviss pet Jew . The Wise family never forgave Benjamin , to the detriment of his memory in Southern eyes . Wises son , Captain Jennings Wise , fell at Roanoke Island , and Henrys grandson John Wise , interviewed in 1936 , told Meade that the fat Jew sitting at his desk was to blame . Another of the generals sons , also named John Wise , wrote a highly-popular book about the South in the Civil War , The End of an Era ( 1899 ) in which he said that Benjamin had more brains and less heart than any other civic leader in the South.. . The Confederacy and its collapse were no more to Judah P . Benjamin than last years birds nest . The Confederate States Congress established a special committee to investigate the military losses , and Benjamin testified before it . The Secretary of State , Virginias Robert M . T . Hunter , had quarreled with Davis and resigned , and in March 1862 , Benjamin was appointed as his replacement . Varina Davis noted that some in Congress had sought Benjamins ouster because of reverses which no one could have averted , [ so ] the President promoted him to the State Department with a personal and aggrieved sense of injustice done to the man who had now become his friend and right hand . Richmond diarist Sallie Ann Brock Putnam wrote , Mr . Benjamin was not forgiven.. . this act on the part of the President [ in promoting Benjamin ] , in defiance of public opinion , was considered as unwise , arbitrary , and a reckless risking of his reputation and popularity.. . [ Benjamin ] was ever afterwards unpopular in the Confederacy , and particularly in Virginia . Despite the promotion , the committee reported that any blame for the defeat at Roanoke Island should attach to Wises superior , Major General Benjamin Huger , and the late secretary of war , J.P . Benjamin . Confederate Secretary of State . Throughout his time as Secretary of State , Benjamin tried to induce Britain and France to recognize the Confederacy—no other nation was likely to do so unless these powerful states led the way . The protection this would bring to the Confederacy and its foreign trade was hoped to be enough to save it . Basis of Confederate foreign policy . By the 1850s , cheap Southern cotton fueled the industries of Europe . The mills of Britain , developed during the first half of the 19th century , by 1860 used more cotton than the rest of the industrialized world combined . Cotton imports to Britain came almost entirely from the American South . According to an article in The Economist in 1853 , let any great social or physical convulsion visit the United States , and England would feel the shock from Lands End to John OGroats . The lives of nearly two million of our countrymen .. . hang upon a thread . In 1855 , an Ohioan , David Christy , published Cotton Is King : or Slavery in the Light of Political Economy . Christy argued that the flow of cotton was so important to the industrialized world that cutting it off would be devastating—not least to the Northern United States , as cotton was by far the largest U.S . export . This became known as the King Cotton theory , to which Davis was an enthusiastic subscriber . Benjamin also spoke in favor of the theory , though Butler suspected he may have known better , based on his firsthand knowledge of Europe . When war came , Davis , against Benjamins advice , imposed an embargo on exports of cotton to nations that had not recognized the Confederate government , hoping to force such relations , especially with Britain and France . As the Union was attempting to prevent cotton from being exported from Confederate ports by a blockade and other means , this played to a certain extent into the hands of Lincoln and his Secretary of State , William H . Seward . Additionally , when the war began , Britain had a large surplus of cotton in warehouses , enough to keep the mills running at least part-time for a year or so . Although many prominent Britons believed the South would prevail , there was a reluctance to recognize Richmond until it had gained the military victories to put its foe at bay . Much of this was due to hatred of slavery , though part of it stemmed from a desire to remain on good terms with the U.S . government—due to a drought in 1862 , Britain was forced to import large quantities of wheat and flour from the United States . Also , Britain feared the expansionist Americans might invade the vulnerable Canadian colonies , as Seward hinted they might . Appointment . Davis appointed Benjamin as Secretary of State on March 17 , 1862 . He was promptly confirmed by the Confederate Senate . A motion to reconsider the confirmation was lost , 13–8 . According to Butler , the appointment of Benjamin brought Davis little political support , as the average white Southerner did not understand Benjamin and somewhat disliked him . As there was not much open opposition to Davis in the South at the time , Benjamins appointment was not criticized , but was not given much praise either . Meade noted , the silence of many influential newspapers was ominous . [ Benjamins ] promotion in the face of such bitter criticism of his conduct in the war office caused the first serious lack of confidence in the Davis government . Meade wrote that , since the Secretary of State would have to work closely with Jefferson Davis , Benjamin was likely the person best suited to the position . In addition to his relationship with the President , Benjamin was very close to the Confederate First Lady , Varina Davis , with whom he exchanged confidences regarding war events and the Presidents health . Together , and by turns , they could help him over the most difficult days . For recreation , Benjamin frequented Richmonds gambling dens , playing poker and faro . He was incensed when British correspondent William Howard Russell publicized his gambling , feeling that it was an invasion of his private affairs . He was also displeased that Russell depicted him as a losing gambler , when his reputation was the opposite . Early days ( 1862–1863 ) . The Trent Affair had taken place before Benjamin took office as Secretary of State : a U.S . warship had in October 1861 removed Confederate diplomats James Mason and James Slidell ( Benjamins former Louisiana colleague in the U.S . Senate ) and their private secretaries from a British-flagged vessel . The crisis brought the U.S . and Britain near war , and was resolved by their release . By the time of Benjamins appointment , Mason and Slidell were at their posts in London and Paris as putative ministers from the Confederacy , seeking recognition by the governments of Britain and France . With difficult communications between the South and Europe ( dispatches were often lost or intercepted ) , Benjamin was initially reluctant to change the instructions given the agents by Secretary Hunter . Communications improved by 1863 , with Benjamin ordering that dispatches be sent to Bermuda or the Bahamas , from where they reached the Confederacy by blockade runner . As a practical matter , Benjamins chances of gaining European recognition rose and fell with the military fortunes of the Confederacy . When , at the end of June 1862 , Confederate General Robert E . Lee turned back Union General George B . McClellans Peninsula Campaign in the Seven Days Battles , ending the immediate threat to Richmond , Emperor Napoleon III of France favorably received proposals from Benjamin , through Slidell , for the French to intervene on the Confederacys behalf in exchange for trade concessions . Nevertheless , the Emperor proved unwilling to act without Britain . In August 1862 , Mason , angered by the refusal of British government ministers to meet with him , threatened to resign his post . Benjamin soothed him , stating that while Mason should not submit to insulting treatment , resignation should not take place without discussion . The bloody standoff at Antietam in September 1862 that ended Lees first major incursion into the North gave Lincoln the confidence in Union arms he needed to announce the Emancipation Proclamation . British newspapers mocked Lincoln for hypocrisy in freeing slaves only in Confederate-held areas , where he could exercise no authority . British officials had been shocked by the outcome of Antietam—they had expected Lee to deliver another brilliant victory—and now considered an additional reason for intervening in the conflict . Antietam , the bloodiest day of the war , had been a stalemate ; they read this as presaging an overall deadlock in the war , with North and South at each others throats for years as Britains mills sat empty and its people starved . France agreed with this assessment . The final few months of 1862 saw a high water mark for Benjamins diplomacy . In October , the British Chancellor of the Exchequer , William Gladstone , expressed confidence in Confederate victory , stating in Newcastle , There is no doubt that Jefferson Davis and other leaders of the South have made an army . They are making , it appears , a navy , and they have made what is more than either—they have made a nation . Later that month , Napoleon proposed to the British and Russians ( a U.S . ally ) that they combine to require a six months armistice for mediation , and an end to the blockade ; if they did so , it would likely lead to Southern independence . The proposal divided the British Cabinet . In mid-November , at the urgings of Palmerston and War Secretary George Cornewall Lewis , members decided to continue to wait for the South to defeat Lincolns forces before recognizing it . Although proponents of intervention were prepared to await another opportunity , growing realization among the British public that the Emancipation Proclamation meant that Union victory would be slaverys end made succoring the South politically infeasible . Benjamin had not been allowed to offer the inducement for intervention that might have succeeded—abolition of slavery in the Confederacy , and because of that , Meade deemed his diplomacy seriously , perhaps fatally handicapped . The Secretary of State blamed Napoleon for the failure , believing the Emperor had betrayed the Confederacy to get the ruler the French had installed in Mexico , Maximilian , accepted by the United States . In Paris , Slidell had been approached by the banking firm Erlanger et Cie . The company offered to float a loan to benefit the Confederacy . The proposed terms provided a large commission to Erlanger and would entitle the bondholder to cotton at a discounted price once the South won the war . Baron Frederic Emile dErlanger , head of the firm , journeyed to Richmond in early 1863 , and negotiated with Benjamin , although the transaction properly fell within the jurisdiction of Treasury Secretary Memminger . The banker softened the terms somewhat , though they were still lucrative for his firm . Benjamin felt the deal was worth it , as it would provide the Confederacy with badly needed funds to pay its agents in Europe . Increasing desperation ( 1863–1865 ) . The twin rebel defeats at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in early July 1863 made it unlikely that Britain , or any other nation , would recognize a slaveholding Confederacy staggering towards oblivion . Accordingly , in August , Benjamin wrote to Mason telling him that as Davis believed the British unwilling to recognize the South , he was free to leave the country . In October , with Davis absent on a trip to Tennessee , Benjamin heard that the British consul in Savannah had forbidden British subjects in the Confederate Army from being used against the United States . The Secretary of State convened a Cabinet meeting , that expelled the remaining British consuls in Confederate-controlled territory , then notified Davis by letter . Evans suggests that Benjamins actions made him the Confederacys acting president—the first Jewish president . Benjamin supervised the Confederate Secret Service , responsible for covert operations in the North , and financed former federal Interior Secretary Jacob Thompson to work behind the scenes financing operations that might undermine Lincoln politically . Although efforts were made to boost Peace Democrats , the most prominent actions proved to be the St . Albans Raid ( an attack on a Vermont town from Canada ) and an unsuccessful attempt to burn New York City . In the aftermath of the war , these activities led to accusations that Benjamin and Davis were involved in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln , as one Confederate courier , John H . Surratt , who had received money from Benjamin , was tried for involvement in the conspiracy , though Surratt was acquitted . As the Confederacys military fortunes flagged , there was increasing consideration of what would have been unthinkable in 1861—enlisting male slaves in the army and emancipating them for their service . In August 1863 , B . H . Micou , a relative of a former law partner , wrote to Benjamin proposing the use of black soldiers . Benjamin responded that this was not feasible , principally for legal and financial reasons , and that the slaves were performing valuable services for the Confederacy where they were . According to Meade , Benjamin did not offer any objections to Micous plan except on practical grounds—he was not repelled by the radical nature of the proposal . A British financial agent for the Confederacy , James Spence , also urged emancipation as a means of gaining British recognition . Benjamin allowed Spence to remain in his position for almost a year despite the differences with Confederate policy , before finally dismissing him in late 1863 . Despite official neutrality , tens of thousands from British-ruled Ireland were enlisting in the Union cause ; Benjamin sent an agent to Ireland hoping to impede those efforts and Dudley Mann to Rome to urge Pope Pius IX to forbid Catholic Irish from enlisting . The Pope did not do so , though he responded sympathetically . In January 1864 , Confederate General Patrick Cleburne , of the Army of Tennessee , proposed emancipating and arming the slaves . Davis , when he heard of it , turned it down and ordered it kept secret . Evans notes that Benjamin had been thinking in similar terms for much longer , and perhaps the recommendation of so respected an officer was just the impetus he needed . The year 1864 was a disastrous one for the Confederacy , with Lee forced within siege lines at Petersburg and Union General William T . Sherman sacking Atlanta and devastating Georgia on his march to the sea . Benjamin urged Davis to send the secretarys fellow Louisianan , Duncan Kenner , to Paris and London , with an offer of emancipation in exchange for recognition . Davis was only willing to offer gradual emancipation , and both Napoleon and Palmerston rejected the proposal . Benjamin continued to press the matter , addressing a mass meeting in Richmond in February 1865 in support of arming the slaves and emancipating them . A bill eventually emerged from the Confederate Congress in March , but it had many restrictions , and it was too late to affect the outcome of the war . In January 1865 , Lincoln , who had been re-elected the previous November , sent Francis Blair as an emissary to Richmond , hoping to secure reunion without further bloodshed . Both sides agreed to a meeting at Fort Monroe , Virginia . Benjamin drafted vague instructions for the Southern delegation , led by Vice President Alexander Stephens , but Davis insisted on modifying them to refer to North and South as two nations . This was the point that scuttled the Hampton Roads Conference ; Lincoln would not consider the South a separate entity , insisting on union and emancipation . Escape . By March 1865 , the Confederate military situation was desperate . Most major population centers had fallen , and General Lees defense of Richmond was faltering against massive Union forces . Nevertheless , Benjamin retained his usual good humor ; on the evening of April 1 , with evacuation likely , he was at the State Department offices , singing a silly ballad of his own composition , The Exit from Shocko Hill , a graveyard district located in Richmond . On April 2 , Lee sent word that he could only keep Union troops away from the line of the Richmond and Danville Railroad—the only railroad still running out of Richmond—for a short time . Those who did not leave Richmond would be trapped . At 11:00 pm that night , the Confederate President and Cabinet left aboard a Danville-bound train . Navy Secretary Stephen R . Mallory recorded that Benjamins hope and good humor [ was ] inexhaustible .. . with a never-give-up-the-ship sort of air , referred to other great national causes which had been redeemed from far gloomier reverses than ours . In Danville , Benjamin shared a room with another refugee , in the home of a banker . For a week , Danville served as capital of the Confederacy , until word came of Lees surrender at Appomattox Court House . With no army to shield the Confederate government , it would be captured by Union forces within days , so Davis and his Cabinet , including Benjamin , fled south to Greensboro , North Carolina . Five minutes after the train passed over the Haw River , Union cavalry raiders burned the bridge , trapping the trains that followed Daviss . Greensboro , fearing wrathful reprisal from the Union , gave the fugitives little hospitality , forcing Benjamin and the other Cabinet members to bunk in a railroad boxcar . Davis hoped to reach Texas , where rumor had it large Confederate forces remained active . The Cabinet met in Greensboro , and Generals Beauregard and Joseph E . Johnston sketched the bleak military situation . Davis , backed as usual by Benjamin , was determined to continue to fight . The refugee government moved south on April 15 . With the train tracks cut , most Cabinet members rode on horseback , but the heavyset Benjamin declared he would not ride on one until he had to , and shared an ambulance with Jules St . Martin and others . For the entertainment of his companions , Benjamin recited Tennysons Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington . In Charlotte , Benjamin stayed in the home of a Jewish merchant as surrender negotiations dragged . Here , Benjamin abandoned Daviss plan to fight on , telling him and the Cabinet that the cause was hopeless . When negotiations failed , Benjamin was part of the shrunken remnant of associates that moved on with Davis . The party reached Abbeville , South Carolina on May 2 , and Benjamin told Davis that he wanted to separate from the presidential party temporarily , and go to the Bahamas to be able to send instructions to foreign agents before rejoining Davis in Texas . According to historian William C . Davis , the pragmatic Secretary of State almost certainly never had any intention of returning to the South once gone . When he bade John Reagan goodbye , the postmaster general asked where Benjamin was going . To the farthest place from the United States , if it takes me to the middle of China . With one companion , Benjamin travelled south in a poor carriage , pretending to be a Frenchman who spoke no English . He had some gold with him , and left much of it for the support of relatives . He was traveling in the same general direction as the Davis party , but evaded capture whereas Davis was taken by Union troops . Benjamin reached Monticello , Florida , on May 13 to learn Union troops were in nearby Madison . Benjamin decided to continue alone on horseback , east and south along Floridas Gulf Coast , pretending to be a South Carolina farmer . John T . Lesley , James McKay , and C . J . Munnerlyn assisted in hiding Benjamin in a swamp , before eventually transporting him to Gamble Mansion in Ellenton , on the southwest coast of Florida . From there , assisted by the blockade runner Captain Frederick Tresca , he reached Bimini in the Bahamas . His escape from Florida to England was not without hardship : at one point he pretended to be a Jewish cook on Trescas vessel , to deceive American soldiers who inspected it—one of whom stated it was the first time he had seen a Jew do menial labor . The small sponge-carrying vessel on which he left Bimini bound for Nassau exploded on the way , and he and the three black crewmen eventually managed to return to Bimini . Trescas ship was still there , and he chartered it to take him to Nassau . From there , he took a ship for Havana , and on August 6 , 1865 , left there for Britain . He was not yet done with disaster ; his ship caught fire after departing St . Thomas , and the crew put out the flames only with difficulty . On August 30 , 1865 , Judah Benjamin arrived at Southampton , in Britain . Exile . Benjamin spent a week in London assisting Mason in winding up Confederate affairs . He then went to Paris to visit his wife and daughter for the first time since before the war . Friends in Paris urged him to join a mercantile firm there , but Benjamin felt that such a career would be subject to interference by Seward and the United States . Accordingly , Benjamin sought to shape his old course in a new country , resuming his legal career as an English barrister . Most of Benjamins property had been destroyed or confiscated , and he needed to make a living for himself and his relatives . He had money in the United Kingdom as he had , during the war , purchased cotton for transport to Liverpool by blockade runner . On January 13 , 1866 , Benjamin enrolled at Lincolns Inn , and soon thereafter was admitted to read law under Charles Pollock , son of Chief Baron Charles Edward Pollock , who took him as a pupil at his fathers direction . Benjamin , despite his age of 54 , was initially required , like his thirty-years-younger peers , to attend for twelve terms , that is , three years . According to Benjamins obituary in The Times , though , the secretary of the Confederacy was dispensed from the regular three years of unprofitable dining , and called to the bar on June 6 , 1866 . Once qualified as a barrister , Benjamin chose to join the Northern Circuit , as it included Liverpool , where his connections in New Orleans and knowledge of mercantile affairs would do him the most good . In an early case , he defended two former Confederate agents against a suit by the United States to gain assets said to belong to that nation . Although he lost that case ( United States v Wagner ) on appeal , he was successful against his former enemies in United States v McRae ( 1869 ) . He had need of rapid success , as most of his remaining assets were lost in the collapse of the firm of Overend , Gurney and Company . He was reduced to penning columns on international affairs for The Daily Telegraph . According to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , repeating his Louisiana progress , Benjamin made his reputation among his new peers by publication . In an early representation , he wrote a complex governing document for an insurance firm that other counsel had declined despite the substantial fee , due to the early deadline . After brief study , Benjamin wrote out the document , never making a correction or erasure . In 1868 , Benjamin published A Treatise on the Law of Sale of Personal Property , With Reference to the American Decisions , to the French Code , and Civil Law . This work , known for short as Benjamin on Sales , became a classic in both Britain and America , and launched his career as a barrister . It went through three editions prior to Benjamins death in 1884 ; an eighth edition was published in 2010 . Today Benjamins Sale of Goods forms part of the common law library of key practitioner texts on English civil law . In 1867 , Benjamin had been indicted in Richmond , along with Davis , Lee , and others , for waging war against the United States . The indictment was soon quashed . Davis visited London in 1868 , free on bail , and Benjamin advised him not to take legal action against the author of a book that had angered Davis , as it would only give the book publicity . Benjamin corresponded with Davis , and met with him on the former rebel presidents visits to Europe during Benjamins lifetime , though the two were never as close as they had been during the war . Benjamin was created a Palatine silk , entitled to the precedence of a Queens Counsel within Lancashire , in July 1869 . There was a large creation of Queens Counsel in early 1872 , but Benjamin was not included ; it was stated in his Times obituary that he had put his name forward . Later that year , he argued the case of Potter v Rankin before the House of Lords and so impressed Lord Hatherley that a patent of precedence was soon made out , giving Benjamin the privileges of a Queens Counsel . As he became prominent as a barrister , he discontinued practice before juries ( at which he was less successful ) in favor of trials or appeals before judges . In his last years in practice , he demanded an additional fee of 100 guineas ( £105 ) to appear in any court besides the House of Lords and the Privy Council . In 1875 , he was made a bencher of Lincolns Inn . In 1881 , Benjamin represented Arthur Orton , the Tichborne claimant , before the House of Lords . Orton , a butcher from Wagga Wagga , New South Wales , had claimed to be Sir Roger Tichborne , a baronet who had vanished some years previously , and Orton had perjured himself in the course of defending his claim . Benjamin sought to overturn the sentence of 14 years passed on Orton , but was not successful . In his final years , Benjamin suffered from health issues . In 1880 , he was badly injured in a fall from a tram in Paris . He also developed diabetes . He suffered a heart attack in Paris at the end of 1882 , and his doctor ordered him to retire . His health improved enough to allow him to travel to London in June 1883 for a dinner in his honor attended by the English bench and bar . He returned to Paris and suffered a relapse of his heart trouble in early 1884 . Natalie Benjamin had the last rites of the Catholic Church administered to her Jewish husband before his death in Paris on May 6 , 1884 , and funeral services were held in a church prior to Judah Benjamins interment at Père Lachaise Cemetery in the St . Martin family crypt . His grave did not bear his name until 1938 , when a plaque was placed by the Paris chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy . Appraisal . Benjamin was the first U.S . senator to profess the Jewish faith . In 1845 , David Yulee , born David Levy , the first cousin of Judah Benjamin’s father , had been sworn in for Florida , but he renounced Judaism and eventually formally converted to Christianity . As an adult , Benjamin married a non-Jew , was not a member of a synagogue , and took no part in communal affairs . He rarely spoke of his Jewish background publicly , but was not ashamed of it . Some of the stories told of Benjamin that touch on this subject come from Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise , who referred to an address Benjamin delivered in a San Francisco synagogue on Yom Kippur in 1860 , though whether this occurred is open to question as Wise was not there and it was not reported in the citys Jewish newspaper . One quote from Senate debate that remains part of the Benjamin legend , according to Evans , followed an allusion to Moses as a freer of slaves by a Northern senator , hinting that Benjamin was an Israelite in Egyptian clothing . Benjamin is supposed to have replied , It is true that I am a Jew , and when my ancestors were receiving their Ten Commandments from the immediate hand of deity , amidst the thunderings and lightnings of Mount Sinai , the ancestors of my opponent were herding swine in the forests of Great Britain . However , this anecdote is likely apocryphal as the same exchange between British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli ( a converted Jew ) and Daniel OConnell took place in the House of Commons in 1835 . Edgar M . Kahn , in his journal article on the 1860 California sojourn , wrote , Benjamins life is an example of a mans determination to overcome almost insurmountable barriers by industry , perseverance , and intelligent use of a remarkable brain . This brilliance was recognized by contemporaries ; Salomon de Rothschild , in 1861 , deemed Benjamin the greatest mind in North America . Nevertheless , according to Meade , he was given to quixotic enthusiasms and was sometimes too cocksure of his knowledge . Ginsburg said of Benjamin , he rose to the top of the legal profession twice in one lifetime , on two continents , beginning his first ascent as a raw youth and his second as a fugitive minister of a vanquished power . Davis , after Benjamins death , deemed him the most able member of his Cabinet , and said that the lawyers postwar career had fully vindicated his confidence in him . According to Brook , in every age , a heroic sage struggles to rescue Benjamin from obscurity—and invariably fails . Benjamin left no memoir and destroyed his personal papers , by which the task of future researchers and historians was made exceedingly difficult and laborious . After his death , Benjamin was rarely written about , in contrast to Davis and other Confederate leaders . Part of this was due to Benjamin depriving his potential biographers of source material , but even Davis , in his two-volume war memoir , mentions him only twice . Evans suggests that as Davis wrote the books in part to defend and memorialize his place in history , it would not have been characteristic of him to give much credit to Benjamin . Davis , in the midst of postwar business struggles , may have resented Benjamins success as a barrister , or may have feared that allegations of involvement in Lincolns assassination would again be made against the two men . Brook concurs that Benjamins postwar success , that began as Davis lay in prison and other Confederates struggled for survival , may have soured Southerners towards the former secretary , but that anti-Semitism was also likely a factor . For the guardians of Confederate memory after Reconstruction , Benjamin became a kind of pet Jew , generally ignored , but then trotted out at opportune moments to defend the segregated South against charges of bigotry . Those writing on Jewish history were reluctant to glorify a slaveowner , and reacted to Benjamins story with embarrassed dismay . This was especially so in the two generations following 1865 when the question of the Civil War remained an active issue in American politics . It was not until the 1930s that Benjamin began to be mentioned as a significant figure in the history of the United States , and in the chronicle of the Jews there . Nevertheless , Tom Mountain , in his 2009 article on Benjamin , points out that Benjamin was respected in the South as a leader of the rebel cause for a century after the Civil War , and that Southern schoolchildren who could not name the current Secretary of State in Washington knew about Benjamin . Reform Rabbi Daniel Polish noted in 1988 that Benjamin represent [ ed ] a significant dilemma [ in ] my years growing up as a Jew both proud of his people and with an intense commitment to the ideals of liberalism and human solidarity that I found embodied in the civil rights movement . Berman recounts a story that during the Civil War , Benjamin was called to the Torah at Beth Ahabah synagogue in Richmond . However , there is no proof of this , nor does Benjamins name appear in any surviving record of the Jews of that city . But whether or not Benjamin practiced Judaism overtly or contributed to Jewish causes , to the Jews of the South , he was a symbol of a coreligionist who was a man among men . According to Evans , Benjamin survives , as he willed it : a shadowy figure in Civil War history . Kahn noted that Benjamin is epitomized as a foremost orator , lawyer , and statesman , without a peer at the bars of two of the worlds greatest nations . Meade questioned whether Benjamins character can ever be fully understood :
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Judah P . Benjamin Judah Philip Benjamin , QC ( August 6 , 1811 – May 6 , 1884 ) was a lawyer and politician who was a United States Senator from Louisiana , a Cabinet officer of the Confederate States and , after his escape to the United Kingdom at the end of the American Civil War , an English barrister . Benjamin was the first Jew to hold a Cabinet position in North America and the first to be elected to the United States Senate who had not renounced his faith . Benjamin was born to Sephardic Jewish parents from London , who had moved to St . Croix in the Danish West Indies when it was occupied by Britain during the Napoleonic Wars . Seeking greater opportunities , his family immigrated to the United States , eventually settling in Charleston , South Carolina . Judah Benjamin attended Yale College but left without graduating . He moved to New Orleans , where he read law and passed the bar . Benjamin rose rapidly both at the bar and in politics . He became a wealthy planter and slaveowner and was elected to and served in both houses of the Louisiana legislature prior to his election by the legislature to the US Senate in 1852 . There , he was an eloquent supporter of slavery . After Louisiana seceded in 1861 , Benjamin resigned as senator and returned to New Orleans . He soon moved to Richmond after Confederate President Jefferson Davis appointed him as Attorney General . Benjamin had little to do in that position , but Davis was impressed by his competence and appointed him as Secretary of War . Benjamin firmly supported Davis , and the President reciprocated the loyalty by promoting him to Secretary of State in March 1862 , while Benjamin was being criticized for the rebel defeat at the Battle of Roanoke Island . As Secretary of State , Benjamin attempted to gain official recognition for the Confederacy by France and the United Kingdom , but his efforts were ultimately unsuccessful . To preserve the Confederacy as military defeats made its situation increasingly desperate , he advocated freeing and arming the slaves late in the war , but his proposals were only partially accepted in the closing month of the war . When Davis fled the Confederate capital of Richmond in early 1865 , Benjamin went with him . He left the presidential party and was successful in escaping from the mainland United States , but Davis was captured by Union troops . Benjamin sailed to Great Britain , where he settled and became a barrister , again rising to the top of his profession before retiring in 1883 . He died in Paris the following year . Early and personal life . Judah Philip Benjamin was born on August 6 , 1811 , in St . Croix of the Danish West Indies ( today the United States Virgin Islands ) , a colony then occupied by the British during the Napoleonic Wars . His parents were Sephardi Jews who married in London , Philip Benjamin ( who had been born on the British colony of Nevis ) and the former Rebecca de Mendes . Philip and Rebecca had been shopkeepers and migrated to the West Indies in search of better opportunities . Judah , the third of seven children , was given the same name as an older brother who died in infancy . Following a tradition adhered to by some Sephardi , he was named for his paternal grandfather , who performed the brit milah , or circumcision ceremony . The Benjamins encountered hard times in the Danish West Indies , as normal trade was blocked by the British occupation . In 1813 the Benjamin family moved to Fayetteville , North Carolina , where they had relatives . Philip Benjamin was not financially successful there , and around 1821 moved with his family to Charleston , South Carolina . That city had the largest Jewish community in the United States and a reputation for religious tolerance . Benjamin was learned in his faith but not a successful businessman ; Rebecca earned money for the family by operating a fruit stand near the harbor . Phillip Benjamin was a first cousin and business partner of Moses Elias Levy from the West Indies . Levy also immigrated to the United States , in the early 1820s . Judah and two siblings were boarded with relatives in Fayetteville for about 18 months after the rest of the family moved to Charleston . He attended the Fayetteville Academy , a well-regarded school where his intelligence was recognized . In Charleston , his father was among the founders of the first Reform congregation in the United States . It developed practices that included shorter services conducted in English rather than in Hebrew . Benjamin was ultimately expelled from that community , as he did not keep the Sabbath . The extent of Judahs religious education is uncertain . The boys intelligence was noted by others in Charleston , one of whom offered to finance his education . At the age of 14 , in 1825 , Benjamin entered Yale College , an institution popular among white Southerners ; Vice President John C . Calhoun , a South Carolinian , was among its alumni . Although Benjamin was successful as a student at Yale , he left abruptly in 1827 without completing his course of study . The reasons for this are uncertain : In 1861 , when Louisiana left the Union and Benjamin resigned as a U.S . senator , an abolitionist newspaper alleged that he had been caught as a thief at Yale . He considered bringing suit for libel but litigation was impractical . In 1901 , his sole surviving classmate wrote that Benjamin had been expelled for gambling . One of his biographers , Robert Meade , considered the evidence of wrongdoing by Benjamin to be too strong to be ignored , but noted that at the time Benjamin left Yale , he was only 16 years old . After a brief return to Charleston , Benjamin moved to New Orleans , Louisiana . According to Rabbi Bertram W . Korns volume on that citys Jews , he arrived in New Orleans in 1828 , with no visible assets other than the wit , charm , omnivorous mind and boundless energy with which he would find his place in the sun . After working in a mercantile business , he became a clerk for a law firm , where he began to read law , studying as an apprentice . Knowledge of French was important in practicing law in Louisiana , as the states code was ( and is still ) based on French and Spanish law . To earn money , he tutored French Creoles in English ; he taught the language to Natalie Bauché de St . Martin on the condition that she teach him French . In late 1832 , at age 21 , he was admitted to the bar . Early the following year , Benjamin married Natalie , who was Catholic and from a wealthy French Creole family . As part of her dowry , she brought with her $3,000 and two female slaves , aged 11 and 16 ( together worth about $1,000 ) . Even before the marriage , Natalie St . Martin had scandalized New Orleans society by her conduct . William De Ville , in his journal article on the Benjamin marriage contract , suggests that the St . Martin family was not terribly distraught to be rid of their young daughter and that Benjamin was virtually suborned to marry [ Natalie ] , and did so without hesitation in order to further his ambitions . The marriage was not a success . By the 1840s , Natalie Benjamin was living in Paris with the couples only child , Ninette , whom she raised as a Catholic . Benjamin would visit them annually . While a senator , in the late 1850s he persuaded Natalie to rejoin him and expensively furnished a home in Washington for all three to live in . Natalie and their daughter soon embarked again for France . Benjamin , publicly humiliated by his failure to keep Natalie , consigned the household goods to auction . There were rumors , never substantiated , that Benjamin was impotent and that Natalie was unfaithful . Benjamins troubled married life has led to speculation that he was gay . Daniel Brook , in a 2012 article about Benjamin , suggests that early biographies read as though historians are presenting him as an almost farcically stereotypical gay man and yet wear such impervious heteronormative blinders that they themselves know not what they write . These conjectures were not given scholarly weight until 2001 , when in an introduction to a reprinting of Meades biography of Benjamin , Civil War historian William C . Davis acknowledged cloaked suggestions that he [ Benjamin ] was a homosexual . Louisiana lawyer . Within months of his admission to the bar , Benjamin argued his first case before the Supreme Court of Louisiana and won . Still , clients were slow to come in his first years in practice . He had enough free time to compile and publish , with Thomas Slidell , the Digest of the Reported Decisions of the Superior Court of the Late Territory of Orleans and the Supreme Court of the State of Louisiana in 1834 , which required the analysis of 6,000 cases . The book was an immediate success and helped launch Benjamins career . When Slidell published a revised edition in 1840 , he did so alone , as Benjamin was too busy litigating cases to participate . Benjamin became a specialist in commercial law , of which there was a great deal in New Orleans busy river port—a center of international commerce and the domestic slave trade . By 1840 , the city had become the fourth largest in the United States and among the wealthiest . Many of the best lawyers in the country practiced commercial law there , and Benjamin successfully competed with them . In one case , he successfully represented the seller of a slave against allegations that the seller knew the slave had incurable tuberculosis . Although Benjamin tried some jury cases , he preferred bench trials in commercial cases and was an expert at appeals . In 1842 , Benjamin had a group of cases with international implications . He represented insurance companies being sued for the value of slaves who had revolted aboard the ship Creole in 1841 , as they were being transported in the coastwise slave trade from Virginia to New Orleans . The rebels had sailed the ship to Nassau in the Bahamas , a British colony , where those who came ashore were freed , as Britain had abolished slavery in 1834 . The owners of the slaves brought suit for $150,000 against their insurers , who declined to pay . Benjamin made several arguments , the most prominent of which was that the slaveowners had brought the revolt on themselves by packing the slaves in overcrowded conditions . Benjamin said in his brief to the court : The court ruled for Benjamins clients , although on other grounds . Benjamins brief was widely reprinted , including by abolitionist groups . Historian Eli Evans , Benjamins biographer , does not believe that the argument in the Creole case represented Benjamins personal view ; rather , he was an advocate for his clients in an era when it was usual to write dramatically to distract attention from the weaker points of a case . Evans finds it remarkable and a testament to Benjamin that he could be elected to office in antebellum Louisiana , a slave society , after writing such words . Electoral career . State politician . Benjamin was a supporter of the Whig Party from the time of its formation in the early 1830s . He became increasingly involved in the party , and in 1841 ran unsuccessfully for the New Orleans Board of Aldermen . The following year , he was nominated for the Louisiana House of Representatives . He was elected , though the Democrats alleged fraud : Whig supporters , to obtain the vote at a time when the state had a restrictive property qualification for suffrage , acquired licenses for carriages . A voter did not have to demonstrate that the carriage existed , but his license had to be accepted as evidence of ownership by election officials . The Democratic press blamed Benjamin as the strategist behind this maneuver . In 1844 , the legislature voted to hold a constitutional convention , and Benjamin was chosen as a delegate from New Orleans . At the convention , Benjamin successfully opposed counting a slave as three-fifths of a human being for purposes of representation in state elections , as was done in federal elections . His position prevailed , and slaves were not counted at all for electoral purposes in Louisiana state elections . According to Evans , his tact , courtesy , and ability to find compromises impressed the political elders in all corners of the state . Rabbi Myron Berman , in his history of Jews in Richmond , describes the attitude of antebellum white Southerners toward Jews : By the early 1840s , Benjamin was wealthy from his law practice and , with a partner , bought a sugar cane plantation , Bellechasse . This purchase , and the subsequent construction of a grand house there , advanced Benjamins ambitions ; the planter class controlled Louisiana politics and would trust only a man who also owned substantial land and slaves . The Benjamin marriage was by then failing , and he hoped in vain that his wife would be content at the plantation . Benjamin threw his energy into improving Bellechasse , importing new varieties of sugar cane and adopting up-to-date methods and equipment to extract and process the sugar . He purchased 140 slaves to work the plantation , and had a reputation as a humane slaveowner . Benjamin scaled back his involvement in politics in the late 1840s , distracted by his plantation and law practice . His mother Rebecca , whom he had brought to New Orleans , died in 1847 during a yellow fever epidemic . In 1848 , Benjamin was a Whig member of the Electoral College ; he voted for fellow Louisiana planter , General Zachary Taylor , who was elected U.S . President . He and other Louisianans accompanied President-elect Taylor to Washington for his inauguration , and Benjamin attended a state dinner given by outgoing president James K . Polk . In 1850 , Millard Fillmore , who succeeded Taylor after his death earlier that year , appointed Benjamin as judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of California . He was confirmed by the Senate , but he declined the appointment as the salary of $3,500 was too small . The following year , Benjamin assisted the United States Attorney in New Orleans in prosecuting American adventurers who had tried to spark a rebellion against Spanish rule in Cuba , but two trials both ended in hung juries . Mexican railroad . Benjamin became interested in strengthening trade connections between New Orleans and California , and promoted an infrastructure project to build a railroad across the Mexican isthmus near Oaxaca ; this would speed passenger traffic and cargo shipments . According to The New York Times , in an 1852 speech to a railroad builders convention , Benjamin said this trade route belongs to New Orleans . Its commerce makes empires of the countries to which it flows . Benjamin lobbied fellow lawmakers about the project , gained funds from private New York bankers , and even helped organize construction crews . In private correspondence he warned backers of problems ; project workers suffered yellow fever , shipments of construction materials hit rough seas , and actions or inaction by both U.S . and Mexican officials caused delays and increases in construction costs . Backers had invested several hundred thousand dollars by the time the project died after the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861 . Election to the Senate . Benjamin spent the summer of 1851 abroad , including a visit to Paris to see Natalie and Ninette . He was still away in October 1851 , when the Whigs nominated him for the state Senate . Despite his absence , he was easily elected . When the new legislature met in January 1852 , Benjamin emerged as one of the leading Whig candidates for election to the U.S . Senate seat that would become vacant on March 4 , 1853 . As the Louisiana legislature , responsible for electing the states senators , met once in two years under the 1845 constitution , it was not scheduled to meet again before the seat became vacant . Some Whig newspapers thought Benjamin too young and inexperienced at forty , despite his undoubted talent , but the Whig legislative caucus selected him on the second ballot , and he was elected by the two houses over Democrat Solomon W . Downs . The outgoing president , Fillmore , offered to nominate Benjamin , a fellow Whig , to fill a Supreme Court vacancy after the Senate Democrats had defeated Fillmores other nominees for the post . The New York Times reported on February 15 , 1853 , that if the President nominates Benjamin , the Democrats are determined to confirm him . The new president , Franklin Pierce , a Democrat , also offered Benjamin a place on the Supreme Court . Pierce Butler suggested in his 1908 biography of Benjamin that the newly elected senator likely declined these offers not only because he preferred active politics , but because he could maintain his law practice and substantial income as a senator , but could not as a justice . As an advocate before the U.S . Supreme Court , Benjamin won 13 of his first 18 cases . Judah Benjamin was sworn in as senator from Louisiana on March 4 , 1853 , at a brief meeting called just prior to President Pierces inauguration . These new colleagues included Stephen A . Douglas of Illinois , Robert M . T . Hunter of Virginia , and Sam Houston of Texas . The slavery issue was in a brief remission as much of the country wished to accept the Compromise of 1850 as a final settlement . When the Senate was not in session , Benjamin remained in Washington , D.C. , conducting a lucrative practice including many cases before the Supreme Court , then conveniently located in a room of the Capitol . His law partners in New Orleans took care of his firms affairs there . About this time Benjamin sold his interest in Bellechasse , lacking the time to deal with plantation business . Spokesman for slavery . Benjamins view that slavery should continue was based in his belief that citizens had a right to their property as guaranteed by the Constitution . As Butler put it , he could no more see that it was right for Northern people to rob him of his slave than it would be for him to connive at horse stealing . He avoided the arguments of some that the slaves were inferior beings , and that their position was ordained by God : Evans ascribes this to Benjamin not being raised as a slaveowner , but coming to it later in life . Benjamin joined in a widespread view of white Southerners that the African American would not be ready for emancipation for many years , if ever . They feared that freeing the slaves would ruin many and lead to murders and rapes by the newly liberated of their former masters and mistresses . Such a massacre had been feared by Southerners since the Haitian Revolution , the violent revolt known as Santo Domingo in the South , in which the slaves of what became Haiti killed many whites and mulattoes in 1804 while gaining independence from French control . When the anti-slavery book Uncle Toms Cabin was published in 1852 , Benjamin spoke out against Harriet Beecher Stowes portrayal . He said that slaves were for the most part well treated , and plantation punishments , such as whipping or branding , were more merciful than sentences of imprisonment that a white man might receive in the North for similar conduct . In early 1854 , Senator Douglas introduced his Kansas–Nebraska Bill , calling for popular sovereignty to determine whether the Kansas and Nebraska territories should enter the Union as slave or free states . Depending on the outcome of such elections , slavery might spread to territories closed to it under the Missouri Compromise of 1820 . In the debate over the bill , Benjamin defended this change as returning to the traditions of the fathers , that the federal government not legislate on the subject of slavery . He said that the South merely wished to be left alone . The bill passed , but its passage had drastic political effects , as the differences between North and South that had been settled by both the 1820 and 1850 compromises were reopened . The Whig Party was torn apart North from South , with many Northern Whigs joining the new Republican Party , a group pledged to oppose the spread of slavery . Benjamin continued to caucus with the remains of the Whig Party through 1854 and 1855 , but as a member of a legislative minority , he had little influence on legislation , and received no important committee assignments . In May 1856 Benjamin joined the Democrats , stating they had the principles of the old-time Whig Party . He indicated , in a letter to constituents , that as Northern Whigs had failed to vote to uphold the rights granted to Southern states in the Constitution , the Whigs , as a national party , were no more . At a state dinner given by Pierce , Benjamin first met Secretary of War Jefferson Davis , whose wife Varina described the Louisiana senator as having rather the air of a witty bon vivant than of a great senator . The two men , both ambitious for leadership in the South and the nation , formed a relationship that Evans describes as respectful but wary . The two had occasional differences ; when in 1858 , Davis , by then a Mississippi senator , was irritated by Benjamins questioning him on a military bill and suggested that Benjamin was acting as a paid attorney , the Louisianan challenged him to a duel . Davis apologized . Benjamin , in his speeches in the Senate , took the position that the Union was a compact by the states from which any of them could secede . Nevertheless , he understood that any dissolution would not be peaceful , stating in 1856 that dreadful will be the internecine war that must ensue . In 1859 , Benjamin was elected to a second term , but allegations of involvement in land scandals and the fact that upstate legislators objected to both of Louisianas senators being from New Orleans stretched the contest to 42 ballots before he prevailed . Secession crisis . Benjamin worked to deny Douglas the 1860 Democratic presidential nomination , feeling he had turned against the South . Douglas contended that although the Supreme Court , in Dred Scott v . Sandford , had stated Congress could not restrict slavery in the territories , the people of each territory could pass legislation to bar it . This position was anathema to the South . Benjamin praised Douglass opponent in his re-election bid , former congressman Abraham Lincoln , for at least being true to his principles as an opponent of the expansion of slavery , whereas the senator considered Douglas to be a hypocrite . Benjamin was joined in his opposition to Douglas by Senator Davis ; the two were so successful that the 1860 convention was not able to nominate anyone and split into Northern and Southern factions . The Northerners backed Douglas while Southern delegates chose Vice President John C . Breckinridge of Kentucky . Despite their agreement in opposing Douglas , Benjamin and Davis differed on some race issues : in May , Benjamin voted for a bill to aid Africans liberated by U.S . naval vessels from illegal slave ships , in order to return them to their native continent from Key West . Davis and many other Southerners opposed the bill . Between June and December 1860 Benjamin was almost entirely absorbed in the case of United States v . Castillero that was tried in San Francisco during the latter part of that period . The case concerned a land grant by the former Mexican government of California . Castillero had leased part of his land to British mining companies , and when American authorities ruled the grant invalid , they hired Benjamin ; he spent four months in San Francisco working on the case . The trial began in October , and Benjamin gave an address lasting six days . The local correspondent for The New York Times wrote that Benjamin , a distinguished stranger , drew the largest crowds to the courtroom and the Senator is making this terribly tedious case interesting . Benjamin sailed for New York once the case was submitted for decision in early November . The courts ruling , rendered in January 1861 , was substantially for the company but , not satisfied , it appealed . It lost the case entirely to an adverse decision by the U.S . Supreme Court , three justices dissenting , the following year . Benjamin was by then a Confederate Cabinet officer , and could not argue the case . His co-counsel filed his brief with the court . By the time Benjamin returned to the East Coast , the Republican candidate , Lincoln , had been elected president , and there was talk , in Louisiana and elsewhere , of secession from the Union . The New Orleans Picayune reported that Benjamin favored secession only in the last resort . On December 23 , 1860 , another Louisiana periodical , the Delta , printed a letter from Benjamin dated the eighth stating that , as the people of the North were of unalterable hostility to their Southern brethren , the latter should depart from the government common to them . He also signed a joint letter from Southern congressmen to their constituents , urging the formation of a confederation of the seceding states . According to a letter reportedly written by Benjamin during the crisis , he saw secession as a means of obtaining more favorable terms in a reformed Union . With Southern opinion turning in favor of secession , Benjamin made a farewell speech in the Senate on December 31 , 1860 , to a packed gallery , desirous of hearing one of the Souths most eloquent voices . They were not disappointed ; Evans writes that historians consider Benjamins farewell .. . one of the great speeches in American history . Benjamin foresaw that the Souths departure would lead to civil war : According to Geoffrey D . Cunningham in his article on Benjamins role in secession , Swept up in the popular cries for independence , Benjamin willingly went out with the Southern tide . He and his Louisiana colleague , John Slidell , resigned from the U.S . Senate on February 4 , 1861 , nine days after their state voted to secede from the Union . Confederate statesman . Attorney General . Fearful of arrest as a rebel once he left the Senate , Benjamin quickly departed Washington for New Orleans . On the day of Benjamins resignation , the Provisional Confederate States Congress gathered in Montgomery , Alabama , and soon chose Davis as president . Davis was sworn in as provisional Confederate States President on February 18 , 1861 . At home in New Orleans for , it would prove , the last time , Benjamin addressed a rally on Washingtons Birthday , February 22 , 1861 . On February 25 , Davis appointed Benjamin , still in New Orleans , as attorney general ; the Louisianan was approved immediately and unanimously by the provisional Congress . Davis thus became the first chief executive in North America to appoint a Jew to his Cabinet . Davis , in his memoirs , remarked that he chose Benjamin because he had a very high reputation as a lawyer , and my acquaintance with him in the Senate had impressed me with the lucidity of his intellect , his systematic habits , and capacity for labor . Meade suggested that Davis wanted to have a Louisianan in his Cabinet , but that a smarter course of action would have been to send Benjamin abroad to win over the European governments . Butler called Benjamins appointment a waste of good material . Historian William C . Davis , in his volume on the formation of the Confederate government , notes , For some there was next to nothing to do , none more so than Benjamin . The role of the attorney general in a Confederacy that did not yet have federal courts or marshals was so minimal that initial layouts for the building housing the government in Montgomery allotted no space to the Justice Department . Meade found the time that Benjamin spent as attorney general to be fruitful , as it allowed him the opportunity to judge Daviss character and to ingratiate himself with the president . Benjamin served as a host , entertaining dignitaries and others Davis had no time to see . At the first Cabinet meeting , Benjamin counseled Davis to have the government buy 150,000 bales of cotton for shipment to the United Kingdom , with the proceeds used to buy arms and for future needs . His advice was not taken , as the Cabinet believed the war would be short and successful . Benjamin was called upon from time to time to render legal opinions , writing on April 1 to assure Treasury Secretary Christopher Memminger that lemons and oranges could enter the Confederacy duty-free , but walnuts could not . Once Virginia joined the Confederacy , the capital was moved to Richmond , though against Benjamins advice—he believed that the city was too close to the North . Nevertheless , he traveled there with his brother-in-law , Jules St . Martin ; the two lived in the same house throughout the war , and Benjamin probably procured the young mans job at the War Department . Although Alabamas Leroy Walker was Secretary of War , Davis—a war hero and former U.S . War Secretary—considered himself more qualified and gave many orders himself . When the Confederates were unable to follow up their victory at the First Battle of Manassas by threatening Washington , Walker was criticized in the press . In September , Walker resigned to join the army as a brigadier general , and Davis appointed Benjamin in his place . Butler wrote that Davis had found the cheerfully competent Benjamin a most useful member of the official family , and thought him suited for almost any post in it . In addition to his appointment as War Secretary , Benjamin continued to act as Attorney General until November 15 , 1861 . Secretary of War . As War Secretary , Benjamin was responsible for a territory stretching from Virginia to Texas . It was his job , with Davis looking over his shoulder , to supervise the Confederate Army and to feed , supply , and arm it in a nascent country with almost no arms manufacturers . Accordingly , Benjamin saw his job as closely tied to foreign affairs , as the Confederacy was dependent on imports to supply its troops . Davis had chosen a defensive war strategy : the Confederacy would await invasion by the Union and then seek to defeat its armies until Lincoln tired of sending them . Davis and Benjamin worked together closely , and as Davis came to realize that his subordinate was loyal to the Confederacy and to Davis personally , he returned complete trust in Benjamin . Varina Davis wrote , It was to me a curious spectacle , the steady approximation to a thorough friendliness of the President and his War Minister . It was a very gradual rapprochement , but all the more solid for that reason . In his months as War Secretary , Benjamin sent thousands of communications . According to Evans , Benjamin initially turn [ ed ] prejudice to his favor and play [ ed ] on the Southerners instinctive respect for the Jewish mind with a brilliant performance . Nevertheless , Benjamin faced difficulties that he could do little to solve . The Confederacy lacked sufficient soldiers , trained officers to command them , naval and civilian ships , manufacturing capacity to make ships and many weapons , and powder for guns and cannon . The Union had those things and moved to block the Souths access to European supplies , both by blockades and by buying up supplies that the South might have secured . Other problems included drunkenness among the men and their officers and uncertainty as to when and where the expected Northern invasion would begin . Also , Benjamin had no experience of the military or of the executive branch of the government , placing him in a poor position to contradict Davis . An insurgency against the Confederacy developed in staunchly pro-Union East Tennessee in late 1861 , and at Daviss order , Benjamin sent troops to crush it . Once it was put down , Benjamin and Davis were in a quandary about what to do about its leader , William Parson Brownlow , who had been captured , and eventually allowed him to cross to Union-controlled territory in the hope that it would cause Lincoln to release Confederate prisoners . While Brownlow was in Southern custody , he stated that he expected , no more mercy from Benjamin than was shown by his illustrious predecessors towards Jesus Christ . Benjamin had difficulty in managing the Confederacys generals . He quarreled with General P.G.T . Beauregard , a war hero since his victory at First Manassas . Beauregard sought to add a rocket battery to his command , an action that Benjamin stated was not authorized by law . He was most likely relaying Daviss views , and when challenged by Beauregard , Davis backed Benjamin , advising the general to dismiss this small matter from your mind . In the hostile masses before you , you have a subject more worthy of your contemplation . In January 1862 , Stonewall Jacksons forces had advanced in western Virginia , leaving troops under William W . Loring at the small town of Romney . Distant from Jacksons other forces and ill-supplied , Loring and other officers petitioned the War Department to be recalled , and Benjamin , after consulting Davis , so ordered after he used the pretext of rumored Union troop movements in the area . Jackson complied but , in a letter to Benjamin , asked to be removed from the front or to resign . High-ranking Confederates soothed Jackson into withdrawing his request . The power of state governments was another flaw in the Confederacy and a problem for Benjamin . Georgia Governor Joseph E . Brown repeatedly demanded arms and the return of Georgian troops to defend his state . North Carolina Governor Henry T . Clark also wanted troops returned to him to defend his coastline . After Cape Hatteras , on the North Carolinas coast , was captured , Confederate forces fell back to Roanoke Island . If it fell , a number of ports in that area of the coast would be at risk , and Norfolk , Virginia , might be threatened by land . General Henry A . Wise , commanding Roanoke , also demanded troops and supplies . He received little from Benjamins War Department that had no arms to send , as the Union blockade was preventing supplies from being imported . That Confederate armories were empty was a fact not publicly known at the time . Benjamin and Davis hoped that the islands defenses could hold off the Union forces , but an overwhelming number of troops were landed in February 1862 at an undefended point , and the Confederates were quickly defeated . Combined with Union General Ulysses S . Grants capture of Fort Henry , the site of the Battle of Fort Henry , and Fort Donelson in Tennessee , it was the most severe military blow yet to the Confederacy , and there was a public outcry against Benjamin , led by General Wise . It was revealed a quarter-century after the war that Benjamin and Davis had agreed for Benjamin to act as a scapegoat , rather than to reveal the shortage of arms . Not knowing it , the Richmond Examiner accused Benjamin of stupid complacency . Diarist Mary Chestnut recorded that the mob calls him Mr . Daviss pet Jew . The Wise family never forgave Benjamin , to the detriment of his memory in Southern eyes . Wises son , Captain Jennings Wise , fell at Roanoke Island , and Henrys grandson John Wise , interviewed in 1936 , told Meade that the fat Jew sitting at his desk was to blame . Another of the generals sons , also named John Wise , wrote a highly-popular book about the South in the Civil War , The End of an Era ( 1899 ) in which he said that Benjamin had more brains and less heart than any other civic leader in the South.. . The Confederacy and its collapse were no more to Judah P . Benjamin than last years birds nest . The Confederate States Congress established a special committee to investigate the military losses , and Benjamin testified before it . The Secretary of State , Virginias Robert M . T . Hunter , had quarreled with Davis and resigned , and in March 1862 , Benjamin was appointed as his replacement . Varina Davis noted that some in Congress had sought Benjamins ouster because of reverses which no one could have averted , [ so ] the President promoted him to the State Department with a personal and aggrieved sense of injustice done to the man who had now become his friend and right hand . Richmond diarist Sallie Ann Brock Putnam wrote , Mr . Benjamin was not forgiven.. . this act on the part of the President [ in promoting Benjamin ] , in defiance of public opinion , was considered as unwise , arbitrary , and a reckless risking of his reputation and popularity.. . [ Benjamin ] was ever afterwards unpopular in the Confederacy , and particularly in Virginia . Despite the promotion , the committee reported that any blame for the defeat at Roanoke Island should attach to Wises superior , Major General Benjamin Huger , and the late secretary of war , J.P . Benjamin . Confederate Secretary of State . Throughout his time as Secretary of State , Benjamin tried to induce Britain and France to recognize the Confederacy—no other nation was likely to do so unless these powerful states led the way . The protection this would bring to the Confederacy and its foreign trade was hoped to be enough to save it . Basis of Confederate foreign policy . By the 1850s , cheap Southern cotton fueled the industries of Europe . The mills of Britain , developed during the first half of the 19th century , by 1860 used more cotton than the rest of the industrialized world combined . Cotton imports to Britain came almost entirely from the American South . According to an article in The Economist in 1853 , let any great social or physical convulsion visit the United States , and England would feel the shock from Lands End to John OGroats . The lives of nearly two million of our countrymen .. . hang upon a thread . In 1855 , an Ohioan , David Christy , published Cotton Is King : or Slavery in the Light of Political Economy . Christy argued that the flow of cotton was so important to the industrialized world that cutting it off would be devastating—not least to the Northern United States , as cotton was by far the largest U.S . export . This became known as the King Cotton theory , to which Davis was an enthusiastic subscriber . Benjamin also spoke in favor of the theory , though Butler suspected he may have known better , based on his firsthand knowledge of Europe . When war came , Davis , against Benjamins advice , imposed an embargo on exports of cotton to nations that had not recognized the Confederate government , hoping to force such relations , especially with Britain and France . As the Union was attempting to prevent cotton from being exported from Confederate ports by a blockade and other means , this played to a certain extent into the hands of Lincoln and his Secretary of State , William H . Seward . Additionally , when the war began , Britain had a large surplus of cotton in warehouses , enough to keep the mills running at least part-time for a year or so . Although many prominent Britons believed the South would prevail , there was a reluctance to recognize Richmond until it had gained the military victories to put its foe at bay . Much of this was due to hatred of slavery , though part of it stemmed from a desire to remain on good terms with the U.S . government—due to a drought in 1862 , Britain was forced to import large quantities of wheat and flour from the United States . Also , Britain feared the expansionist Americans might invade the vulnerable Canadian colonies , as Seward hinted they might . Appointment . Davis appointed Benjamin as Secretary of State on March 17 , 1862 . He was promptly confirmed by the Confederate Senate . A motion to reconsider the confirmation was lost , 13–8 . According to Butler , the appointment of Benjamin brought Davis little political support , as the average white Southerner did not understand Benjamin and somewhat disliked him . As there was not much open opposition to Davis in the South at the time , Benjamins appointment was not criticized , but was not given much praise either . Meade noted , the silence of many influential newspapers was ominous . [ Benjamins ] promotion in the face of such bitter criticism of his conduct in the war office caused the first serious lack of confidence in the Davis government . Meade wrote that , since the Secretary of State would have to work closely with Jefferson Davis , Benjamin was likely the person best suited to the position . In addition to his relationship with the President , Benjamin was very close to the Confederate First Lady , Varina Davis , with whom he exchanged confidences regarding war events and the Presidents health . Together , and by turns , they could help him over the most difficult days . For recreation , Benjamin frequented Richmonds gambling dens , playing poker and faro . He was incensed when British correspondent William Howard Russell publicized his gambling , feeling that it was an invasion of his private affairs . He was also displeased that Russell depicted him as a losing gambler , when his reputation was the opposite . Early days ( 1862–1863 ) . The Trent Affair had taken place before Benjamin took office as Secretary of State : a U.S . warship had in October 1861 removed Confederate diplomats James Mason and James Slidell ( Benjamins former Louisiana colleague in the U.S . Senate ) and their private secretaries from a British-flagged vessel . The crisis brought the U.S . and Britain near war , and was resolved by their release . By the time of Benjamins appointment , Mason and Slidell were at their posts in London and Paris as putative ministers from the Confederacy , seeking recognition by the governments of Britain and France . With difficult communications between the South and Europe ( dispatches were often lost or intercepted ) , Benjamin was initially reluctant to change the instructions given the agents by Secretary Hunter . Communications improved by 1863 , with Benjamin ordering that dispatches be sent to Bermuda or the Bahamas , from where they reached the Confederacy by blockade runner . As a practical matter , Benjamins chances of gaining European recognition rose and fell with the military fortunes of the Confederacy . When , at the end of June 1862 , Confederate General Robert E . Lee turned back Union General George B . McClellans Peninsula Campaign in the Seven Days Battles , ending the immediate threat to Richmond , Emperor Napoleon III of France favorably received proposals from Benjamin , through Slidell , for the French to intervene on the Confederacys behalf in exchange for trade concessions . Nevertheless , the Emperor proved unwilling to act without Britain . In August 1862 , Mason , angered by the refusal of British government ministers to meet with him , threatened to resign his post . Benjamin soothed him , stating that while Mason should not submit to insulting treatment , resignation should not take place without discussion . The bloody standoff at Antietam in September 1862 that ended Lees first major incursion into the North gave Lincoln the confidence in Union arms he needed to announce the Emancipation Proclamation . British newspapers mocked Lincoln for hypocrisy in freeing slaves only in Confederate-held areas , where he could exercise no authority . British officials had been shocked by the outcome of Antietam—they had expected Lee to deliver another brilliant victory—and now considered an additional reason for intervening in the conflict . Antietam , the bloodiest day of the war , had been a stalemate ; they read this as presaging an overall deadlock in the war , with North and South at each others throats for years as Britains mills sat empty and its people starved . France agreed with this assessment . The final few months of 1862 saw a high water mark for Benjamins diplomacy . In October , the British Chancellor of the Exchequer , William Gladstone , expressed confidence in Confederate victory , stating in Newcastle , There is no doubt that Jefferson Davis and other leaders of the South have made an army . They are making , it appears , a navy , and they have made what is more than either—they have made a nation . Later that month , Napoleon proposed to the British and Russians ( a U.S . ally ) that they combine to require a six months armistice for mediation , and an end to the blockade ; if they did so , it would likely lead to Southern independence . The proposal divided the British Cabinet . In mid-November , at the urgings of Palmerston and War Secretary George Cornewall Lewis , members decided to continue to wait for the South to defeat Lincolns forces before recognizing it . Although proponents of intervention were prepared to await another opportunity , growing realization among the British public that the Emancipation Proclamation meant that Union victory would be slaverys end made succoring the South politically infeasible . Benjamin had not been allowed to offer the inducement for intervention that might have succeeded—abolition of slavery in the Confederacy , and because of that , Meade deemed his diplomacy seriously , perhaps fatally handicapped . The Secretary of State blamed Napoleon for the failure , believing the Emperor had betrayed the Confederacy to get the ruler the French had installed in Mexico , Maximilian , accepted by the United States . In Paris , Slidell had been approached by the banking firm Erlanger et Cie . The company offered to float a loan to benefit the Confederacy . The proposed terms provided a large commission to Erlanger and would entitle the bondholder to cotton at a discounted price once the South won the war . Baron Frederic Emile dErlanger , head of the firm , journeyed to Richmond in early 1863 , and negotiated with Benjamin , although the transaction properly fell within the jurisdiction of Treasury Secretary Memminger . The banker softened the terms somewhat , though they were still lucrative for his firm . Benjamin felt the deal was worth it , as it would provide the Confederacy with badly needed funds to pay its agents in Europe . Increasing desperation ( 1863–1865 ) . The twin rebel defeats at Gettysburg and Vicksburg in early July 1863 made it unlikely that Britain , or any other nation , would recognize a slaveholding Confederacy staggering towards oblivion . Accordingly , in August , Benjamin wrote to Mason telling him that as Davis believed the British unwilling to recognize the South , he was free to leave the country . In October , with Davis absent on a trip to Tennessee , Benjamin heard that the British consul in Savannah had forbidden British subjects in the Confederate Army from being used against the United States . The Secretary of State convened a Cabinet meeting , that expelled the remaining British consuls in Confederate-controlled territory , then notified Davis by letter . Evans suggests that Benjamins actions made him the Confederacys acting president—the first Jewish president . Benjamin supervised the Confederate Secret Service , responsible for covert operations in the North , and financed former federal Interior Secretary Jacob Thompson to work behind the scenes financing operations that might undermine Lincoln politically . Although efforts were made to boost Peace Democrats , the most prominent actions proved to be the St . Albans Raid ( an attack on a Vermont town from Canada ) and an unsuccessful attempt to burn New York City . In the aftermath of the war , these activities led to accusations that Benjamin and Davis were involved in the assassination of Abraham Lincoln , as one Confederate courier , John H . Surratt , who had received money from Benjamin , was tried for involvement in the conspiracy , though Surratt was acquitted . As the Confederacys military fortunes flagged , there was increasing consideration of what would have been unthinkable in 1861—enlisting male slaves in the army and emancipating them for their service . In August 1863 , B . H . Micou , a relative of a former law partner , wrote to Benjamin proposing the use of black soldiers . Benjamin responded that this was not feasible , principally for legal and financial reasons , and that the slaves were performing valuable services for the Confederacy where they were . According to Meade , Benjamin did not offer any objections to Micous plan except on practical grounds—he was not repelled by the radical nature of the proposal . A British financial agent for the Confederacy , James Spence , also urged emancipation as a means of gaining British recognition . Benjamin allowed Spence to remain in his position for almost a year despite the differences with Confederate policy , before finally dismissing him in late 1863 . Despite official neutrality , tens of thousands from British-ruled Ireland were enlisting in the Union cause ; Benjamin sent an agent to Ireland hoping to impede those efforts and Dudley Mann to Rome to urge Pope Pius IX to forbid Catholic Irish from enlisting . The Pope did not do so , though he responded sympathetically . In January 1864 , Confederate General Patrick Cleburne , of the Army of Tennessee , proposed emancipating and arming the slaves . Davis , when he heard of it , turned it down and ordered it kept secret . Evans notes that Benjamin had been thinking in similar terms for much longer , and perhaps the recommendation of so respected an officer was just the impetus he needed . The year 1864 was a disastrous one for the Confederacy , with Lee forced within siege lines at Petersburg and Union General William T . Sherman sacking Atlanta and devastating Georgia on his march to the sea . Benjamin urged Davis to send the secretarys fellow Louisianan , Duncan Kenner , to Paris and London , with an offer of emancipation in exchange for recognition . Davis was only willing to offer gradual emancipation , and both Napoleon and Palmerston rejected the proposal . Benjamin continued to press the matter , addressing a mass meeting in Richmond in February 1865 in support of arming the slaves and emancipating them . A bill eventually emerged from the Confederate Congress in March , but it had many restrictions , and it was too late to affect the outcome of the war . In January 1865 , Lincoln , who had been re-elected the previous November , sent Francis Blair as an emissary to Richmond , hoping to secure reunion without further bloodshed . Both sides agreed to a meeting at Fort Monroe , Virginia . Benjamin drafted vague instructions for the Southern delegation , led by Vice President Alexander Stephens , but Davis insisted on modifying them to refer to North and South as two nations . This was the point that scuttled the Hampton Roads Conference ; Lincoln would not consider the South a separate entity , insisting on union and emancipation . Escape . By March 1865 , the Confederate military situation was desperate . Most major population centers had fallen , and General Lees defense of Richmond was faltering against massive Union forces . Nevertheless , Benjamin retained his usual good humor ; on the evening of April 1 , with evacuation likely , he was at the State Department offices , singing a silly ballad of his own composition , The Exit from Shocko Hill , a graveyard district located in Richmond . On April 2 , Lee sent word that he could only keep Union troops away from the line of the Richmond and Danville Railroad—the only railroad still running out of Richmond—for a short time . Those who did not leave Richmond would be trapped . At 11:00 pm that night , the Confederate President and Cabinet left aboard a Danville-bound train . Navy Secretary Stephen R . Mallory recorded that Benjamins hope and good humor [ was ] inexhaustible .. . with a never-give-up-the-ship sort of air , referred to other great national causes which had been redeemed from far gloomier reverses than ours . In Danville , Benjamin shared a room with another refugee , in the home of a banker . For a week , Danville served as capital of the Confederacy , until word came of Lees surrender at Appomattox Court House . With no army to shield the Confederate government , it would be captured by Union forces within days , so Davis and his Cabinet , including Benjamin , fled south to Greensboro , North Carolina . Five minutes after the train passed over the Haw River , Union cavalry raiders burned the bridge , trapping the trains that followed Daviss . Greensboro , fearing wrathful reprisal from the Union , gave the fugitives little hospitality , forcing Benjamin and the other Cabinet members to bunk in a railroad boxcar . Davis hoped to reach Texas , where rumor had it large Confederate forces remained active . The Cabinet met in Greensboro , and Generals Beauregard and Joseph E . Johnston sketched the bleak military situation . Davis , backed as usual by Benjamin , was determined to continue to fight . The refugee government moved south on April 15 . With the train tracks cut , most Cabinet members rode on horseback , but the heavyset Benjamin declared he would not ride on one until he had to , and shared an ambulance with Jules St . Martin and others . For the entertainment of his companions , Benjamin recited Tennysons Ode on the Death of the Duke of Wellington . In Charlotte , Benjamin stayed in the home of a Jewish merchant as surrender negotiations dragged . Here , Benjamin abandoned Daviss plan to fight on , telling him and the Cabinet that the cause was hopeless . When negotiations failed , Benjamin was part of the shrunken remnant of associates that moved on with Davis . The party reached Abbeville , South Carolina on May 2 , and Benjamin told Davis that he wanted to separate from the presidential party temporarily , and go to the Bahamas to be able to send instructions to foreign agents before rejoining Davis in Texas . According to historian William C . Davis , the pragmatic Secretary of State almost certainly never had any intention of returning to the South once gone . When he bade John Reagan goodbye , the postmaster general asked where Benjamin was going . To the farthest place from the United States , if it takes me to the middle of China . With one companion , Benjamin travelled south in a poor carriage , pretending to be a Frenchman who spoke no English . He had some gold with him , and left much of it for the support of relatives . He was traveling in the same general direction as the Davis party , but evaded capture whereas Davis was taken by Union troops . Benjamin reached Monticello , Florida , on May 13 to learn Union troops were in nearby Madison . Benjamin decided to continue alone on horseback , east and south along Floridas Gulf Coast , pretending to be a South Carolina farmer . John T . Lesley , James McKay , and C . J . Munnerlyn assisted in hiding Benjamin in a swamp , before eventually transporting him to Gamble Mansion in Ellenton , on the southwest coast of Florida . From there , assisted by the blockade runner Captain Frederick Tresca , he reached Bimini in the Bahamas . His escape from Florida to England was not without hardship : at one point he pretended to be a Jewish cook on Trescas vessel , to deceive American soldiers who inspected it—one of whom stated it was the first time he had seen a Jew do menial labor . The small sponge-carrying vessel on which he left Bimini bound for Nassau exploded on the way , and he and the three black crewmen eventually managed to return to Bimini . Trescas ship was still there , and he chartered it to take him to Nassau . From there , he took a ship for Havana , and on August 6 , 1865 , left there for Britain . He was not yet done with disaster ; his ship caught fire after departing St . Thomas , and the crew put out the flames only with difficulty . On August 30 , 1865 , Judah Benjamin arrived at Southampton , in Britain . Exile . Benjamin spent a week in London assisting Mason in winding up Confederate affairs . He then went to Paris to visit his wife and daughter for the first time since before the war . Friends in Paris urged him to join a mercantile firm there , but Benjamin felt that such a career would be subject to interference by Seward and the United States . Accordingly , Benjamin sought to shape his old course in a new country , resuming his legal career as an English barrister . Most of Benjamins property had been destroyed or confiscated , and he needed to make a living for himself and his relatives . He had money in the United Kingdom as he had , during the war , purchased cotton for transport to Liverpool by blockade runner . On January 13 , 1866 , Benjamin enrolled at Lincolns Inn , and soon thereafter was admitted to read law under Charles Pollock , son of Chief Baron Charles Edward Pollock , who took him as a pupil at his fathers direction . Benjamin , despite his age of 54 , was initially required , like his thirty-years-younger peers , to attend for twelve terms , that is , three years . According to Benjamins obituary in The Times , though , the secretary of the Confederacy was dispensed from the regular three years of unprofitable dining , and called to the bar on June 6 , 1866 . Once qualified as a barrister , Benjamin chose to join the Northern Circuit , as it included Liverpool , where his connections in New Orleans and knowledge of mercantile affairs would do him the most good . In an early case , he defended two former Confederate agents against a suit by the United States to gain assets said to belong to that nation . Although he lost that case ( United States v Wagner ) on appeal , he was successful against his former enemies in United States v McRae ( 1869 ) . He had need of rapid success , as most of his remaining assets were lost in the collapse of the firm of Overend , Gurney and Company . He was reduced to penning columns on international affairs for The Daily Telegraph . According to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg , repeating his Louisiana progress , Benjamin made his reputation among his new peers by publication . In an early representation , he wrote a complex governing document for an insurance firm that other counsel had declined despite the substantial fee , due to the early deadline . After brief study , Benjamin wrote out the document , never making a correction or erasure . In 1868 , Benjamin published A Treatise on the Law of Sale of Personal Property , With Reference to the American Decisions , to the French Code , and Civil Law . This work , known for short as Benjamin on Sales , became a classic in both Britain and America , and launched his career as a barrister . It went through three editions prior to Benjamins death in 1884 ; an eighth edition was published in 2010 . Today Benjamins Sale of Goods forms part of the common law library of key practitioner texts on English civil law . In 1867 , Benjamin had been indicted in Richmond , along with Davis , Lee , and others , for waging war against the United States . The indictment was soon quashed . Davis visited London in 1868 , free on bail , and Benjamin advised him not to take legal action against the author of a book that had angered Davis , as it would only give the book publicity . Benjamin corresponded with Davis , and met with him on the former rebel presidents visits to Europe during Benjamins lifetime , though the two were never as close as they had been during the war . Benjamin was created a Palatine silk , entitled to the precedence of a Queens Counsel within Lancashire , in July 1869 . There was a large creation of Queens Counsel in early 1872 , but Benjamin was not included ; it was stated in his Times obituary that he had put his name forward . Later that year , he argued the case of Potter v Rankin before the House of Lords and so impressed Lord Hatherley that a patent of precedence was soon made out , giving Benjamin the privileges of a Queens Counsel . As he became prominent as a barrister , he discontinued practice before juries ( at which he was less successful ) in favor of trials or appeals before judges . In his last years in practice , he demanded an additional fee of 100 guineas ( £105 ) to appear in any court besides the House of Lords and the Privy Council . In 1875 , he was made a bencher of Lincolns Inn . In 1881 , Benjamin represented Arthur Orton , the Tichborne claimant , before the House of Lords . Orton , a butcher from Wagga Wagga , New South Wales , had claimed to be Sir Roger Tichborne , a baronet who had vanished some years previously , and Orton had perjured himself in the course of defending his claim . Benjamin sought to overturn the sentence of 14 years passed on Orton , but was not successful . In his final years , Benjamin suffered from health issues . In 1880 , he was badly injured in a fall from a tram in Paris . He also developed diabetes . He suffered a heart attack in Paris at the end of 1882 , and his doctor ordered him to retire . His health improved enough to allow him to travel to London in June 1883 for a dinner in his honor attended by the English bench and bar . He returned to Paris and suffered a relapse of his heart trouble in early 1884 . Natalie Benjamin had the last rites of the Catholic Church administered to her Jewish husband before his death in Paris on May 6 , 1884 , and funeral services were held in a church prior to Judah Benjamins interment at Père Lachaise Cemetery in the St . Martin family crypt . His grave did not bear his name until 1938 , when a plaque was placed by the Paris chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy . Appraisal . Benjamin was the first U.S . senator to profess the Jewish faith . In 1845 , David Yulee , born David Levy , the first cousin of Judah Benjamin’s father , had been sworn in for Florida , but he renounced Judaism and eventually formally converted to Christianity . As an adult , Benjamin married a non-Jew , was not a member of a synagogue , and took no part in communal affairs . He rarely spoke of his Jewish background publicly , but was not ashamed of it . Some of the stories told of Benjamin that touch on this subject come from Rabbi Isaac Mayer Wise , who referred to an address Benjamin delivered in a San Francisco synagogue on Yom Kippur in 1860 , though whether this occurred is open to question as Wise was not there and it was not reported in the citys Jewish newspaper . One quote from Senate debate that remains part of the Benjamin legend , according to Evans , followed an allusion to Moses as a freer of slaves by a Northern senator , hinting that Benjamin was an Israelite in Egyptian clothing . Benjamin is supposed to have replied , It is true that I am a Jew , and when my ancestors were receiving their Ten Commandments from the immediate hand of deity , amidst the thunderings and lightnings of Mount Sinai , the ancestors of my opponent were herding swine in the forests of Great Britain . However , this anecdote is likely apocryphal as the same exchange between British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli ( a converted Jew ) and Daniel OConnell took place in the House of Commons in 1835 . Edgar M . Kahn , in his journal article on the 1860 California sojourn , wrote , Benjamins life is an example of a mans determination to overcome almost insurmountable barriers by industry , perseverance , and intelligent use of a remarkable brain . This brilliance was recognized by contemporaries ; Salomon de Rothschild , in 1861 , deemed Benjamin the greatest mind in North America . Nevertheless , according to Meade , he was given to quixotic enthusiasms and was sometimes too cocksure of his knowledge . Ginsburg said of Benjamin , he rose to the top of the legal profession twice in one lifetime , on two continents , beginning his first ascent as a raw youth and his second as a fugitive minister of a vanquished power . Davis , after Benjamins death , deemed him the most able member of his Cabinet , and said that the lawyers postwar career had fully vindicated his confidence in him . According to Brook , in every age , a heroic sage struggles to rescue Benjamin from obscurity—and invariably fails . Benjamin left no memoir and destroyed his personal papers , by which the task of future researchers and historians was made exceedingly difficult and laborious . After his death , Benjamin was rarely written about , in contrast to Davis and other Confederate leaders . Part of this was due to Benjamin depriving his potential biographers of source material , but even Davis , in his two-volume war memoir , mentions him only twice . Evans suggests that as Davis wrote the books in part to defend and memorialize his place in history , it would not have been characteristic of him to give much credit to Benjamin . Davis , in the midst of postwar business struggles , may have resented Benjamins success as a barrister , or may have feared that allegations of involvement in Lincolns assassination would again be made against the two men . Brook concurs that Benjamins postwar success , that began as Davis lay in prison and other Confederates struggled for survival , may have soured Southerners towards the former secretary , but that anti-Semitism was also likely a factor . For the guardians of Confederate memory after Reconstruction , Benjamin became a kind of pet Jew , generally ignored , but then trotted out at opportune moments to defend the segregated South against charges of bigotry . Those writing on Jewish history were reluctant to glorify a slaveowner , and reacted to Benjamins story with embarrassed dismay . This was especially so in the two generations following 1865 when the question of the Civil War remained an active issue in American politics . It was not until the 1930s that Benjamin began to be mentioned as a significant figure in the history of the United States , and in the chronicle of the Jews there . Nevertheless , Tom Mountain , in his 2009 article on Benjamin , points out that Benjamin was respected in the South as a leader of the rebel cause for a century after the Civil War , and that Southern schoolchildren who could not name the current Secretary of State in Washington knew about Benjamin . Reform Rabbi Daniel Polish noted in 1988 that Benjamin represent [ ed ] a significant dilemma [ in ] my years growing up as a Jew both proud of his people and with an intense commitment to the ideals of liberalism and human solidarity that I found embodied in the civil rights movement . Berman recounts a story that during the Civil War , Benjamin was called to the Torah at Beth Ahabah synagogue in Richmond . However , there is no proof of this , nor does Benjamins name appear in any surviving record of the Jews of that city . But whether or not Benjamin practiced Judaism overtly or contributed to Jewish causes , to the Jews of the South , he was a symbol of a coreligionist who was a man among men . According to Evans , Benjamin survives , as he willed it : a shadowy figure in Civil War history . Kahn noted that Benjamin is epitomized as a foremost orator , lawyer , and statesman , without a peer at the bars of two of the worlds greatest nations . Meade questioned whether Benjamins character can ever be fully understood :
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Julien Dive Julien Dive ( born 21 May 1985 ) is a French politician serving as the member of the National Assembly for the second constituency of Aisne since 2016 . A member of The Republicans , he was elected to the municipal council of Itancourt in 2008 and became Mayor of Itancourt in 2014 . Biography . Early life . After studying at the college Suzanne Deustch of Moÿ-de-lAisne , then Josquin-Dès-Près of Beaurevoir , he entered the school Saint-Jean in Saint-Quentin . After obtaining the baccalaureate , he entered the Prytanée National Militaire of La Flèche in 2003 to prepare the competition of ESM Saint-Cyr to become an officer in the army . Finally , he obtained a degree in economics at the University of Valenciennes and Hainaut-Cambresis and a masters degree in entrepreneurship and management of SMEs at the IAE Valenciennes in 2008 . At the same time , following the economic dismissal of his commercial father , he created with him a SARL in 2013 specialized in the sale of tools and maintenance of agricultural equipment for farmers in Aisne . Born into a family of itinerant traders in the Saint-Quentin market in fruit and vegetables and whose grandfather had worked for 50 years , Julien Dive was always attached to the defense of local businesses . Political career . His entry into politics began in 2003 when at the age of 18 he joined the UMP and began as an activist in the youth section which he became the departmental head in 2009 . Only elected from the opposition list in the 2008 French municipal elections in his family village of Itancourt , he became mayor in 2014 French municipal elections . Touched by the limitation of the plurality of the mandates , he resigns from her position of Mayor of Itancourt on 17 July 2017 . In 2015 French departmental elections , Julien Dive is in pairs with Orane Gobert to become county councilor of the Canton of Ribemont . He came third in the first round of the election with 25.59% and he decided to stay in the second round in a triangular against the binomial FN , who came first in the first round and the pair PS . He finished third with 22 , 82% . Member of the National Assembly . Following the 2015 French regional elections , the deputy for the 2nd constituency of Aisne , Xavier Bertrand resigned , to devote himself to the presidency of the Hauts-de-France . Julien Dive becomes the candidate of The Republicans for the by-election on 13 and 20 March 2016 . On 20 March , he wins the election in the second round against the candidate FN , Sylvie Saillard-Meunier . On 18 June 2017 , he was re-elected against the candidate FN Sylvie Saillard-Meunier . During a 15th legislature of the French Fifth Republic , he sits on the Economic Affairs Committee . He is Vice-president of the France-Netherlands Friendship Group and Vice-president oh the France-Kosovo Friendship Group .
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Julien Dive Julien Dive ( born 21 May 1985 ) is a French politician serving as the member of the National Assembly for the second constituency of Aisne since 2016 . A member of The Republicans , he was elected to the municipal council of Itancourt in 2008 and became Mayor of Itancourt in 2014 . Biography . Early life . After studying at the college Suzanne Deustch of Moÿ-de-lAisne , then Josquin-Dès-Près of Beaurevoir , he entered the school Saint-Jean in Saint-Quentin . After obtaining the baccalaureate , he entered the Prytanée National Militaire of La Flèche in 2003 to prepare the competition of ESM Saint-Cyr to become an officer in the army . Finally , he obtained a degree in economics at the University of Valenciennes and Hainaut-Cambresis and a masters degree in entrepreneurship and management of SMEs at the IAE Valenciennes in 2008 . At the same time , following the economic dismissal of his commercial father , he created with him a SARL in 2013 specialized in the sale of tools and maintenance of agricultural equipment for farmers in Aisne . Born into a family of itinerant traders in the Saint-Quentin market in fruit and vegetables and whose grandfather had worked for 50 years , Julien Dive was always attached to the defense of local businesses . Political career . His entry into politics began in 2003 when at the age of 18 he joined the UMP and began as an activist in the youth section which he became the departmental head in 2009 . Only elected from the opposition list in the 2008 French municipal elections in his family village of Itancourt , he became mayor in 2014 French municipal elections . Touched by the limitation of the plurality of the mandates , he resigns from her position of Mayor of Itancourt on 17 July 2017 . In 2015 French departmental elections , Julien Dive is in pairs with Orane Gobert to become county councilor of the Canton of Ribemont . He came third in the first round of the election with 25.59% and he decided to stay in the second round in a triangular against the binomial FN , who came first in the first round and the pair PS . He finished third with 22 , 82% . Member of the National Assembly . Following the 2015 French regional elections , the deputy for the 2nd constituency of Aisne , Xavier Bertrand resigned , to devote himself to the presidency of the Hauts-de-France . Julien Dive becomes the candidate of The Republicans for the by-election on 13 and 20 March 2016 . On 20 March , he wins the election in the second round against the candidate FN , Sylvie Saillard-Meunier . On 18 June 2017 , he was re-elected against the candidate FN Sylvie Saillard-Meunier . During a 15th legislature of the French Fifth Republic , he sits on the Economic Affairs Committee . He is Vice-president of the France-Netherlands Friendship Group and Vice-president oh the France-Kosovo Friendship Group .
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[
"Member of the National Assembly"
] |
easy
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Which position did Julien Dive hold from Jun 2017 to Jun 2018?
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/wiki/Julien_Dive#P39#2
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Julien Dive Julien Dive ( born 21 May 1985 ) is a French politician serving as the member of the National Assembly for the second constituency of Aisne since 2016 . A member of The Republicans , he was elected to the municipal council of Itancourt in 2008 and became Mayor of Itancourt in 2014 . Biography . Early life . After studying at the college Suzanne Deustch of Moÿ-de-lAisne , then Josquin-Dès-Près of Beaurevoir , he entered the school Saint-Jean in Saint-Quentin . After obtaining the baccalaureate , he entered the Prytanée National Militaire of La Flèche in 2003 to prepare the competition of ESM Saint-Cyr to become an officer in the army . Finally , he obtained a degree in economics at the University of Valenciennes and Hainaut-Cambresis and a masters degree in entrepreneurship and management of SMEs at the IAE Valenciennes in 2008 . At the same time , following the economic dismissal of his commercial father , he created with him a SARL in 2013 specialized in the sale of tools and maintenance of agricultural equipment for farmers in Aisne . Born into a family of itinerant traders in the Saint-Quentin market in fruit and vegetables and whose grandfather had worked for 50 years , Julien Dive was always attached to the defense of local businesses . Political career . His entry into politics began in 2003 when at the age of 18 he joined the UMP and began as an activist in the youth section which he became the departmental head in 2009 . Only elected from the opposition list in the 2008 French municipal elections in his family village of Itancourt , he became mayor in 2014 French municipal elections . Touched by the limitation of the plurality of the mandates , he resigns from her position of Mayor of Itancourt on 17 July 2017 . In 2015 French departmental elections , Julien Dive is in pairs with Orane Gobert to become county councilor of the Canton of Ribemont . He came third in the first round of the election with 25.59% and he decided to stay in the second round in a triangular against the binomial FN , who came first in the first round and the pair PS . He finished third with 22 , 82% . Member of the National Assembly . Following the 2015 French regional elections , the deputy for the 2nd constituency of Aisne , Xavier Bertrand resigned , to devote himself to the presidency of the Hauts-de-France . Julien Dive becomes the candidate of The Republicans for the by-election on 13 and 20 March 2016 . On 20 March , he wins the election in the second round against the candidate FN , Sylvie Saillard-Meunier . On 18 June 2017 , he was re-elected against the candidate FN Sylvie Saillard-Meunier . During a 15th legislature of the French Fifth Republic , he sits on the Economic Affairs Committee . He is Vice-president of the France-Netherlands Friendship Group and Vice-president oh the France-Kosovo Friendship Group .
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[
"Leicester"
] |
easy
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Andy King (footballer, born 1988) played for which team from 2007 to Jul 2007?
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/wiki/Andy_King_(footballer,_born_1988)#P54#0
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Andy King ( footballer , born 1988 ) Andrew Philip King ( born 29 October 1988 ) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Belgian First Division A club OH Leuven and the Welsh national team . He spent the majority of his career with Leicester City , making 379 appearances across all competitions and scoring 62 goals . He won the League One , Championship and Premier League titles in 2009 , 2014 and 2016 respectively , making him the first and only player to win the top three divisions with the same team in the Premier League era . Born in England , King is a Wales international , qualifying through his grandfather . He made his international debut in 2009 , and has gone on to earn 50 caps . He was part of the team that reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016 . Early life . King was born in Barnstaple , Devon on holiday and was brought up in Maidenhead , Berkshire . He attended Furze Platt Senior School and joined Chelsea when he was nine years old . After being released in 2004 when he was 15 years old , he joined the Leicester City youth academy . Club career . Leicester City . Academy and early career . He was given a squad number for the 2006–07 season . During that season , King scored eight goals in 21 appearances for the Leicester academy side , which saw them win the FA Premier League Group B . King was offered his first professional contract with Leicester on 5 May 2007 . He also went on trial with Conference National team York City in August , and after playing in a pre-season friendly against Sheffield he turned down a possible loan move to the club on the advice of his agent . King made his first team debut in a 0–0 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on 2 October 2007 , before scoring his first senior goal with a 35-yard shot described as a rocket in a 2–1 defeat to Southampton on 1 December . He made 11 league appearances as Leicester were relegated to League One at the end of the 2007–08 season . 2008–09 season . Kings impressive start the following season earned him a new three-year contract on 21 August 2008 . He scored his first goal of the season in a 3–2 League Cup defeat to Fulham on 27 August , scoring from 18 yards . He went on to score nine league goals to help Leicester secure their promotion as League One champions . His performances earned him the clubs young player of the season award on 28 April 2009 . He was also nominated for players player of the season and player of the season awards , but lost out to teammates Matty Fryatt and Steve Howard . King dedicated his award to team captain Stephen Clemence , who missed the entire season through injury . 2009–10 season . During pre-season , King believed the Leicester squad was good enough to challenge for promotion . He scored his first goal of the season in a 1–0 win over Plymouth Argyle at the Walkers Stadium on 21 November 2009 . Following a fine start to the 2009–10 season , King said on 23 November there is a firm belief that the team can win promotion to the Premier League . He drew praise from then-manager Nigel Pearson after scoring his fourth goal of the season in a 2–1 FA Cup win over Swansea City on 2 January 2010 . His overall performance earned him the players player of the year award on 28 April 2010 which he shared with teammate Jack Hobbs . 2010–11 season . King had his best season yet in terms of goalscoring in 2010–11 , as he ended up the clubs top scorer , netting 15 times in the league and 16 times in all competitions from midfield . He earned himself a four-year contract on 15 April 2011 , keeping him at the club until 2015 . Three days later , Kings form that season was acknowledged by his fellow professionals as he was named in the Championships PFA Team of the Year with teammate Kyle Naughton . He then took the clubs players player of the season award for the second season in a row . 2011–12 season . King began the 2011–12 season with a goal drought , scoring just one goal in his first 14 games of the season , but got back on track , netting a brace against West Ham United on 29 October 2011 , the first game following Sven-Göran Erikssons sacking as manager , before adding his fourth of the season at home to Blackpool a month later . However , the latter part of his season was disrupted due to injury . King finished the season scoring 4 times in 32 games across all competitions , Kings lowest goal and appearance tally since becoming a first team regular in the 2008–09 season . 2012–13 season . King regained his form at the beginning of the following season though , scoring a goal in both the opening 2012–13 Championship fixtures against Peterborough United and Charlton Athletic respectively . Kings central midfield partner often changed between Matty James and Danny Drinkwater with former forming a formidable partnership with King in the latter part of the season as Leicester attempted to get their promotion push back on track . King scored his 50th goal for Leicester on the final day of the 2012–13 season away at Nottingham Forest , a game that city won 3–2 , a result that clinched 6th place and the final play-off position . King scored 7 times during the 2012–13 season in 48 games . 2013–14 season . King started the 2013–14 Championship season how he finished the last : Scoring twice in the first 8 games , both fantastic strikes against Birmingham City and Blackpool . The former was voted the Foxes goal of the month for August and the latter a show in for Septembers award . Kings first goal of the season also marked his 250th Leicester appearance . Due to the form of Drinkwater and James , King found opportunities limited to substitute appearances . King scored his 54th goal for the Foxes in their 2–2 draw against Wigan Athletic on 1 April 2014 , making him the clubs highest scoring midfielder in their 130-year history as Leicester made their way to the 2013–14 Football League Championship and promotion to the Premier League . 2014–15 season . King made his Premier League debut , playing the full 90 minutes in the 2–2 , opening day draw with Everton , putting in an impressive display , finishing the match with a 95.6% pass completion record . King signed a new four-year contract with the club on his 26th birthday , 29 October 2014 , keeping him at the club until the summer of 2018 , stating that he would love it if he spent his entire career with the Foxes . On 4 April 2015 , King scored his 50th league goal for Leicester , a late winner in the 2–1 Premier League victory over West Ham United . On 29 April 2015 , King made his 300th appearance for the club in the 1–3 defeat to Chelsea , the club that released him as a teenager . 2015–16 season . King started the new campaign in the Leicester team , playing the full 90 minutes as Leicester topped the Premier League table following a 4–2 win against Sunderland at the King Power Stadium on 8 August 2015 , with new manager Claudio Ranieri singling out him and midfield partner Danny Drinkwater for praise . He won the league title on 2 May 2016 , becoming the first player to win the top three divisions with the same club in the Premier League era ; Roy Bailey , Larry Carberry , John Elsworthy , Jimmy Leadbetter and Ted Phillips having previously achieved the feat with Ipswich Town in the 1950s and 1960s . 2016–17 season . On 29 July 2016 , King signed a new four-year contract . He made his Champions League debut for Leicester on 18 October 2016 , contributing in a 1–0 victory over F.C . Copenhagen at the King Power Stadium . He scored his first goal of the season in a 4–2 home win against Manchester City on 10 October 2016 , his 10th consecutive season of scoring for the Foxes . He scored his second goal of the season against Derby County in the FA Cup , captaining Leicester City to a 3–1 home win . Later years and loans . On 31 January 2018 , King was sent on loan to Premier League club Swansea City until the end of the season . He scored twice for the eventually relegated Swans . Upon his return to Leicester , Kings number 10 shirt was reassigned to James Maddison , with King himself taking number 37 . On 6 January 2019 , King played for the first time of the season for Leicester in the FA Cup defeat against League Two side Newport County . He came on as a substitute for Matty James . King joined Derby County on loan on 31 January 2019 , signing until the end of the season . On 25 February , he suffered an ankle injury away to Nottingham Forest , and was ruled out for the rest of the season . His loan deal was cut short as a result and he returned to Leicester on 28 February . On 15 August 2019 , Rangers announced they had signed King on a season-long loan . The Scottish Premiership club cut the deal short on 5 January after just five games . On 16 January 2020 King joined Huddersfield of the Championship on loan for the remainder of the 2019–20 season . His parent club confirmed on 18 June that he would be released at the end of the season . OH Leuven . On 5 January 2021 , King signed for Belgian First Division A side OH Leuven on a deal until the end of the season . International career . King qualified to play for Wales through a grandfather from Wrexham . He won caps for Wales under-19 and under-21 international , receiving his first call-up on 10 October 2007 . He scored his first goal in a 5–1 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying win over Luxembourg under-21 on 31 March 2009 . He was in the squad that narrowly lost out to England in the play-offs for a spot at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship . On 22 May 2009 , King received his first call-up to the senior Wales squad when he was named in manager John Toshacks squad for a friendly match against Estonia . Despite naming King in the squad , Toshack admitted that he was not yet ready for international football . He made his debut as a last-minute substitute for Ched Evans in a 1–0 victory . Kings first international goal came on 11 August 2010 in a 5–1 friendly victory over Luxembourg at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli . King was a regular in Wales successful UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign . He was given a straight red card in the 47th minute on 13 October 2014 , in a home qualifier against Cyprus , for a foul on Constantinos Makrides . However Wales won 2–1 , the same score at the time of the red card . Manager Chris Coleman blamed the attitude of himself and his staff for aggressively rallying the team prior to Kings red card . On 31 May 2016 , King was included in Wales 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016 . King made his debut in the tournament as a substitute in Wales 3–0 victory against Russia on 20 June , as Wales won Group B . On 2 September 2017 , King came on as a half time substitute to help Wales to a 1–0 victory against Austria in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier . This was his 40th cap , therefore breaking Northern Irishman John ONeills record for most caps while a Leicester player . Honours . Leicester City - Premier League : 2015–16 - Football League Championship : 2013–14 - Football League One : 2008–09 Individual - Leicester City Young Player of the Year : 2008–09 - Leicester City Players Player of the Year : 2009–10 ( joint winner ) , 2010–11 - PFA Team of the Year : 2010–11 Championship External links . - Andy King profile at the Leicester City F.C . website
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[
"Leicester"
] |
easy
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Which team did Andy King (footballer, born 1988) play for from Jul 2007 to 2009?
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/wiki/Andy_King_(footballer,_born_1988)#P54#1
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Andy King ( footballer , born 1988 ) Andrew Philip King ( born 29 October 1988 ) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Belgian First Division A club OH Leuven and the Welsh national team . He spent the majority of his career with Leicester City , making 379 appearances across all competitions and scoring 62 goals . He won the League One , Championship and Premier League titles in 2009 , 2014 and 2016 respectively , making him the first and only player to win the top three divisions with the same team in the Premier League era . Born in England , King is a Wales international , qualifying through his grandfather . He made his international debut in 2009 , and has gone on to earn 50 caps . He was part of the team that reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016 . Early life . King was born in Barnstaple , Devon on holiday and was brought up in Maidenhead , Berkshire . He attended Furze Platt Senior School and joined Chelsea when he was nine years old . After being released in 2004 when he was 15 years old , he joined the Leicester City youth academy . Club career . Leicester City . Academy and early career . He was given a squad number for the 2006–07 season . During that season , King scored eight goals in 21 appearances for the Leicester academy side , which saw them win the FA Premier League Group B . King was offered his first professional contract with Leicester on 5 May 2007 . He also went on trial with Conference National team York City in August , and after playing in a pre-season friendly against Sheffield he turned down a possible loan move to the club on the advice of his agent . King made his first team debut in a 0–0 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on 2 October 2007 , before scoring his first senior goal with a 35-yard shot described as a rocket in a 2–1 defeat to Southampton on 1 December . He made 11 league appearances as Leicester were relegated to League One at the end of the 2007–08 season . 2008–09 season . Kings impressive start the following season earned him a new three-year contract on 21 August 2008 . He scored his first goal of the season in a 3–2 League Cup defeat to Fulham on 27 August , scoring from 18 yards . He went on to score nine league goals to help Leicester secure their promotion as League One champions . His performances earned him the clubs young player of the season award on 28 April 2009 . He was also nominated for players player of the season and player of the season awards , but lost out to teammates Matty Fryatt and Steve Howard . King dedicated his award to team captain Stephen Clemence , who missed the entire season through injury . 2009–10 season . During pre-season , King believed the Leicester squad was good enough to challenge for promotion . He scored his first goal of the season in a 1–0 win over Plymouth Argyle at the Walkers Stadium on 21 November 2009 . Following a fine start to the 2009–10 season , King said on 23 November there is a firm belief that the team can win promotion to the Premier League . He drew praise from then-manager Nigel Pearson after scoring his fourth goal of the season in a 2–1 FA Cup win over Swansea City on 2 January 2010 . His overall performance earned him the players player of the year award on 28 April 2010 which he shared with teammate Jack Hobbs . 2010–11 season . King had his best season yet in terms of goalscoring in 2010–11 , as he ended up the clubs top scorer , netting 15 times in the league and 16 times in all competitions from midfield . He earned himself a four-year contract on 15 April 2011 , keeping him at the club until 2015 . Three days later , Kings form that season was acknowledged by his fellow professionals as he was named in the Championships PFA Team of the Year with teammate Kyle Naughton . He then took the clubs players player of the season award for the second season in a row . 2011–12 season . King began the 2011–12 season with a goal drought , scoring just one goal in his first 14 games of the season , but got back on track , netting a brace against West Ham United on 29 October 2011 , the first game following Sven-Göran Erikssons sacking as manager , before adding his fourth of the season at home to Blackpool a month later . However , the latter part of his season was disrupted due to injury . King finished the season scoring 4 times in 32 games across all competitions , Kings lowest goal and appearance tally since becoming a first team regular in the 2008–09 season . 2012–13 season . King regained his form at the beginning of the following season though , scoring a goal in both the opening 2012–13 Championship fixtures against Peterborough United and Charlton Athletic respectively . Kings central midfield partner often changed between Matty James and Danny Drinkwater with former forming a formidable partnership with King in the latter part of the season as Leicester attempted to get their promotion push back on track . King scored his 50th goal for Leicester on the final day of the 2012–13 season away at Nottingham Forest , a game that city won 3–2 , a result that clinched 6th place and the final play-off position . King scored 7 times during the 2012–13 season in 48 games . 2013–14 season . King started the 2013–14 Championship season how he finished the last : Scoring twice in the first 8 games , both fantastic strikes against Birmingham City and Blackpool . The former was voted the Foxes goal of the month for August and the latter a show in for Septembers award . Kings first goal of the season also marked his 250th Leicester appearance . Due to the form of Drinkwater and James , King found opportunities limited to substitute appearances . King scored his 54th goal for the Foxes in their 2–2 draw against Wigan Athletic on 1 April 2014 , making him the clubs highest scoring midfielder in their 130-year history as Leicester made their way to the 2013–14 Football League Championship and promotion to the Premier League . 2014–15 season . King made his Premier League debut , playing the full 90 minutes in the 2–2 , opening day draw with Everton , putting in an impressive display , finishing the match with a 95.6% pass completion record . King signed a new four-year contract with the club on his 26th birthday , 29 October 2014 , keeping him at the club until the summer of 2018 , stating that he would love it if he spent his entire career with the Foxes . On 4 April 2015 , King scored his 50th league goal for Leicester , a late winner in the 2–1 Premier League victory over West Ham United . On 29 April 2015 , King made his 300th appearance for the club in the 1–3 defeat to Chelsea , the club that released him as a teenager . 2015–16 season . King started the new campaign in the Leicester team , playing the full 90 minutes as Leicester topped the Premier League table following a 4–2 win against Sunderland at the King Power Stadium on 8 August 2015 , with new manager Claudio Ranieri singling out him and midfield partner Danny Drinkwater for praise . He won the league title on 2 May 2016 , becoming the first player to win the top three divisions with the same club in the Premier League era ; Roy Bailey , Larry Carberry , John Elsworthy , Jimmy Leadbetter and Ted Phillips having previously achieved the feat with Ipswich Town in the 1950s and 1960s . 2016–17 season . On 29 July 2016 , King signed a new four-year contract . He made his Champions League debut for Leicester on 18 October 2016 , contributing in a 1–0 victory over F.C . Copenhagen at the King Power Stadium . He scored his first goal of the season in a 4–2 home win against Manchester City on 10 October 2016 , his 10th consecutive season of scoring for the Foxes . He scored his second goal of the season against Derby County in the FA Cup , captaining Leicester City to a 3–1 home win . Later years and loans . On 31 January 2018 , King was sent on loan to Premier League club Swansea City until the end of the season . He scored twice for the eventually relegated Swans . Upon his return to Leicester , Kings number 10 shirt was reassigned to James Maddison , with King himself taking number 37 . On 6 January 2019 , King played for the first time of the season for Leicester in the FA Cup defeat against League Two side Newport County . He came on as a substitute for Matty James . King joined Derby County on loan on 31 January 2019 , signing until the end of the season . On 25 February , he suffered an ankle injury away to Nottingham Forest , and was ruled out for the rest of the season . His loan deal was cut short as a result and he returned to Leicester on 28 February . On 15 August 2019 , Rangers announced they had signed King on a season-long loan . The Scottish Premiership club cut the deal short on 5 January after just five games . On 16 January 2020 King joined Huddersfield of the Championship on loan for the remainder of the 2019–20 season . His parent club confirmed on 18 June that he would be released at the end of the season . OH Leuven . On 5 January 2021 , King signed for Belgian First Division A side OH Leuven on a deal until the end of the season . International career . King qualified to play for Wales through a grandfather from Wrexham . He won caps for Wales under-19 and under-21 international , receiving his first call-up on 10 October 2007 . He scored his first goal in a 5–1 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying win over Luxembourg under-21 on 31 March 2009 . He was in the squad that narrowly lost out to England in the play-offs for a spot at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship . On 22 May 2009 , King received his first call-up to the senior Wales squad when he was named in manager John Toshacks squad for a friendly match against Estonia . Despite naming King in the squad , Toshack admitted that he was not yet ready for international football . He made his debut as a last-minute substitute for Ched Evans in a 1–0 victory . Kings first international goal came on 11 August 2010 in a 5–1 friendly victory over Luxembourg at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli . King was a regular in Wales successful UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign . He was given a straight red card in the 47th minute on 13 October 2014 , in a home qualifier against Cyprus , for a foul on Constantinos Makrides . However Wales won 2–1 , the same score at the time of the red card . Manager Chris Coleman blamed the attitude of himself and his staff for aggressively rallying the team prior to Kings red card . On 31 May 2016 , King was included in Wales 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016 . King made his debut in the tournament as a substitute in Wales 3–0 victory against Russia on 20 June , as Wales won Group B . On 2 September 2017 , King came on as a half time substitute to help Wales to a 1–0 victory against Austria in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier . This was his 40th cap , therefore breaking Northern Irishman John ONeills record for most caps while a Leicester player . Honours . Leicester City - Premier League : 2015–16 - Football League Championship : 2013–14 - Football League One : 2008–09 Individual - Leicester City Young Player of the Year : 2008–09 - Leicester City Players Player of the Year : 2009–10 ( joint winner ) , 2010–11 - PFA Team of the Year : 2010–11 Championship External links . - Andy King profile at the Leicester City F.C . website
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[
"Leicester"
] |
easy
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Which team did Andy King (footballer, born 1988) play for from 2009 to 2010?
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/wiki/Andy_King_(footballer,_born_1988)#P54#2
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Andy King ( footballer , born 1988 ) Andrew Philip King ( born 29 October 1988 ) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Belgian First Division A club OH Leuven and the Welsh national team . He spent the majority of his career with Leicester City , making 379 appearances across all competitions and scoring 62 goals . He won the League One , Championship and Premier League titles in 2009 , 2014 and 2016 respectively , making him the first and only player to win the top three divisions with the same team in the Premier League era . Born in England , King is a Wales international , qualifying through his grandfather . He made his international debut in 2009 , and has gone on to earn 50 caps . He was part of the team that reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016 . Early life . King was born in Barnstaple , Devon on holiday and was brought up in Maidenhead , Berkshire . He attended Furze Platt Senior School and joined Chelsea when he was nine years old . After being released in 2004 when he was 15 years old , he joined the Leicester City youth academy . Club career . Leicester City . Academy and early career . He was given a squad number for the 2006–07 season . During that season , King scored eight goals in 21 appearances for the Leicester academy side , which saw them win the FA Premier League Group B . King was offered his first professional contract with Leicester on 5 May 2007 . He also went on trial with Conference National team York City in August , and after playing in a pre-season friendly against Sheffield he turned down a possible loan move to the club on the advice of his agent . King made his first team debut in a 0–0 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on 2 October 2007 , before scoring his first senior goal with a 35-yard shot described as a rocket in a 2–1 defeat to Southampton on 1 December . He made 11 league appearances as Leicester were relegated to League One at the end of the 2007–08 season . 2008–09 season . Kings impressive start the following season earned him a new three-year contract on 21 August 2008 . He scored his first goal of the season in a 3–2 League Cup defeat to Fulham on 27 August , scoring from 18 yards . He went on to score nine league goals to help Leicester secure their promotion as League One champions . His performances earned him the clubs young player of the season award on 28 April 2009 . He was also nominated for players player of the season and player of the season awards , but lost out to teammates Matty Fryatt and Steve Howard . King dedicated his award to team captain Stephen Clemence , who missed the entire season through injury . 2009–10 season . During pre-season , King believed the Leicester squad was good enough to challenge for promotion . He scored his first goal of the season in a 1–0 win over Plymouth Argyle at the Walkers Stadium on 21 November 2009 . Following a fine start to the 2009–10 season , King said on 23 November there is a firm belief that the team can win promotion to the Premier League . He drew praise from then-manager Nigel Pearson after scoring his fourth goal of the season in a 2–1 FA Cup win over Swansea City on 2 January 2010 . His overall performance earned him the players player of the year award on 28 April 2010 which he shared with teammate Jack Hobbs . 2010–11 season . King had his best season yet in terms of goalscoring in 2010–11 , as he ended up the clubs top scorer , netting 15 times in the league and 16 times in all competitions from midfield . He earned himself a four-year contract on 15 April 2011 , keeping him at the club until 2015 . Three days later , Kings form that season was acknowledged by his fellow professionals as he was named in the Championships PFA Team of the Year with teammate Kyle Naughton . He then took the clubs players player of the season award for the second season in a row . 2011–12 season . King began the 2011–12 season with a goal drought , scoring just one goal in his first 14 games of the season , but got back on track , netting a brace against West Ham United on 29 October 2011 , the first game following Sven-Göran Erikssons sacking as manager , before adding his fourth of the season at home to Blackpool a month later . However , the latter part of his season was disrupted due to injury . King finished the season scoring 4 times in 32 games across all competitions , Kings lowest goal and appearance tally since becoming a first team regular in the 2008–09 season . 2012–13 season . King regained his form at the beginning of the following season though , scoring a goal in both the opening 2012–13 Championship fixtures against Peterborough United and Charlton Athletic respectively . Kings central midfield partner often changed between Matty James and Danny Drinkwater with former forming a formidable partnership with King in the latter part of the season as Leicester attempted to get their promotion push back on track . King scored his 50th goal for Leicester on the final day of the 2012–13 season away at Nottingham Forest , a game that city won 3–2 , a result that clinched 6th place and the final play-off position . King scored 7 times during the 2012–13 season in 48 games . 2013–14 season . King started the 2013–14 Championship season how he finished the last : Scoring twice in the first 8 games , both fantastic strikes against Birmingham City and Blackpool . The former was voted the Foxes goal of the month for August and the latter a show in for Septembers award . Kings first goal of the season also marked his 250th Leicester appearance . Due to the form of Drinkwater and James , King found opportunities limited to substitute appearances . King scored his 54th goal for the Foxes in their 2–2 draw against Wigan Athletic on 1 April 2014 , making him the clubs highest scoring midfielder in their 130-year history as Leicester made their way to the 2013–14 Football League Championship and promotion to the Premier League . 2014–15 season . King made his Premier League debut , playing the full 90 minutes in the 2–2 , opening day draw with Everton , putting in an impressive display , finishing the match with a 95.6% pass completion record . King signed a new four-year contract with the club on his 26th birthday , 29 October 2014 , keeping him at the club until the summer of 2018 , stating that he would love it if he spent his entire career with the Foxes . On 4 April 2015 , King scored his 50th league goal for Leicester , a late winner in the 2–1 Premier League victory over West Ham United . On 29 April 2015 , King made his 300th appearance for the club in the 1–3 defeat to Chelsea , the club that released him as a teenager . 2015–16 season . King started the new campaign in the Leicester team , playing the full 90 minutes as Leicester topped the Premier League table following a 4–2 win against Sunderland at the King Power Stadium on 8 August 2015 , with new manager Claudio Ranieri singling out him and midfield partner Danny Drinkwater for praise . He won the league title on 2 May 2016 , becoming the first player to win the top three divisions with the same club in the Premier League era ; Roy Bailey , Larry Carberry , John Elsworthy , Jimmy Leadbetter and Ted Phillips having previously achieved the feat with Ipswich Town in the 1950s and 1960s . 2016–17 season . On 29 July 2016 , King signed a new four-year contract . He made his Champions League debut for Leicester on 18 October 2016 , contributing in a 1–0 victory over F.C . Copenhagen at the King Power Stadium . He scored his first goal of the season in a 4–2 home win against Manchester City on 10 October 2016 , his 10th consecutive season of scoring for the Foxes . He scored his second goal of the season against Derby County in the FA Cup , captaining Leicester City to a 3–1 home win . Later years and loans . On 31 January 2018 , King was sent on loan to Premier League club Swansea City until the end of the season . He scored twice for the eventually relegated Swans . Upon his return to Leicester , Kings number 10 shirt was reassigned to James Maddison , with King himself taking number 37 . On 6 January 2019 , King played for the first time of the season for Leicester in the FA Cup defeat against League Two side Newport County . He came on as a substitute for Matty James . King joined Derby County on loan on 31 January 2019 , signing until the end of the season . On 25 February , he suffered an ankle injury away to Nottingham Forest , and was ruled out for the rest of the season . His loan deal was cut short as a result and he returned to Leicester on 28 February . On 15 August 2019 , Rangers announced they had signed King on a season-long loan . The Scottish Premiership club cut the deal short on 5 January after just five games . On 16 January 2020 King joined Huddersfield of the Championship on loan for the remainder of the 2019–20 season . His parent club confirmed on 18 June that he would be released at the end of the season . OH Leuven . On 5 January 2021 , King signed for Belgian First Division A side OH Leuven on a deal until the end of the season . International career . King qualified to play for Wales through a grandfather from Wrexham . He won caps for Wales under-19 and under-21 international , receiving his first call-up on 10 October 2007 . He scored his first goal in a 5–1 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying win over Luxembourg under-21 on 31 March 2009 . He was in the squad that narrowly lost out to England in the play-offs for a spot at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship . On 22 May 2009 , King received his first call-up to the senior Wales squad when he was named in manager John Toshacks squad for a friendly match against Estonia . Despite naming King in the squad , Toshack admitted that he was not yet ready for international football . He made his debut as a last-minute substitute for Ched Evans in a 1–0 victory . Kings first international goal came on 11 August 2010 in a 5–1 friendly victory over Luxembourg at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli . King was a regular in Wales successful UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign . He was given a straight red card in the 47th minute on 13 October 2014 , in a home qualifier against Cyprus , for a foul on Constantinos Makrides . However Wales won 2–1 , the same score at the time of the red card . Manager Chris Coleman blamed the attitude of himself and his staff for aggressively rallying the team prior to Kings red card . On 31 May 2016 , King was included in Wales 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016 . King made his debut in the tournament as a substitute in Wales 3–0 victory against Russia on 20 June , as Wales won Group B . On 2 September 2017 , King came on as a half time substitute to help Wales to a 1–0 victory against Austria in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier . This was his 40th cap , therefore breaking Northern Irishman John ONeills record for most caps while a Leicester player . Honours . Leicester City - Premier League : 2015–16 - Football League Championship : 2013–14 - Football League One : 2008–09 Individual - Leicester City Young Player of the Year : 2008–09 - Leicester City Players Player of the Year : 2009–10 ( joint winner ) , 2010–11 - PFA Team of the Year : 2010–11 Championship External links . - Andy King profile at the Leicester City F.C . website
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[
"Leicester"
] |
easy
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Which team did the player Andy King (footballer, born 1988) belong to from 2010 to 2018?
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/wiki/Andy_King_(footballer,_born_1988)#P54#3
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Andy King ( footballer , born 1988 ) Andrew Philip King ( born 29 October 1988 ) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Belgian First Division A club OH Leuven and the Welsh national team . He spent the majority of his career with Leicester City , making 379 appearances across all competitions and scoring 62 goals . He won the League One , Championship and Premier League titles in 2009 , 2014 and 2016 respectively , making him the first and only player to win the top three divisions with the same team in the Premier League era . Born in England , King is a Wales international , qualifying through his grandfather . He made his international debut in 2009 , and has gone on to earn 50 caps . He was part of the team that reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016 . Early life . King was born in Barnstaple , Devon on holiday and was brought up in Maidenhead , Berkshire . He attended Furze Platt Senior School and joined Chelsea when he was nine years old . After being released in 2004 when he was 15 years old , he joined the Leicester City youth academy . Club career . Leicester City . Academy and early career . He was given a squad number for the 2006–07 season . During that season , King scored eight goals in 21 appearances for the Leicester academy side , which saw them win the FA Premier League Group B . King was offered his first professional contract with Leicester on 5 May 2007 . He also went on trial with Conference National team York City in August , and after playing in a pre-season friendly against Sheffield he turned down a possible loan move to the club on the advice of his agent . King made his first team debut in a 0–0 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on 2 October 2007 , before scoring his first senior goal with a 35-yard shot described as a rocket in a 2–1 defeat to Southampton on 1 December . He made 11 league appearances as Leicester were relegated to League One at the end of the 2007–08 season . 2008–09 season . Kings impressive start the following season earned him a new three-year contract on 21 August 2008 . He scored his first goal of the season in a 3–2 League Cup defeat to Fulham on 27 August , scoring from 18 yards . He went on to score nine league goals to help Leicester secure their promotion as League One champions . His performances earned him the clubs young player of the season award on 28 April 2009 . He was also nominated for players player of the season and player of the season awards , but lost out to teammates Matty Fryatt and Steve Howard . King dedicated his award to team captain Stephen Clemence , who missed the entire season through injury . 2009–10 season . During pre-season , King believed the Leicester squad was good enough to challenge for promotion . He scored his first goal of the season in a 1–0 win over Plymouth Argyle at the Walkers Stadium on 21 November 2009 . Following a fine start to the 2009–10 season , King said on 23 November there is a firm belief that the team can win promotion to the Premier League . He drew praise from then-manager Nigel Pearson after scoring his fourth goal of the season in a 2–1 FA Cup win over Swansea City on 2 January 2010 . His overall performance earned him the players player of the year award on 28 April 2010 which he shared with teammate Jack Hobbs . 2010–11 season . King had his best season yet in terms of goalscoring in 2010–11 , as he ended up the clubs top scorer , netting 15 times in the league and 16 times in all competitions from midfield . He earned himself a four-year contract on 15 April 2011 , keeping him at the club until 2015 . Three days later , Kings form that season was acknowledged by his fellow professionals as he was named in the Championships PFA Team of the Year with teammate Kyle Naughton . He then took the clubs players player of the season award for the second season in a row . 2011–12 season . King began the 2011–12 season with a goal drought , scoring just one goal in his first 14 games of the season , but got back on track , netting a brace against West Ham United on 29 October 2011 , the first game following Sven-Göran Erikssons sacking as manager , before adding his fourth of the season at home to Blackpool a month later . However , the latter part of his season was disrupted due to injury . King finished the season scoring 4 times in 32 games across all competitions , Kings lowest goal and appearance tally since becoming a first team regular in the 2008–09 season . 2012–13 season . King regained his form at the beginning of the following season though , scoring a goal in both the opening 2012–13 Championship fixtures against Peterborough United and Charlton Athletic respectively . Kings central midfield partner often changed between Matty James and Danny Drinkwater with former forming a formidable partnership with King in the latter part of the season as Leicester attempted to get their promotion push back on track . King scored his 50th goal for Leicester on the final day of the 2012–13 season away at Nottingham Forest , a game that city won 3–2 , a result that clinched 6th place and the final play-off position . King scored 7 times during the 2012–13 season in 48 games . 2013–14 season . King started the 2013–14 Championship season how he finished the last : Scoring twice in the first 8 games , both fantastic strikes against Birmingham City and Blackpool . The former was voted the Foxes goal of the month for August and the latter a show in for Septembers award . Kings first goal of the season also marked his 250th Leicester appearance . Due to the form of Drinkwater and James , King found opportunities limited to substitute appearances . King scored his 54th goal for the Foxes in their 2–2 draw against Wigan Athletic on 1 April 2014 , making him the clubs highest scoring midfielder in their 130-year history as Leicester made their way to the 2013–14 Football League Championship and promotion to the Premier League . 2014–15 season . King made his Premier League debut , playing the full 90 minutes in the 2–2 , opening day draw with Everton , putting in an impressive display , finishing the match with a 95.6% pass completion record . King signed a new four-year contract with the club on his 26th birthday , 29 October 2014 , keeping him at the club until the summer of 2018 , stating that he would love it if he spent his entire career with the Foxes . On 4 April 2015 , King scored his 50th league goal for Leicester , a late winner in the 2–1 Premier League victory over West Ham United . On 29 April 2015 , King made his 300th appearance for the club in the 1–3 defeat to Chelsea , the club that released him as a teenager . 2015–16 season . King started the new campaign in the Leicester team , playing the full 90 minutes as Leicester topped the Premier League table following a 4–2 win against Sunderland at the King Power Stadium on 8 August 2015 , with new manager Claudio Ranieri singling out him and midfield partner Danny Drinkwater for praise . He won the league title on 2 May 2016 , becoming the first player to win the top three divisions with the same club in the Premier League era ; Roy Bailey , Larry Carberry , John Elsworthy , Jimmy Leadbetter and Ted Phillips having previously achieved the feat with Ipswich Town in the 1950s and 1960s . 2016–17 season . On 29 July 2016 , King signed a new four-year contract . He made his Champions League debut for Leicester on 18 October 2016 , contributing in a 1–0 victory over F.C . Copenhagen at the King Power Stadium . He scored his first goal of the season in a 4–2 home win against Manchester City on 10 October 2016 , his 10th consecutive season of scoring for the Foxes . He scored his second goal of the season against Derby County in the FA Cup , captaining Leicester City to a 3–1 home win . Later years and loans . On 31 January 2018 , King was sent on loan to Premier League club Swansea City until the end of the season . He scored twice for the eventually relegated Swans . Upon his return to Leicester , Kings number 10 shirt was reassigned to James Maddison , with King himself taking number 37 . On 6 January 2019 , King played for the first time of the season for Leicester in the FA Cup defeat against League Two side Newport County . He came on as a substitute for Matty James . King joined Derby County on loan on 31 January 2019 , signing until the end of the season . On 25 February , he suffered an ankle injury away to Nottingham Forest , and was ruled out for the rest of the season . His loan deal was cut short as a result and he returned to Leicester on 28 February . On 15 August 2019 , Rangers announced they had signed King on a season-long loan . The Scottish Premiership club cut the deal short on 5 January after just five games . On 16 January 2020 King joined Huddersfield of the Championship on loan for the remainder of the 2019–20 season . His parent club confirmed on 18 June that he would be released at the end of the season . OH Leuven . On 5 January 2021 , King signed for Belgian First Division A side OH Leuven on a deal until the end of the season . International career . King qualified to play for Wales through a grandfather from Wrexham . He won caps for Wales under-19 and under-21 international , receiving his first call-up on 10 October 2007 . He scored his first goal in a 5–1 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying win over Luxembourg under-21 on 31 March 2009 . He was in the squad that narrowly lost out to England in the play-offs for a spot at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship . On 22 May 2009 , King received his first call-up to the senior Wales squad when he was named in manager John Toshacks squad for a friendly match against Estonia . Despite naming King in the squad , Toshack admitted that he was not yet ready for international football . He made his debut as a last-minute substitute for Ched Evans in a 1–0 victory . Kings first international goal came on 11 August 2010 in a 5–1 friendly victory over Luxembourg at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli . King was a regular in Wales successful UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign . He was given a straight red card in the 47th minute on 13 October 2014 , in a home qualifier against Cyprus , for a foul on Constantinos Makrides . However Wales won 2–1 , the same score at the time of the red card . Manager Chris Coleman blamed the attitude of himself and his staff for aggressively rallying the team prior to Kings red card . On 31 May 2016 , King was included in Wales 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016 . King made his debut in the tournament as a substitute in Wales 3–0 victory against Russia on 20 June , as Wales won Group B . On 2 September 2017 , King came on as a half time substitute to help Wales to a 1–0 victory against Austria in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier . This was his 40th cap , therefore breaking Northern Irishman John ONeills record for most caps while a Leicester player . Honours . Leicester City - Premier League : 2015–16 - Football League Championship : 2013–14 - Football League One : 2008–09 Individual - Leicester City Young Player of the Year : 2008–09 - Leicester City Players Player of the Year : 2009–10 ( joint winner ) , 2010–11 - PFA Team of the Year : 2010–11 Championship External links . - Andy King profile at the Leicester City F.C . website
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[
"Swansea City"
] |
easy
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Which team did Andy King (footballer, born 1988) play for from 2018 to May 2018?
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/wiki/Andy_King_(footballer,_born_1988)#P54#4
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Andy King ( footballer , born 1988 ) Andrew Philip King ( born 29 October 1988 ) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Belgian First Division A club OH Leuven and the Welsh national team . He spent the majority of his career with Leicester City , making 379 appearances across all competitions and scoring 62 goals . He won the League One , Championship and Premier League titles in 2009 , 2014 and 2016 respectively , making him the first and only player to win the top three divisions with the same team in the Premier League era . Born in England , King is a Wales international , qualifying through his grandfather . He made his international debut in 2009 , and has gone on to earn 50 caps . He was part of the team that reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016 . Early life . King was born in Barnstaple , Devon on holiday and was brought up in Maidenhead , Berkshire . He attended Furze Platt Senior School and joined Chelsea when he was nine years old . After being released in 2004 when he was 15 years old , he joined the Leicester City youth academy . Club career . Leicester City . Academy and early career . He was given a squad number for the 2006–07 season . During that season , King scored eight goals in 21 appearances for the Leicester academy side , which saw them win the FA Premier League Group B . King was offered his first professional contract with Leicester on 5 May 2007 . He also went on trial with Conference National team York City in August , and after playing in a pre-season friendly against Sheffield he turned down a possible loan move to the club on the advice of his agent . King made his first team debut in a 0–0 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on 2 October 2007 , before scoring his first senior goal with a 35-yard shot described as a rocket in a 2–1 defeat to Southampton on 1 December . He made 11 league appearances as Leicester were relegated to League One at the end of the 2007–08 season . 2008–09 season . Kings impressive start the following season earned him a new three-year contract on 21 August 2008 . He scored his first goal of the season in a 3–2 League Cup defeat to Fulham on 27 August , scoring from 18 yards . He went on to score nine league goals to help Leicester secure their promotion as League One champions . His performances earned him the clubs young player of the season award on 28 April 2009 . He was also nominated for players player of the season and player of the season awards , but lost out to teammates Matty Fryatt and Steve Howard . King dedicated his award to team captain Stephen Clemence , who missed the entire season through injury . 2009–10 season . During pre-season , King believed the Leicester squad was good enough to challenge for promotion . He scored his first goal of the season in a 1–0 win over Plymouth Argyle at the Walkers Stadium on 21 November 2009 . Following a fine start to the 2009–10 season , King said on 23 November there is a firm belief that the team can win promotion to the Premier League . He drew praise from then-manager Nigel Pearson after scoring his fourth goal of the season in a 2–1 FA Cup win over Swansea City on 2 January 2010 . His overall performance earned him the players player of the year award on 28 April 2010 which he shared with teammate Jack Hobbs . 2010–11 season . King had his best season yet in terms of goalscoring in 2010–11 , as he ended up the clubs top scorer , netting 15 times in the league and 16 times in all competitions from midfield . He earned himself a four-year contract on 15 April 2011 , keeping him at the club until 2015 . Three days later , Kings form that season was acknowledged by his fellow professionals as he was named in the Championships PFA Team of the Year with teammate Kyle Naughton . He then took the clubs players player of the season award for the second season in a row . 2011–12 season . King began the 2011–12 season with a goal drought , scoring just one goal in his first 14 games of the season , but got back on track , netting a brace against West Ham United on 29 October 2011 , the first game following Sven-Göran Erikssons sacking as manager , before adding his fourth of the season at home to Blackpool a month later . However , the latter part of his season was disrupted due to injury . King finished the season scoring 4 times in 32 games across all competitions , Kings lowest goal and appearance tally since becoming a first team regular in the 2008–09 season . 2012–13 season . King regained his form at the beginning of the following season though , scoring a goal in both the opening 2012–13 Championship fixtures against Peterborough United and Charlton Athletic respectively . Kings central midfield partner often changed between Matty James and Danny Drinkwater with former forming a formidable partnership with King in the latter part of the season as Leicester attempted to get their promotion push back on track . King scored his 50th goal for Leicester on the final day of the 2012–13 season away at Nottingham Forest , a game that city won 3–2 , a result that clinched 6th place and the final play-off position . King scored 7 times during the 2012–13 season in 48 games . 2013–14 season . King started the 2013–14 Championship season how he finished the last : Scoring twice in the first 8 games , both fantastic strikes against Birmingham City and Blackpool . The former was voted the Foxes goal of the month for August and the latter a show in for Septembers award . Kings first goal of the season also marked his 250th Leicester appearance . Due to the form of Drinkwater and James , King found opportunities limited to substitute appearances . King scored his 54th goal for the Foxes in their 2–2 draw against Wigan Athletic on 1 April 2014 , making him the clubs highest scoring midfielder in their 130-year history as Leicester made their way to the 2013–14 Football League Championship and promotion to the Premier League . 2014–15 season . King made his Premier League debut , playing the full 90 minutes in the 2–2 , opening day draw with Everton , putting in an impressive display , finishing the match with a 95.6% pass completion record . King signed a new four-year contract with the club on his 26th birthday , 29 October 2014 , keeping him at the club until the summer of 2018 , stating that he would love it if he spent his entire career with the Foxes . On 4 April 2015 , King scored his 50th league goal for Leicester , a late winner in the 2–1 Premier League victory over West Ham United . On 29 April 2015 , King made his 300th appearance for the club in the 1–3 defeat to Chelsea , the club that released him as a teenager . 2015–16 season . King started the new campaign in the Leicester team , playing the full 90 minutes as Leicester topped the Premier League table following a 4–2 win against Sunderland at the King Power Stadium on 8 August 2015 , with new manager Claudio Ranieri singling out him and midfield partner Danny Drinkwater for praise . He won the league title on 2 May 2016 , becoming the first player to win the top three divisions with the same club in the Premier League era ; Roy Bailey , Larry Carberry , John Elsworthy , Jimmy Leadbetter and Ted Phillips having previously achieved the feat with Ipswich Town in the 1950s and 1960s . 2016–17 season . On 29 July 2016 , King signed a new four-year contract . He made his Champions League debut for Leicester on 18 October 2016 , contributing in a 1–0 victory over F.C . Copenhagen at the King Power Stadium . He scored his first goal of the season in a 4–2 home win against Manchester City on 10 October 2016 , his 10th consecutive season of scoring for the Foxes . He scored his second goal of the season against Derby County in the FA Cup , captaining Leicester City to a 3–1 home win . Later years and loans . On 31 January 2018 , King was sent on loan to Premier League club Swansea City until the end of the season . He scored twice for the eventually relegated Swans . Upon his return to Leicester , Kings number 10 shirt was reassigned to James Maddison , with King himself taking number 37 . On 6 January 2019 , King played for the first time of the season for Leicester in the FA Cup defeat against League Two side Newport County . He came on as a substitute for Matty James . King joined Derby County on loan on 31 January 2019 , signing until the end of the season . On 25 February , he suffered an ankle injury away to Nottingham Forest , and was ruled out for the rest of the season . His loan deal was cut short as a result and he returned to Leicester on 28 February . On 15 August 2019 , Rangers announced they had signed King on a season-long loan . The Scottish Premiership club cut the deal short on 5 January after just five games . On 16 January 2020 King joined Huddersfield of the Championship on loan for the remainder of the 2019–20 season . His parent club confirmed on 18 June that he would be released at the end of the season . OH Leuven . On 5 January 2021 , King signed for Belgian First Division A side OH Leuven on a deal until the end of the season . International career . King qualified to play for Wales through a grandfather from Wrexham . He won caps for Wales under-19 and under-21 international , receiving his first call-up on 10 October 2007 . He scored his first goal in a 5–1 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying win over Luxembourg under-21 on 31 March 2009 . He was in the squad that narrowly lost out to England in the play-offs for a spot at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship . On 22 May 2009 , King received his first call-up to the senior Wales squad when he was named in manager John Toshacks squad for a friendly match against Estonia . Despite naming King in the squad , Toshack admitted that he was not yet ready for international football . He made his debut as a last-minute substitute for Ched Evans in a 1–0 victory . Kings first international goal came on 11 August 2010 in a 5–1 friendly victory over Luxembourg at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli . King was a regular in Wales successful UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign . He was given a straight red card in the 47th minute on 13 October 2014 , in a home qualifier against Cyprus , for a foul on Constantinos Makrides . However Wales won 2–1 , the same score at the time of the red card . Manager Chris Coleman blamed the attitude of himself and his staff for aggressively rallying the team prior to Kings red card . On 31 May 2016 , King was included in Wales 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016 . King made his debut in the tournament as a substitute in Wales 3–0 victory against Russia on 20 June , as Wales won Group B . On 2 September 2017 , King came on as a half time substitute to help Wales to a 1–0 victory against Austria in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier . This was his 40th cap , therefore breaking Northern Irishman John ONeills record for most caps while a Leicester player . Honours . Leicester City - Premier League : 2015–16 - Football League Championship : 2013–14 - Football League One : 2008–09 Individual - Leicester City Young Player of the Year : 2008–09 - Leicester City Players Player of the Year : 2009–10 ( joint winner ) , 2010–11 - PFA Team of the Year : 2010–11 Championship External links . - Andy King profile at the Leicester City F.C . website
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[
""
] |
easy
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Which team did Andy King (footballer, born 1988) play for in 2019?
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/wiki/Andy_King_(footballer,_born_1988)#P54#5
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Andy King ( footballer , born 1988 ) Andrew Philip King ( born 29 October 1988 ) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Belgian First Division A club OH Leuven and the Welsh national team . He spent the majority of his career with Leicester City , making 379 appearances across all competitions and scoring 62 goals . He won the League One , Championship and Premier League titles in 2009 , 2014 and 2016 respectively , making him the first and only player to win the top three divisions with the same team in the Premier League era . Born in England , King is a Wales international , qualifying through his grandfather . He made his international debut in 2009 , and has gone on to earn 50 caps . He was part of the team that reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016 . Early life . King was born in Barnstaple , Devon on holiday and was brought up in Maidenhead , Berkshire . He attended Furze Platt Senior School and joined Chelsea when he was nine years old . After being released in 2004 when he was 15 years old , he joined the Leicester City youth academy . Club career . Leicester City . Academy and early career . He was given a squad number for the 2006–07 season . During that season , King scored eight goals in 21 appearances for the Leicester academy side , which saw them win the FA Premier League Group B . King was offered his first professional contract with Leicester on 5 May 2007 . He also went on trial with Conference National team York City in August , and after playing in a pre-season friendly against Sheffield he turned down a possible loan move to the club on the advice of his agent . King made his first team debut in a 0–0 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on 2 October 2007 , before scoring his first senior goal with a 35-yard shot described as a rocket in a 2–1 defeat to Southampton on 1 December . He made 11 league appearances as Leicester were relegated to League One at the end of the 2007–08 season . 2008–09 season . Kings impressive start the following season earned him a new three-year contract on 21 August 2008 . He scored his first goal of the season in a 3–2 League Cup defeat to Fulham on 27 August , scoring from 18 yards . He went on to score nine league goals to help Leicester secure their promotion as League One champions . His performances earned him the clubs young player of the season award on 28 April 2009 . He was also nominated for players player of the season and player of the season awards , but lost out to teammates Matty Fryatt and Steve Howard . King dedicated his award to team captain Stephen Clemence , who missed the entire season through injury . 2009–10 season . During pre-season , King believed the Leicester squad was good enough to challenge for promotion . He scored his first goal of the season in a 1–0 win over Plymouth Argyle at the Walkers Stadium on 21 November 2009 . Following a fine start to the 2009–10 season , King said on 23 November there is a firm belief that the team can win promotion to the Premier League . He drew praise from then-manager Nigel Pearson after scoring his fourth goal of the season in a 2–1 FA Cup win over Swansea City on 2 January 2010 . His overall performance earned him the players player of the year award on 28 April 2010 which he shared with teammate Jack Hobbs . 2010–11 season . King had his best season yet in terms of goalscoring in 2010–11 , as he ended up the clubs top scorer , netting 15 times in the league and 16 times in all competitions from midfield . He earned himself a four-year contract on 15 April 2011 , keeping him at the club until 2015 . Three days later , Kings form that season was acknowledged by his fellow professionals as he was named in the Championships PFA Team of the Year with teammate Kyle Naughton . He then took the clubs players player of the season award for the second season in a row . 2011–12 season . King began the 2011–12 season with a goal drought , scoring just one goal in his first 14 games of the season , but got back on track , netting a brace against West Ham United on 29 October 2011 , the first game following Sven-Göran Erikssons sacking as manager , before adding his fourth of the season at home to Blackpool a month later . However , the latter part of his season was disrupted due to injury . King finished the season scoring 4 times in 32 games across all competitions , Kings lowest goal and appearance tally since becoming a first team regular in the 2008–09 season . 2012–13 season . King regained his form at the beginning of the following season though , scoring a goal in both the opening 2012–13 Championship fixtures against Peterborough United and Charlton Athletic respectively . Kings central midfield partner often changed between Matty James and Danny Drinkwater with former forming a formidable partnership with King in the latter part of the season as Leicester attempted to get their promotion push back on track . King scored his 50th goal for Leicester on the final day of the 2012–13 season away at Nottingham Forest , a game that city won 3–2 , a result that clinched 6th place and the final play-off position . King scored 7 times during the 2012–13 season in 48 games . 2013–14 season . King started the 2013–14 Championship season how he finished the last : Scoring twice in the first 8 games , both fantastic strikes against Birmingham City and Blackpool . The former was voted the Foxes goal of the month for August and the latter a show in for Septembers award . Kings first goal of the season also marked his 250th Leicester appearance . Due to the form of Drinkwater and James , King found opportunities limited to substitute appearances . King scored his 54th goal for the Foxes in their 2–2 draw against Wigan Athletic on 1 April 2014 , making him the clubs highest scoring midfielder in their 130-year history as Leicester made their way to the 2013–14 Football League Championship and promotion to the Premier League . 2014–15 season . King made his Premier League debut , playing the full 90 minutes in the 2–2 , opening day draw with Everton , putting in an impressive display , finishing the match with a 95.6% pass completion record . King signed a new four-year contract with the club on his 26th birthday , 29 October 2014 , keeping him at the club until the summer of 2018 , stating that he would love it if he spent his entire career with the Foxes . On 4 April 2015 , King scored his 50th league goal for Leicester , a late winner in the 2–1 Premier League victory over West Ham United . On 29 April 2015 , King made his 300th appearance for the club in the 1–3 defeat to Chelsea , the club that released him as a teenager . 2015–16 season . King started the new campaign in the Leicester team , playing the full 90 minutes as Leicester topped the Premier League table following a 4–2 win against Sunderland at the King Power Stadium on 8 August 2015 , with new manager Claudio Ranieri singling out him and midfield partner Danny Drinkwater for praise . He won the league title on 2 May 2016 , becoming the first player to win the top three divisions with the same club in the Premier League era ; Roy Bailey , Larry Carberry , John Elsworthy , Jimmy Leadbetter and Ted Phillips having previously achieved the feat with Ipswich Town in the 1950s and 1960s . 2016–17 season . On 29 July 2016 , King signed a new four-year contract . He made his Champions League debut for Leicester on 18 October 2016 , contributing in a 1–0 victory over F.C . Copenhagen at the King Power Stadium . He scored his first goal of the season in a 4–2 home win against Manchester City on 10 October 2016 , his 10th consecutive season of scoring for the Foxes . He scored his second goal of the season against Derby County in the FA Cup , captaining Leicester City to a 3–1 home win . Later years and loans . On 31 January 2018 , King was sent on loan to Premier League club Swansea City until the end of the season . He scored twice for the eventually relegated Swans . Upon his return to Leicester , Kings number 10 shirt was reassigned to James Maddison , with King himself taking number 37 . On 6 January 2019 , King played for the first time of the season for Leicester in the FA Cup defeat against League Two side Newport County . He came on as a substitute for Matty James . King joined Derby County on loan on 31 January 2019 , signing until the end of the season . On 25 February , he suffered an ankle injury away to Nottingham Forest , and was ruled out for the rest of the season . His loan deal was cut short as a result and he returned to Leicester on 28 February . On 15 August 2019 , Rangers announced they had signed King on a season-long loan . The Scottish Premiership club cut the deal short on 5 January after just five games . On 16 January 2020 King joined Huddersfield of the Championship on loan for the remainder of the 2019–20 season . His parent club confirmed on 18 June that he would be released at the end of the season . OH Leuven . On 5 January 2021 , King signed for Belgian First Division A side OH Leuven on a deal until the end of the season . International career . King qualified to play for Wales through a grandfather from Wrexham . He won caps for Wales under-19 and under-21 international , receiving his first call-up on 10 October 2007 . He scored his first goal in a 5–1 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying win over Luxembourg under-21 on 31 March 2009 . He was in the squad that narrowly lost out to England in the play-offs for a spot at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship . On 22 May 2009 , King received his first call-up to the senior Wales squad when he was named in manager John Toshacks squad for a friendly match against Estonia . Despite naming King in the squad , Toshack admitted that he was not yet ready for international football . He made his debut as a last-minute substitute for Ched Evans in a 1–0 victory . Kings first international goal came on 11 August 2010 in a 5–1 friendly victory over Luxembourg at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli . King was a regular in Wales successful UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign . He was given a straight red card in the 47th minute on 13 October 2014 , in a home qualifier against Cyprus , for a foul on Constantinos Makrides . However Wales won 2–1 , the same score at the time of the red card . Manager Chris Coleman blamed the attitude of himself and his staff for aggressively rallying the team prior to Kings red card . On 31 May 2016 , King was included in Wales 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016 . King made his debut in the tournament as a substitute in Wales 3–0 victory against Russia on 20 June , as Wales won Group B . On 2 September 2017 , King came on as a half time substitute to help Wales to a 1–0 victory against Austria in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier . This was his 40th cap , therefore breaking Northern Irishman John ONeills record for most caps while a Leicester player . Honours . Leicester City - Premier League : 2015–16 - Football League Championship : 2013–14 - Football League One : 2008–09 Individual - Leicester City Young Player of the Year : 2008–09 - Leicester City Players Player of the Year : 2009–10 ( joint winner ) , 2010–11 - PFA Team of the Year : 2010–11 Championship External links . - Andy King profile at the Leicester City F.C . website
|
[
"Derby County",
"Leicester"
] |
easy
|
Which team did the player Andy King (footballer, born 1988) belong to from 2019 to Jun 2019?
|
/wiki/Andy_King_(footballer,_born_1988)#P54#6
|
Andy King ( footballer , born 1988 ) Andrew Philip King ( born 29 October 1988 ) is a professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for Belgian First Division A club OH Leuven and the Welsh national team . He spent the majority of his career with Leicester City , making 379 appearances across all competitions and scoring 62 goals . He won the League One , Championship and Premier League titles in 2009 , 2014 and 2016 respectively , making him the first and only player to win the top three divisions with the same team in the Premier League era . Born in England , King is a Wales international , qualifying through his grandfather . He made his international debut in 2009 , and has gone on to earn 50 caps . He was part of the team that reached the semi-finals of UEFA Euro 2016 . Early life . King was born in Barnstaple , Devon on holiday and was brought up in Maidenhead , Berkshire . He attended Furze Platt Senior School and joined Chelsea when he was nine years old . After being released in 2004 when he was 15 years old , he joined the Leicester City youth academy . Club career . Leicester City . Academy and early career . He was given a squad number for the 2006–07 season . During that season , King scored eight goals in 21 appearances for the Leicester academy side , which saw them win the FA Premier League Group B . King was offered his first professional contract with Leicester on 5 May 2007 . He also went on trial with Conference National team York City in August , and after playing in a pre-season friendly against Sheffield he turned down a possible loan move to the club on the advice of his agent . King made his first team debut in a 0–0 draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers on 2 October 2007 , before scoring his first senior goal with a 35-yard shot described as a rocket in a 2–1 defeat to Southampton on 1 December . He made 11 league appearances as Leicester were relegated to League One at the end of the 2007–08 season . 2008–09 season . Kings impressive start the following season earned him a new three-year contract on 21 August 2008 . He scored his first goal of the season in a 3–2 League Cup defeat to Fulham on 27 August , scoring from 18 yards . He went on to score nine league goals to help Leicester secure their promotion as League One champions . His performances earned him the clubs young player of the season award on 28 April 2009 . He was also nominated for players player of the season and player of the season awards , but lost out to teammates Matty Fryatt and Steve Howard . King dedicated his award to team captain Stephen Clemence , who missed the entire season through injury . 2009–10 season . During pre-season , King believed the Leicester squad was good enough to challenge for promotion . He scored his first goal of the season in a 1–0 win over Plymouth Argyle at the Walkers Stadium on 21 November 2009 . Following a fine start to the 2009–10 season , King said on 23 November there is a firm belief that the team can win promotion to the Premier League . He drew praise from then-manager Nigel Pearson after scoring his fourth goal of the season in a 2–1 FA Cup win over Swansea City on 2 January 2010 . His overall performance earned him the players player of the year award on 28 April 2010 which he shared with teammate Jack Hobbs . 2010–11 season . King had his best season yet in terms of goalscoring in 2010–11 , as he ended up the clubs top scorer , netting 15 times in the league and 16 times in all competitions from midfield . He earned himself a four-year contract on 15 April 2011 , keeping him at the club until 2015 . Three days later , Kings form that season was acknowledged by his fellow professionals as he was named in the Championships PFA Team of the Year with teammate Kyle Naughton . He then took the clubs players player of the season award for the second season in a row . 2011–12 season . King began the 2011–12 season with a goal drought , scoring just one goal in his first 14 games of the season , but got back on track , netting a brace against West Ham United on 29 October 2011 , the first game following Sven-Göran Erikssons sacking as manager , before adding his fourth of the season at home to Blackpool a month later . However , the latter part of his season was disrupted due to injury . King finished the season scoring 4 times in 32 games across all competitions , Kings lowest goal and appearance tally since becoming a first team regular in the 2008–09 season . 2012–13 season . King regained his form at the beginning of the following season though , scoring a goal in both the opening 2012–13 Championship fixtures against Peterborough United and Charlton Athletic respectively . Kings central midfield partner often changed between Matty James and Danny Drinkwater with former forming a formidable partnership with King in the latter part of the season as Leicester attempted to get their promotion push back on track . King scored his 50th goal for Leicester on the final day of the 2012–13 season away at Nottingham Forest , a game that city won 3–2 , a result that clinched 6th place and the final play-off position . King scored 7 times during the 2012–13 season in 48 games . 2013–14 season . King started the 2013–14 Championship season how he finished the last : Scoring twice in the first 8 games , both fantastic strikes against Birmingham City and Blackpool . The former was voted the Foxes goal of the month for August and the latter a show in for Septembers award . Kings first goal of the season also marked his 250th Leicester appearance . Due to the form of Drinkwater and James , King found opportunities limited to substitute appearances . King scored his 54th goal for the Foxes in their 2–2 draw against Wigan Athletic on 1 April 2014 , making him the clubs highest scoring midfielder in their 130-year history as Leicester made their way to the 2013–14 Football League Championship and promotion to the Premier League . 2014–15 season . King made his Premier League debut , playing the full 90 minutes in the 2–2 , opening day draw with Everton , putting in an impressive display , finishing the match with a 95.6% pass completion record . King signed a new four-year contract with the club on his 26th birthday , 29 October 2014 , keeping him at the club until the summer of 2018 , stating that he would love it if he spent his entire career with the Foxes . On 4 April 2015 , King scored his 50th league goal for Leicester , a late winner in the 2–1 Premier League victory over West Ham United . On 29 April 2015 , King made his 300th appearance for the club in the 1–3 defeat to Chelsea , the club that released him as a teenager . 2015–16 season . King started the new campaign in the Leicester team , playing the full 90 minutes as Leicester topped the Premier League table following a 4–2 win against Sunderland at the King Power Stadium on 8 August 2015 , with new manager Claudio Ranieri singling out him and midfield partner Danny Drinkwater for praise . He won the league title on 2 May 2016 , becoming the first player to win the top three divisions with the same club in the Premier League era ; Roy Bailey , Larry Carberry , John Elsworthy , Jimmy Leadbetter and Ted Phillips having previously achieved the feat with Ipswich Town in the 1950s and 1960s . 2016–17 season . On 29 July 2016 , King signed a new four-year contract . He made his Champions League debut for Leicester on 18 October 2016 , contributing in a 1–0 victory over F.C . Copenhagen at the King Power Stadium . He scored his first goal of the season in a 4–2 home win against Manchester City on 10 October 2016 , his 10th consecutive season of scoring for the Foxes . He scored his second goal of the season against Derby County in the FA Cup , captaining Leicester City to a 3–1 home win . Later years and loans . On 31 January 2018 , King was sent on loan to Premier League club Swansea City until the end of the season . He scored twice for the eventually relegated Swans . Upon his return to Leicester , Kings number 10 shirt was reassigned to James Maddison , with King himself taking number 37 . On 6 January 2019 , King played for the first time of the season for Leicester in the FA Cup defeat against League Two side Newport County . He came on as a substitute for Matty James . King joined Derby County on loan on 31 January 2019 , signing until the end of the season . On 25 February , he suffered an ankle injury away to Nottingham Forest , and was ruled out for the rest of the season . His loan deal was cut short as a result and he returned to Leicester on 28 February . On 15 August 2019 , Rangers announced they had signed King on a season-long loan . The Scottish Premiership club cut the deal short on 5 January after just five games . On 16 January 2020 King joined Huddersfield of the Championship on loan for the remainder of the 2019–20 season . His parent club confirmed on 18 June that he would be released at the end of the season . OH Leuven . On 5 January 2021 , King signed for Belgian First Division A side OH Leuven on a deal until the end of the season . International career . King qualified to play for Wales through a grandfather from Wrexham . He won caps for Wales under-19 and under-21 international , receiving his first call-up on 10 October 2007 . He scored his first goal in a 5–1 UEFA European Under-21 Championship qualifying win over Luxembourg under-21 on 31 March 2009 . He was in the squad that narrowly lost out to England in the play-offs for a spot at the 2009 UEFA European Under-21 Championship . On 22 May 2009 , King received his first call-up to the senior Wales squad when he was named in manager John Toshacks squad for a friendly match against Estonia . Despite naming King in the squad , Toshack admitted that he was not yet ready for international football . He made his debut as a last-minute substitute for Ched Evans in a 1–0 victory . Kings first international goal came on 11 August 2010 in a 5–1 friendly victory over Luxembourg at Parc y Scarlets in Llanelli . King was a regular in Wales successful UEFA Euro 2016 qualifying campaign . He was given a straight red card in the 47th minute on 13 October 2014 , in a home qualifier against Cyprus , for a foul on Constantinos Makrides . However Wales won 2–1 , the same score at the time of the red card . Manager Chris Coleman blamed the attitude of himself and his staff for aggressively rallying the team prior to Kings red card . On 31 May 2016 , King was included in Wales 23-man squad for UEFA Euro 2016 . King made his debut in the tournament as a substitute in Wales 3–0 victory against Russia on 20 June , as Wales won Group B . On 2 September 2017 , King came on as a half time substitute to help Wales to a 1–0 victory against Austria in a 2018 FIFA World Cup qualifier . This was his 40th cap , therefore breaking Northern Irishman John ONeills record for most caps while a Leicester player . Honours . Leicester City - Premier League : 2015–16 - Football League Championship : 2013–14 - Football League One : 2008–09 Individual - Leicester City Young Player of the Year : 2008–09 - Leicester City Players Player of the Year : 2009–10 ( joint winner ) , 2010–11 - PFA Team of the Year : 2010–11 Championship External links . - Andy King profile at the Leicester City F.C . website
|
[
"St . Michaels High School"
] |
easy
|
Which school did Michelle Lujan Grisham go to from 1973 to 1977?
|
/wiki/Michelle_Lujan_Grisham#P69#0
|
Michelle Lujan Grisham Michelle Lynn Lujan Grisham ( ; born October 24 , 1959 ) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 32nd governor of New Mexico since 2019 . A member of the Democratic Party , Lujan Grisham previously served as the U.S . Representative for New Mexicos 1st congressional district from 2013 to 2019 . On November 6 , 2018 , she became the first Democratic woman elected governor of New Mexico , as well as the first Democratic Hispanic woman elected state governor in U.S . history . Lujan Grisham served as Secretary of Health of New Mexico from 2004 to 2007 and as Bernalillo County Commissioner from 2010 to 2012 . She was elected to the U.S . House of Representatives in 2012 , defeating Janice Arnold-Jones . In 2016 , Lujan Grisham was selected as the Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus . She won the Democratic nomination for governor of New Mexico in 2018 and defeated Republican Steve Pearce on November 6 , 2018 . Early life and education . Michelle Lujan was born in Los Alamos , New Mexico , and grew up in Santa Fe . Her father , Llewellyn Buddy Lujan , practiced dentistry into his 80s until he died in March 2011 . Her mother , Sonja , was a homemaker . Michelles sister Kimberly was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of two and died at 21 . Lujan Grisham says that her ancestors have inhabited New Mexico for 12 generations . She is part of the prominent Lujan political family in New Mexico , many of whose members have served in elected and appointed positions in government . Lujan graduated from St . Michaels High School . She received a Bachelor of Arts in university studies from the University of New Mexico in 1981 , where she was a work study student in the engineering department and a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority . In 1982 , she married Gregory Alan Grisham . She also worked as a technical writing intern for the Westinghouse Electric Corporation . In 1987 , Lujan Grisham earned a Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law . Early political career . Lujan Grisham served as director of the New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department under Bruce King , Gary Johnson , and Bill Richardson . During Richardsons tenure , the position was elevated to the state cabinet level . In 2004 , he named Lujan Grisham as New Mexico Secretary of Health and she served in the position until 2007 . Lujan Grisham was later elected to the Bernalillo County Commission , serving from 2010 to 2012 . U.S . House of Representatives . Elections . - 2008 Lujan Grisham resigned as Secretary of Health in order to run for the United States House of Representatives in the 2008 elections , losing in the Democratic primary to Martin Heinrich , who won with 44% of the vote . New Mexico Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron ranked second with 25% and Michelle Lujan-Grisham ranked third with 24% . - 2012 Lujan Grisham sought the Democratic nomination for the House again in 2012 after Heinrich decided to run for the United States Senate . She won the nomination , defeating Marty Chavez and Eric Griego . She defeated Janice Arnold-Jones , a former member of the New Mexico House of Representatives , in the November general election , 59%–41% . - 2014 Lujan Grisham defeated Republican Mike Frese in the 2014 elections , 59% to 41% . - 2016 In 2016 , Lujan Grisham defeated Republican Richard Priem , receiving 179,380 votes ( 65.1% ) to Priems 96,061 ( 34.9% ) . Tenure . Lujan Grisham was sworn in as a member of Congress on January 3 , 2013 . In 2016 , she was one of nine members of Congress who took a trip to Baku that was later found to have been secretly funded by the government of Azerbaijan ; she had to turn over gifts the country gave her to the House Clerk after an ethics investigation . Both the Office of Congressional Ethics and House Ethics Committee found lawmakers and aides had no way of knowing the trip was being funded improperly . Also in 2016 , Lujan Grisham was selected as the Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus . Lujan Grisham resigned her House seat as of December 31 , 2018 to assume the governorship of New Mexico the following day . Committee assignments . - Committee on Agriculture - United States House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition - United States House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology , Horticulture , and Research ( Ranking Member ) - Committee on the Budget Caucuses . - Congressional Hispanic Caucus ( Chair ) - Congressional Native American Caucus - Congressional Caucus for Womens Issues Governor of New Mexico . Election . On December 13 , 2016 , one week after Tom Udall announced he would not run for governor of New Mexico , Lujan Grisham became the first person to announce her candidacy to succeed Susana Martinez , who was prohibited from running because of term limits . On June 5 , 2018 , she won the Democratic primary to become the partys nominee . On November 6 , she was elected governor , defeating the Republican nominee , U.S . Representative Steve Pearce , with 56.9% of the vote . Tenure . Lujan Grisham was sworn in on January 1 , 2019 . In September 2019 , she announced a plan to make public universities in New Mexico tuition-free to state residents . On September 5 , 2020 , Lujan Grisham was named a co-chair of the Biden-Harris Transition Team , which is planning Joe Bidens presidential transition . In November , Lujan Grisham was named a candidate for United States Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden Administration . On December 3 , 2020 , she was elected chair of the Democratic Governors Association for 2021 , having served as vice chair in 2020 . Political positions . Abortion . In 1969 , the New Mexico Legislature passed a law that made it a felony for someone to provide a woman with an abortion unless it was needed to save a womans life , or because her pregnancy was a result of rape or incest . The U.S . Supreme Courts decision in 1973s Roe v . Wade barred states from regulating abortion in the first trimester ; consequently , New Mexicos 1969 abortion law became unenforceable . In her 2019 State of the State address , Lujan Grisham stated her support for a repeal of the 1969 law ; she said , The old criminal abortion law of this state , only one of nine left in the entire country , must go . Bring me that bill and I will sign it . Lujan Grisham published an op-ed in support of repeal on March 3 , 2019 . Repeal legislation passed the New Mexico House of Representatives ; however , that legislation was defeated in the Democratic-led State Senate on March 14 , 2019 by a vote of 24–18 . Following the Senate vote , Lujan Grisham said , This old , outdated statute criminalizing health care providers is an embarrassment . That removing it was even a debate , much less a difficult vote for some senators , is inexplicable to me . Environment . On January 29 , 2019 , Lujan Grisham signed an executive order calling for New Mexico to join the United States Climate Alliance and to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 45% below 2005 levels by 2030 . This executive order also called for the state to develop comprehensive regulations to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector , and for state agencies to work with the legislature to increase the states renewable portfolio standard . In March 2019 , Lujan Grisham signed New Mexicos Energy Transition Act . The legislation transitions the states electricity sector away from coal and natural gas and toward a renewable economy , requiring New Mexicos electricity to be 50% renewable by 2030 and 100% from zero-carbon sources by 2045 . She called the legislation a promise to future generations of New Mexicans . Marijuana legalization . In 2019 , after recreational marijuana legalization passed the New Mexico House but not the Senate , Lujan Grisham announced that she would add the issue to the legislative agenda for the upcoming year . She also announced the formation of a working group to determine the best path forward for legalization during the 2020 session . In 2021 , after the legislature failed to legalize cannabis during the regular session , Lujan Grisham called a special session so that lawmakers could pass a legalization bill . She signed the bill into law on April 12 , 2021 . Guns . Lujan Grisham was a co-sponsor of the 2015 Assault Weapon Ban H . R . 4269 Bill that was introduced on December 12 , 2015 . Minimum wage . In 2015 , Lujan Grisham co-sponsored legislation that would raise the minimum wage to $12/hour . Israel . Lujan Grisham is a strong supporter of Israel . She condemned the United Nations Security Councils criticism of Israels settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories . Personal life . Lujan Grishams husband , Gregory , died of a brain aneurysm in 2004 . The couple had two daughters . Lujan Grisham filed a wrongful death suit against her husbands physician , but the lawsuit was dropped . Legal issues . From November 2020 to March 2021 Lujan Grishams gubernatorial campaign made five monthly payments of $12,500 each ( totaling $62,500 ) to settle a sexual harassment complaint made by her former campaign spokesperson , James Hallinan . Hallinan accused Lujan Grisham of pouring a bottle of water on his crotch and then grabbing his crotch through his clothes while she laughed . The incident allegedly occurred in the presence of other campaign staffers . The campaign denied the accusations .
|
[
"University of New Mexico"
] |
easy
|
Michelle Lujan Grisham went to which school from 1977 to 1981?
|
/wiki/Michelle_Lujan_Grisham#P69#1
|
Michelle Lujan Grisham Michelle Lynn Lujan Grisham ( ; born October 24 , 1959 ) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 32nd governor of New Mexico since 2019 . A member of the Democratic Party , Lujan Grisham previously served as the U.S . Representative for New Mexicos 1st congressional district from 2013 to 2019 . On November 6 , 2018 , she became the first Democratic woman elected governor of New Mexico , as well as the first Democratic Hispanic woman elected state governor in U.S . history . Lujan Grisham served as Secretary of Health of New Mexico from 2004 to 2007 and as Bernalillo County Commissioner from 2010 to 2012 . She was elected to the U.S . House of Representatives in 2012 , defeating Janice Arnold-Jones . In 2016 , Lujan Grisham was selected as the Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus . She won the Democratic nomination for governor of New Mexico in 2018 and defeated Republican Steve Pearce on November 6 , 2018 . Early life and education . Michelle Lujan was born in Los Alamos , New Mexico , and grew up in Santa Fe . Her father , Llewellyn Buddy Lujan , practiced dentistry into his 80s until he died in March 2011 . Her mother , Sonja , was a homemaker . Michelles sister Kimberly was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of two and died at 21 . Lujan Grisham says that her ancestors have inhabited New Mexico for 12 generations . She is part of the prominent Lujan political family in New Mexico , many of whose members have served in elected and appointed positions in government . Lujan graduated from St . Michaels High School . She received a Bachelor of Arts in university studies from the University of New Mexico in 1981 , where she was a work study student in the engineering department and a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority . In 1982 , she married Gregory Alan Grisham . She also worked as a technical writing intern for the Westinghouse Electric Corporation . In 1987 , Lujan Grisham earned a Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law . Early political career . Lujan Grisham served as director of the New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department under Bruce King , Gary Johnson , and Bill Richardson . During Richardsons tenure , the position was elevated to the state cabinet level . In 2004 , he named Lujan Grisham as New Mexico Secretary of Health and she served in the position until 2007 . Lujan Grisham was later elected to the Bernalillo County Commission , serving from 2010 to 2012 . U.S . House of Representatives . Elections . - 2008 Lujan Grisham resigned as Secretary of Health in order to run for the United States House of Representatives in the 2008 elections , losing in the Democratic primary to Martin Heinrich , who won with 44% of the vote . New Mexico Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron ranked second with 25% and Michelle Lujan-Grisham ranked third with 24% . - 2012 Lujan Grisham sought the Democratic nomination for the House again in 2012 after Heinrich decided to run for the United States Senate . She won the nomination , defeating Marty Chavez and Eric Griego . She defeated Janice Arnold-Jones , a former member of the New Mexico House of Representatives , in the November general election , 59%–41% . - 2014 Lujan Grisham defeated Republican Mike Frese in the 2014 elections , 59% to 41% . - 2016 In 2016 , Lujan Grisham defeated Republican Richard Priem , receiving 179,380 votes ( 65.1% ) to Priems 96,061 ( 34.9% ) . Tenure . Lujan Grisham was sworn in as a member of Congress on January 3 , 2013 . In 2016 , she was one of nine members of Congress who took a trip to Baku that was later found to have been secretly funded by the government of Azerbaijan ; she had to turn over gifts the country gave her to the House Clerk after an ethics investigation . Both the Office of Congressional Ethics and House Ethics Committee found lawmakers and aides had no way of knowing the trip was being funded improperly . Also in 2016 , Lujan Grisham was selected as the Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus . Lujan Grisham resigned her House seat as of December 31 , 2018 to assume the governorship of New Mexico the following day . Committee assignments . - Committee on Agriculture - United States House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition - United States House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology , Horticulture , and Research ( Ranking Member ) - Committee on the Budget Caucuses . - Congressional Hispanic Caucus ( Chair ) - Congressional Native American Caucus - Congressional Caucus for Womens Issues Governor of New Mexico . Election . On December 13 , 2016 , one week after Tom Udall announced he would not run for governor of New Mexico , Lujan Grisham became the first person to announce her candidacy to succeed Susana Martinez , who was prohibited from running because of term limits . On June 5 , 2018 , she won the Democratic primary to become the partys nominee . On November 6 , she was elected governor , defeating the Republican nominee , U.S . Representative Steve Pearce , with 56.9% of the vote . Tenure . Lujan Grisham was sworn in on January 1 , 2019 . In September 2019 , she announced a plan to make public universities in New Mexico tuition-free to state residents . On September 5 , 2020 , Lujan Grisham was named a co-chair of the Biden-Harris Transition Team , which is planning Joe Bidens presidential transition . In November , Lujan Grisham was named a candidate for United States Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden Administration . On December 3 , 2020 , she was elected chair of the Democratic Governors Association for 2021 , having served as vice chair in 2020 . Political positions . Abortion . In 1969 , the New Mexico Legislature passed a law that made it a felony for someone to provide a woman with an abortion unless it was needed to save a womans life , or because her pregnancy was a result of rape or incest . The U.S . Supreme Courts decision in 1973s Roe v . Wade barred states from regulating abortion in the first trimester ; consequently , New Mexicos 1969 abortion law became unenforceable . In her 2019 State of the State address , Lujan Grisham stated her support for a repeal of the 1969 law ; she said , The old criminal abortion law of this state , only one of nine left in the entire country , must go . Bring me that bill and I will sign it . Lujan Grisham published an op-ed in support of repeal on March 3 , 2019 . Repeal legislation passed the New Mexico House of Representatives ; however , that legislation was defeated in the Democratic-led State Senate on March 14 , 2019 by a vote of 24–18 . Following the Senate vote , Lujan Grisham said , This old , outdated statute criminalizing health care providers is an embarrassment . That removing it was even a debate , much less a difficult vote for some senators , is inexplicable to me . Environment . On January 29 , 2019 , Lujan Grisham signed an executive order calling for New Mexico to join the United States Climate Alliance and to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 45% below 2005 levels by 2030 . This executive order also called for the state to develop comprehensive regulations to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector , and for state agencies to work with the legislature to increase the states renewable portfolio standard . In March 2019 , Lujan Grisham signed New Mexicos Energy Transition Act . The legislation transitions the states electricity sector away from coal and natural gas and toward a renewable economy , requiring New Mexicos electricity to be 50% renewable by 2030 and 100% from zero-carbon sources by 2045 . She called the legislation a promise to future generations of New Mexicans . Marijuana legalization . In 2019 , after recreational marijuana legalization passed the New Mexico House but not the Senate , Lujan Grisham announced that she would add the issue to the legislative agenda for the upcoming year . She also announced the formation of a working group to determine the best path forward for legalization during the 2020 session . In 2021 , after the legislature failed to legalize cannabis during the regular session , Lujan Grisham called a special session so that lawmakers could pass a legalization bill . She signed the bill into law on April 12 , 2021 . Guns . Lujan Grisham was a co-sponsor of the 2015 Assault Weapon Ban H . R . 4269 Bill that was introduced on December 12 , 2015 . Minimum wage . In 2015 , Lujan Grisham co-sponsored legislation that would raise the minimum wage to $12/hour . Israel . Lujan Grisham is a strong supporter of Israel . She condemned the United Nations Security Councils criticism of Israels settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories . Personal life . Lujan Grishams husband , Gregory , died of a brain aneurysm in 2004 . The couple had two daughters . Lujan Grisham filed a wrongful death suit against her husbands physician , but the lawsuit was dropped . Legal issues . From November 2020 to March 2021 Lujan Grishams gubernatorial campaign made five monthly payments of $12,500 each ( totaling $62,500 ) to settle a sexual harassment complaint made by her former campaign spokesperson , James Hallinan . Hallinan accused Lujan Grisham of pouring a bottle of water on his crotch and then grabbing his crotch through his clothes while she laughed . The incident allegedly occurred in the presence of other campaign staffers . The campaign denied the accusations .
|
[
"University of New Mexico School of Law"
] |
easy
|
Which school did Michelle Lujan Grisham go to from 1983 to 1987?
|
/wiki/Michelle_Lujan_Grisham#P69#2
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Michelle Lujan Grisham Michelle Lynn Lujan Grisham ( ; born October 24 , 1959 ) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 32nd governor of New Mexico since 2019 . A member of the Democratic Party , Lujan Grisham previously served as the U.S . Representative for New Mexicos 1st congressional district from 2013 to 2019 . On November 6 , 2018 , she became the first Democratic woman elected governor of New Mexico , as well as the first Democratic Hispanic woman elected state governor in U.S . history . Lujan Grisham served as Secretary of Health of New Mexico from 2004 to 2007 and as Bernalillo County Commissioner from 2010 to 2012 . She was elected to the U.S . House of Representatives in 2012 , defeating Janice Arnold-Jones . In 2016 , Lujan Grisham was selected as the Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus . She won the Democratic nomination for governor of New Mexico in 2018 and defeated Republican Steve Pearce on November 6 , 2018 . Early life and education . Michelle Lujan was born in Los Alamos , New Mexico , and grew up in Santa Fe . Her father , Llewellyn Buddy Lujan , practiced dentistry into his 80s until he died in March 2011 . Her mother , Sonja , was a homemaker . Michelles sister Kimberly was diagnosed with a brain tumor at the age of two and died at 21 . Lujan Grisham says that her ancestors have inhabited New Mexico for 12 generations . She is part of the prominent Lujan political family in New Mexico , many of whose members have served in elected and appointed positions in government . Lujan graduated from St . Michaels High School . She received a Bachelor of Arts in university studies from the University of New Mexico in 1981 , where she was a work study student in the engineering department and a member of the Delta Delta Delta sorority . In 1982 , she married Gregory Alan Grisham . She also worked as a technical writing intern for the Westinghouse Electric Corporation . In 1987 , Lujan Grisham earned a Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law . Early political career . Lujan Grisham served as director of the New Mexico Aging and Long-Term Services Department under Bruce King , Gary Johnson , and Bill Richardson . During Richardsons tenure , the position was elevated to the state cabinet level . In 2004 , he named Lujan Grisham as New Mexico Secretary of Health and she served in the position until 2007 . Lujan Grisham was later elected to the Bernalillo County Commission , serving from 2010 to 2012 . U.S . House of Representatives . Elections . - 2008 Lujan Grisham resigned as Secretary of Health in order to run for the United States House of Representatives in the 2008 elections , losing in the Democratic primary to Martin Heinrich , who won with 44% of the vote . New Mexico Secretary of State Rebecca Vigil-Giron ranked second with 25% and Michelle Lujan-Grisham ranked third with 24% . - 2012 Lujan Grisham sought the Democratic nomination for the House again in 2012 after Heinrich decided to run for the United States Senate . She won the nomination , defeating Marty Chavez and Eric Griego . She defeated Janice Arnold-Jones , a former member of the New Mexico House of Representatives , in the November general election , 59%–41% . - 2014 Lujan Grisham defeated Republican Mike Frese in the 2014 elections , 59% to 41% . - 2016 In 2016 , Lujan Grisham defeated Republican Richard Priem , receiving 179,380 votes ( 65.1% ) to Priems 96,061 ( 34.9% ) . Tenure . Lujan Grisham was sworn in as a member of Congress on January 3 , 2013 . In 2016 , she was one of nine members of Congress who took a trip to Baku that was later found to have been secretly funded by the government of Azerbaijan ; she had to turn over gifts the country gave her to the House Clerk after an ethics investigation . Both the Office of Congressional Ethics and House Ethics Committee found lawmakers and aides had no way of knowing the trip was being funded improperly . Also in 2016 , Lujan Grisham was selected as the Chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus . Lujan Grisham resigned her House seat as of December 31 , 2018 to assume the governorship of New Mexico the following day . Committee assignments . - Committee on Agriculture - United States House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition - United States House Agriculture Subcommittee on Biotechnology , Horticulture , and Research ( Ranking Member ) - Committee on the Budget Caucuses . - Congressional Hispanic Caucus ( Chair ) - Congressional Native American Caucus - Congressional Caucus for Womens Issues Governor of New Mexico . Election . On December 13 , 2016 , one week after Tom Udall announced he would not run for governor of New Mexico , Lujan Grisham became the first person to announce her candidacy to succeed Susana Martinez , who was prohibited from running because of term limits . On June 5 , 2018 , she won the Democratic primary to become the partys nominee . On November 6 , she was elected governor , defeating the Republican nominee , U.S . Representative Steve Pearce , with 56.9% of the vote . Tenure . Lujan Grisham was sworn in on January 1 , 2019 . In September 2019 , she announced a plan to make public universities in New Mexico tuition-free to state residents . On September 5 , 2020 , Lujan Grisham was named a co-chair of the Biden-Harris Transition Team , which is planning Joe Bidens presidential transition . In November , Lujan Grisham was named a candidate for United States Secretary of Health and Human Services in the Biden Administration . On December 3 , 2020 , she was elected chair of the Democratic Governors Association for 2021 , having served as vice chair in 2020 . Political positions . Abortion . In 1969 , the New Mexico Legislature passed a law that made it a felony for someone to provide a woman with an abortion unless it was needed to save a womans life , or because her pregnancy was a result of rape or incest . The U.S . Supreme Courts decision in 1973s Roe v . Wade barred states from regulating abortion in the first trimester ; consequently , New Mexicos 1969 abortion law became unenforceable . In her 2019 State of the State address , Lujan Grisham stated her support for a repeal of the 1969 law ; she said , The old criminal abortion law of this state , only one of nine left in the entire country , must go . Bring me that bill and I will sign it . Lujan Grisham published an op-ed in support of repeal on March 3 , 2019 . Repeal legislation passed the New Mexico House of Representatives ; however , that legislation was defeated in the Democratic-led State Senate on March 14 , 2019 by a vote of 24–18 . Following the Senate vote , Lujan Grisham said , This old , outdated statute criminalizing health care providers is an embarrassment . That removing it was even a debate , much less a difficult vote for some senators , is inexplicable to me . Environment . On January 29 , 2019 , Lujan Grisham signed an executive order calling for New Mexico to join the United States Climate Alliance and to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 45% below 2005 levels by 2030 . This executive order also called for the state to develop comprehensive regulations to reduce methane emissions from the oil and gas sector , and for state agencies to work with the legislature to increase the states renewable portfolio standard . In March 2019 , Lujan Grisham signed New Mexicos Energy Transition Act . The legislation transitions the states electricity sector away from coal and natural gas and toward a renewable economy , requiring New Mexicos electricity to be 50% renewable by 2030 and 100% from zero-carbon sources by 2045 . She called the legislation a promise to future generations of New Mexicans . Marijuana legalization . In 2019 , after recreational marijuana legalization passed the New Mexico House but not the Senate , Lujan Grisham announced that she would add the issue to the legislative agenda for the upcoming year . She also announced the formation of a working group to determine the best path forward for legalization during the 2020 session . In 2021 , after the legislature failed to legalize cannabis during the regular session , Lujan Grisham called a special session so that lawmakers could pass a legalization bill . She signed the bill into law on April 12 , 2021 . Guns . Lujan Grisham was a co-sponsor of the 2015 Assault Weapon Ban H . R . 4269 Bill that was introduced on December 12 , 2015 . Minimum wage . In 2015 , Lujan Grisham co-sponsored legislation that would raise the minimum wage to $12/hour . Israel . Lujan Grisham is a strong supporter of Israel . She condemned the United Nations Security Councils criticism of Israels settlement building in the occupied Palestinian territories . Personal life . Lujan Grishams husband , Gregory , died of a brain aneurysm in 2004 . The couple had two daughters . Lujan Grisham filed a wrongful death suit against her husbands physician , but the lawsuit was dropped . Legal issues . From November 2020 to March 2021 Lujan Grishams gubernatorial campaign made five monthly payments of $12,500 each ( totaling $62,500 ) to settle a sexual harassment complaint made by her former campaign spokesperson , James Hallinan . Hallinan accused Lujan Grisham of pouring a bottle of water on his crotch and then grabbing his crotch through his clothes while she laughed . The incident allegedly occurred in the presence of other campaign staffers . The campaign denied the accusations .
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[
"( MP ) for Ipswich"
] |
easy
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Which position did Jesse Collings hold from Mar 1880 to Apr 1886?
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/wiki/Jesse_Collings#P39#0
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Jesse Collings Jesse Collings ( 2 December 1831 – 20 November 1920 ) was Mayor of Birmingham , England , a Liberal ( later Liberal Unionist ) member of Parliament , but was best known nationally in the UK as an advocate of educational reform and land reform . Background . Collings was the youngest son of Thomas Collings , Littleham-cum-Exmouth , Devon , and Annie Palmer . His father was a bricklayer , who later established a small building firm . He was educated at a Dame School and for a time at Church House School , Stoke , Plymouth . He started work as a shop assistant aged 15 years , later becoming a clerk and a traveller for an ironmongery firm . In 1850 , he started working for Booth and Company , a firm of ironmongers in Birmingham ; in 1864 he became a partner in the renamed business , Collings and Wallis . In 1879 , he retired from the partnership . He came under the influence of George Dawson , worshipped , along with other prominent families , in Dawsons Church of the Saviour , and became an adherent of Dawsons doctrine of the Civic Gospel . In 1858 he married Emily Oxenbould , the daughter of a master at King Edwards Grammar School , Birmingham . They had one daughter . Birmingham Town Council . He was a close friend of Joseph Chamberlain and supported the radical group around Chamberlain in developing local improvement schemes in Birmingham , parks , and what at the time was called gas-and-water socialism . He took over practical management of the education committee and served as Mayor of Birmingham in 1878–79 . He was responsible for free public libraries in Birmingham and was the original proponent of the Birmingham Art Gallery funded from the profits of the gas company . Free education . Early on , Collings had shown an interest in education by helping to found the Devon and Exeter Boys Industrial School in 1862 . He visited America to study its education system and published An Outline of the American School System in 1868 . This pamphlet recommended that a similar free and non-sectarian ( non-denominational ) form of school education to that of the USA should be set up in England and Wales . Collings pamphlet led directly to the formation of the National Education League by Birmingham Liberals in 1869 , with George Dixon as President and Jesse Collings as Secretary . The League became a major campaigning organisation , but Forsters Education Act retained the dominance of Church Schools in providing education for the young in England , Wales and Ireland . Collings called for Local Authorities to be obliged to set up sufficient schools to enable all children to attend ; these schools should be inspected by the state and managed by local government ; they should be free ; and attendance should be compulsory . Land reform . Collings background in Devon gave him an appreciation of the problems of the agricultural worker and small-scale farmer rare in a major industrial city like Birmingham . He was a friend of Joseph Arch , the founder of the National Agricultural Labourers Union , who lived in Barford , Warwickshire , near Birmingham . Collings believed that education was essential to improving the conditions of agricultural workers and that it needed to be free . The National Agricultural Workers Union joined the National Education League . Collings ensured that Chamberlain , Mayor of Birmingham and a millionaire industrialist , chaired the meeting in Birmingham to support the Agricultural Workers first strike . When Chamberlain became President of the Board of Trade , Collings acted as his unofficial advisor on agricultural matters affecting peasants in Britain and Ireland . Collings advocated land reform through providing allotments and small holdings for the rural poor , landless peasants , and even the industrial poor . He cited the Chartist settlement at Great Dodford as a successful example of what could be achieved . The slogan for Collings 1885 land-reform campaign Three Acres and a Cow became the battle cry of land reform and the fight against rural poverty . Three acres and a cow was seen as being sufficient for a family to live on , particularly when compared to the rural poverty common at that time . To some , however , this slogan was backward looking and the source of amusement amongst many Conservatives and farmers . Joseph Chamberlain adapted the Three Acres and a Cow slogan for his own Radical Programme : he urged the purchase by local authorities of land to provide garden and field allotments for all labourers who might desire them , to be let at fair rents in plots of up to of arable and three to of pasture . Collings founded the Allotments Extension Association in 1883 to promote the formation of allotments and smallholdings . he also collaborated closely with the Highland Land Reform Association . The 1882 Allotments Extension Act was put through Parliament by Collings . By 1886 there were 394,517 allotments of under and 272,000 garden allotments ( Haywood , 1991 ) . In 1886 , Collings work defeated Lord Salisburys Government , which lost the vote on the Queens speech , when Collings moved his Small Holdings Amendment Act . A Liberal Government under William Ewart Gladstone took its place . Collings work also led to 1908 Small Holdings and Allotments Act ( which led to 30,000 families being resettled on the land ) and the 1919 Land Settlement Act . However , the programme of land reform via allotments and small holdings never made a considerable impact upon the countryside , either in Collings time or in the interwar period . Member of Parliament . He was Liberal Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Ipswich from 1880 until he was unseated on petition in April 1886 , and then for Birmingham Bordesley from 1886 until 1918 ( until 1912 as a Liberal Unionist , when the party was wound up , thereafter as a Conservative ) . On Chamberlains recommendation , Collings served in Gladstones administration as Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board in 1886 , although at a reduced salary . Collings joined the Liberal Unionist group set up by Chamberlain in 1886 as a result of the split with the Gladstonian Liberals over Ireland . Collings served in Salisburys government as Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department from 1895–1902 . Although he served in Parliament from 1880 ( with a small interruption ) and was a junior minister in two Governments , he was most influential outside Parliament – his ministerial posts were not connected to his lifelong advocacy of free education and land reform . He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1892 . As a Liberal Unionist . The concern of Liberal Unionists was that what they perceived as the need for important reforms was being subordinated to a preoccupation with Ireland . The land reform movement was split . Joseph Arch remained a Gladstonian Liberal and ensured that Collings was deposed from the Allotments Extension Association . Collings later set up the Rural Labourers League , which supported land reform and advocated tariffs on imported food to support the rural economy . Collings proposed a system of vocational education through free schools in rural areas . Erroneously or not , Collings along with Chamberlain and others believed that land reform in Ireland would give the peasants a stake in the country and reduce poverty , but convinced neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives to attempt it . He was made an Honorary Freeman of the City of Birmingham in 1911 . Collings published Land Reform in 1906 and in 1914 The Colonization of Rural Britain . He also published The Great War : Its Lessons and Warnings in 1915 . Collings continued to be active in promoting land reform until 1918 , when he retired from Parliament on the abolition of his seat when he was then aged 87 and oldest member of the House . He died in November 1920 aged 88 . Portrait . A portrait of Collings , painted circa 1885 , by Jonathan Pratt ( 1835–1911 ) , hangs in Birmingham Council House . It is not in a public area but may be viewed by prior application . Sources . - Collings , J . and Green , J . L . ( 1920 ) The life of Jesse Collings ( 2 vols ) .
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"Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board"
] |
easy
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What position did Jesse Collings take from Jul 1886 to Jun 1892?
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/wiki/Jesse_Collings#P39#1
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Jesse Collings Jesse Collings ( 2 December 1831 – 20 November 1920 ) was Mayor of Birmingham , England , a Liberal ( later Liberal Unionist ) member of Parliament , but was best known nationally in the UK as an advocate of educational reform and land reform . Background . Collings was the youngest son of Thomas Collings , Littleham-cum-Exmouth , Devon , and Annie Palmer . His father was a bricklayer , who later established a small building firm . He was educated at a Dame School and for a time at Church House School , Stoke , Plymouth . He started work as a shop assistant aged 15 years , later becoming a clerk and a traveller for an ironmongery firm . In 1850 , he started working for Booth and Company , a firm of ironmongers in Birmingham ; in 1864 he became a partner in the renamed business , Collings and Wallis . In 1879 , he retired from the partnership . He came under the influence of George Dawson , worshipped , along with other prominent families , in Dawsons Church of the Saviour , and became an adherent of Dawsons doctrine of the Civic Gospel . In 1858 he married Emily Oxenbould , the daughter of a master at King Edwards Grammar School , Birmingham . They had one daughter . Birmingham Town Council . He was a close friend of Joseph Chamberlain and supported the radical group around Chamberlain in developing local improvement schemes in Birmingham , parks , and what at the time was called gas-and-water socialism . He took over practical management of the education committee and served as Mayor of Birmingham in 1878–79 . He was responsible for free public libraries in Birmingham and was the original proponent of the Birmingham Art Gallery funded from the profits of the gas company . Free education . Early on , Collings had shown an interest in education by helping to found the Devon and Exeter Boys Industrial School in 1862 . He visited America to study its education system and published An Outline of the American School System in 1868 . This pamphlet recommended that a similar free and non-sectarian ( non-denominational ) form of school education to that of the USA should be set up in England and Wales . Collings pamphlet led directly to the formation of the National Education League by Birmingham Liberals in 1869 , with George Dixon as President and Jesse Collings as Secretary . The League became a major campaigning organisation , but Forsters Education Act retained the dominance of Church Schools in providing education for the young in England , Wales and Ireland . Collings called for Local Authorities to be obliged to set up sufficient schools to enable all children to attend ; these schools should be inspected by the state and managed by local government ; they should be free ; and attendance should be compulsory . Land reform . Collings background in Devon gave him an appreciation of the problems of the agricultural worker and small-scale farmer rare in a major industrial city like Birmingham . He was a friend of Joseph Arch , the founder of the National Agricultural Labourers Union , who lived in Barford , Warwickshire , near Birmingham . Collings believed that education was essential to improving the conditions of agricultural workers and that it needed to be free . The National Agricultural Workers Union joined the National Education League . Collings ensured that Chamberlain , Mayor of Birmingham and a millionaire industrialist , chaired the meeting in Birmingham to support the Agricultural Workers first strike . When Chamberlain became President of the Board of Trade , Collings acted as his unofficial advisor on agricultural matters affecting peasants in Britain and Ireland . Collings advocated land reform through providing allotments and small holdings for the rural poor , landless peasants , and even the industrial poor . He cited the Chartist settlement at Great Dodford as a successful example of what could be achieved . The slogan for Collings 1885 land-reform campaign Three Acres and a Cow became the battle cry of land reform and the fight against rural poverty . Three acres and a cow was seen as being sufficient for a family to live on , particularly when compared to the rural poverty common at that time . To some , however , this slogan was backward looking and the source of amusement amongst many Conservatives and farmers . Joseph Chamberlain adapted the Three Acres and a Cow slogan for his own Radical Programme : he urged the purchase by local authorities of land to provide garden and field allotments for all labourers who might desire them , to be let at fair rents in plots of up to of arable and three to of pasture . Collings founded the Allotments Extension Association in 1883 to promote the formation of allotments and smallholdings . he also collaborated closely with the Highland Land Reform Association . The 1882 Allotments Extension Act was put through Parliament by Collings . By 1886 there were 394,517 allotments of under and 272,000 garden allotments ( Haywood , 1991 ) . In 1886 , Collings work defeated Lord Salisburys Government , which lost the vote on the Queens speech , when Collings moved his Small Holdings Amendment Act . A Liberal Government under William Ewart Gladstone took its place . Collings work also led to 1908 Small Holdings and Allotments Act ( which led to 30,000 families being resettled on the land ) and the 1919 Land Settlement Act . However , the programme of land reform via allotments and small holdings never made a considerable impact upon the countryside , either in Collings time or in the interwar period . Member of Parliament . He was Liberal Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Ipswich from 1880 until he was unseated on petition in April 1886 , and then for Birmingham Bordesley from 1886 until 1918 ( until 1912 as a Liberal Unionist , when the party was wound up , thereafter as a Conservative ) . On Chamberlains recommendation , Collings served in Gladstones administration as Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board in 1886 , although at a reduced salary . Collings joined the Liberal Unionist group set up by Chamberlain in 1886 as a result of the split with the Gladstonian Liberals over Ireland . Collings served in Salisburys government as Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department from 1895–1902 . Although he served in Parliament from 1880 ( with a small interruption ) and was a junior minister in two Governments , he was most influential outside Parliament – his ministerial posts were not connected to his lifelong advocacy of free education and land reform . He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1892 . As a Liberal Unionist . The concern of Liberal Unionists was that what they perceived as the need for important reforms was being subordinated to a preoccupation with Ireland . The land reform movement was split . Joseph Arch remained a Gladstonian Liberal and ensured that Collings was deposed from the Allotments Extension Association . Collings later set up the Rural Labourers League , which supported land reform and advocated tariffs on imported food to support the rural economy . Collings proposed a system of vocational education through free schools in rural areas . Erroneously or not , Collings along with Chamberlain and others believed that land reform in Ireland would give the peasants a stake in the country and reduce poverty , but convinced neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives to attempt it . He was made an Honorary Freeman of the City of Birmingham in 1911 . Collings published Land Reform in 1906 and in 1914 The Colonization of Rural Britain . He also published The Great War : Its Lessons and Warnings in 1915 . Collings continued to be active in promoting land reform until 1918 , when he retired from Parliament on the abolition of his seat when he was then aged 87 and oldest member of the House . He died in November 1920 aged 88 . Portrait . A portrait of Collings , painted circa 1885 , by Jonathan Pratt ( 1835–1911 ) , hangs in Birmingham Council House . It is not in a public area but may be viewed by prior application . Sources . - Collings , J . and Green , J . L . ( 1920 ) The life of Jesse Collings ( 2 vols ) .
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[
"Privy Counsellor"
] |
easy
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What position did Jesse Collings take from Jul 1892 to Jul 1895?
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/wiki/Jesse_Collings#P39#2
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Jesse Collings Jesse Collings ( 2 December 1831 – 20 November 1920 ) was Mayor of Birmingham , England , a Liberal ( later Liberal Unionist ) member of Parliament , but was best known nationally in the UK as an advocate of educational reform and land reform . Background . Collings was the youngest son of Thomas Collings , Littleham-cum-Exmouth , Devon , and Annie Palmer . His father was a bricklayer , who later established a small building firm . He was educated at a Dame School and for a time at Church House School , Stoke , Plymouth . He started work as a shop assistant aged 15 years , later becoming a clerk and a traveller for an ironmongery firm . In 1850 , he started working for Booth and Company , a firm of ironmongers in Birmingham ; in 1864 he became a partner in the renamed business , Collings and Wallis . In 1879 , he retired from the partnership . He came under the influence of George Dawson , worshipped , along with other prominent families , in Dawsons Church of the Saviour , and became an adherent of Dawsons doctrine of the Civic Gospel . In 1858 he married Emily Oxenbould , the daughter of a master at King Edwards Grammar School , Birmingham . They had one daughter . Birmingham Town Council . He was a close friend of Joseph Chamberlain and supported the radical group around Chamberlain in developing local improvement schemes in Birmingham , parks , and what at the time was called gas-and-water socialism . He took over practical management of the education committee and served as Mayor of Birmingham in 1878–79 . He was responsible for free public libraries in Birmingham and was the original proponent of the Birmingham Art Gallery funded from the profits of the gas company . Free education . Early on , Collings had shown an interest in education by helping to found the Devon and Exeter Boys Industrial School in 1862 . He visited America to study its education system and published An Outline of the American School System in 1868 . This pamphlet recommended that a similar free and non-sectarian ( non-denominational ) form of school education to that of the USA should be set up in England and Wales . Collings pamphlet led directly to the formation of the National Education League by Birmingham Liberals in 1869 , with George Dixon as President and Jesse Collings as Secretary . The League became a major campaigning organisation , but Forsters Education Act retained the dominance of Church Schools in providing education for the young in England , Wales and Ireland . Collings called for Local Authorities to be obliged to set up sufficient schools to enable all children to attend ; these schools should be inspected by the state and managed by local government ; they should be free ; and attendance should be compulsory . Land reform . Collings background in Devon gave him an appreciation of the problems of the agricultural worker and small-scale farmer rare in a major industrial city like Birmingham . He was a friend of Joseph Arch , the founder of the National Agricultural Labourers Union , who lived in Barford , Warwickshire , near Birmingham . Collings believed that education was essential to improving the conditions of agricultural workers and that it needed to be free . The National Agricultural Workers Union joined the National Education League . Collings ensured that Chamberlain , Mayor of Birmingham and a millionaire industrialist , chaired the meeting in Birmingham to support the Agricultural Workers first strike . When Chamberlain became President of the Board of Trade , Collings acted as his unofficial advisor on agricultural matters affecting peasants in Britain and Ireland . Collings advocated land reform through providing allotments and small holdings for the rural poor , landless peasants , and even the industrial poor . He cited the Chartist settlement at Great Dodford as a successful example of what could be achieved . The slogan for Collings 1885 land-reform campaign Three Acres and a Cow became the battle cry of land reform and the fight against rural poverty . Three acres and a cow was seen as being sufficient for a family to live on , particularly when compared to the rural poverty common at that time . To some , however , this slogan was backward looking and the source of amusement amongst many Conservatives and farmers . Joseph Chamberlain adapted the Three Acres and a Cow slogan for his own Radical Programme : he urged the purchase by local authorities of land to provide garden and field allotments for all labourers who might desire them , to be let at fair rents in plots of up to of arable and three to of pasture . Collings founded the Allotments Extension Association in 1883 to promote the formation of allotments and smallholdings . he also collaborated closely with the Highland Land Reform Association . The 1882 Allotments Extension Act was put through Parliament by Collings . By 1886 there were 394,517 allotments of under and 272,000 garden allotments ( Haywood , 1991 ) . In 1886 , Collings work defeated Lord Salisburys Government , which lost the vote on the Queens speech , when Collings moved his Small Holdings Amendment Act . A Liberal Government under William Ewart Gladstone took its place . Collings work also led to 1908 Small Holdings and Allotments Act ( which led to 30,000 families being resettled on the land ) and the 1919 Land Settlement Act . However , the programme of land reform via allotments and small holdings never made a considerable impact upon the countryside , either in Collings time or in the interwar period . Member of Parliament . He was Liberal Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Ipswich from 1880 until he was unseated on petition in April 1886 , and then for Birmingham Bordesley from 1886 until 1918 ( until 1912 as a Liberal Unionist , when the party was wound up , thereafter as a Conservative ) . On Chamberlains recommendation , Collings served in Gladstones administration as Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board in 1886 , although at a reduced salary . Collings joined the Liberal Unionist group set up by Chamberlain in 1886 as a result of the split with the Gladstonian Liberals over Ireland . Collings served in Salisburys government as Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department from 1895–1902 . Although he served in Parliament from 1880 ( with a small interruption ) and was a junior minister in two Governments , he was most influential outside Parliament – his ministerial posts were not connected to his lifelong advocacy of free education and land reform . He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1892 . As a Liberal Unionist . The concern of Liberal Unionists was that what they perceived as the need for important reforms was being subordinated to a preoccupation with Ireland . The land reform movement was split . Joseph Arch remained a Gladstonian Liberal and ensured that Collings was deposed from the Allotments Extension Association . Collings later set up the Rural Labourers League , which supported land reform and advocated tariffs on imported food to support the rural economy . Collings proposed a system of vocational education through free schools in rural areas . Erroneously or not , Collings along with Chamberlain and others believed that land reform in Ireland would give the peasants a stake in the country and reduce poverty , but convinced neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives to attempt it . He was made an Honorary Freeman of the City of Birmingham in 1911 . Collings published Land Reform in 1906 and in 1914 The Colonization of Rural Britain . He also published The Great War : Its Lessons and Warnings in 1915 . Collings continued to be active in promoting land reform until 1918 , when he retired from Parliament on the abolition of his seat when he was then aged 87 and oldest member of the House . He died in November 1920 aged 88 . Portrait . A portrait of Collings , painted circa 1885 , by Jonathan Pratt ( 1835–1911 ) , hangs in Birmingham Council House . It is not in a public area but may be viewed by prior application . Sources . - Collings , J . and Green , J . L . ( 1920 ) The life of Jesse Collings ( 2 vols ) .
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[
"Under-Secretary of State"
] |
easy
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What position did Jesse Collings take from Jul 1895 to Sep 1900?
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/wiki/Jesse_Collings#P39#3
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Jesse Collings Jesse Collings ( 2 December 1831 – 20 November 1920 ) was Mayor of Birmingham , England , a Liberal ( later Liberal Unionist ) member of Parliament , but was best known nationally in the UK as an advocate of educational reform and land reform . Background . Collings was the youngest son of Thomas Collings , Littleham-cum-Exmouth , Devon , and Annie Palmer . His father was a bricklayer , who later established a small building firm . He was educated at a Dame School and for a time at Church House School , Stoke , Plymouth . He started work as a shop assistant aged 15 years , later becoming a clerk and a traveller for an ironmongery firm . In 1850 , he started working for Booth and Company , a firm of ironmongers in Birmingham ; in 1864 he became a partner in the renamed business , Collings and Wallis . In 1879 , he retired from the partnership . He came under the influence of George Dawson , worshipped , along with other prominent families , in Dawsons Church of the Saviour , and became an adherent of Dawsons doctrine of the Civic Gospel . In 1858 he married Emily Oxenbould , the daughter of a master at King Edwards Grammar School , Birmingham . They had one daughter . Birmingham Town Council . He was a close friend of Joseph Chamberlain and supported the radical group around Chamberlain in developing local improvement schemes in Birmingham , parks , and what at the time was called gas-and-water socialism . He took over practical management of the education committee and served as Mayor of Birmingham in 1878–79 . He was responsible for free public libraries in Birmingham and was the original proponent of the Birmingham Art Gallery funded from the profits of the gas company . Free education . Early on , Collings had shown an interest in education by helping to found the Devon and Exeter Boys Industrial School in 1862 . He visited America to study its education system and published An Outline of the American School System in 1868 . This pamphlet recommended that a similar free and non-sectarian ( non-denominational ) form of school education to that of the USA should be set up in England and Wales . Collings pamphlet led directly to the formation of the National Education League by Birmingham Liberals in 1869 , with George Dixon as President and Jesse Collings as Secretary . The League became a major campaigning organisation , but Forsters Education Act retained the dominance of Church Schools in providing education for the young in England , Wales and Ireland . Collings called for Local Authorities to be obliged to set up sufficient schools to enable all children to attend ; these schools should be inspected by the state and managed by local government ; they should be free ; and attendance should be compulsory . Land reform . Collings background in Devon gave him an appreciation of the problems of the agricultural worker and small-scale farmer rare in a major industrial city like Birmingham . He was a friend of Joseph Arch , the founder of the National Agricultural Labourers Union , who lived in Barford , Warwickshire , near Birmingham . Collings believed that education was essential to improving the conditions of agricultural workers and that it needed to be free . The National Agricultural Workers Union joined the National Education League . Collings ensured that Chamberlain , Mayor of Birmingham and a millionaire industrialist , chaired the meeting in Birmingham to support the Agricultural Workers first strike . When Chamberlain became President of the Board of Trade , Collings acted as his unofficial advisor on agricultural matters affecting peasants in Britain and Ireland . Collings advocated land reform through providing allotments and small holdings for the rural poor , landless peasants , and even the industrial poor . He cited the Chartist settlement at Great Dodford as a successful example of what could be achieved . The slogan for Collings 1885 land-reform campaign Three Acres and a Cow became the battle cry of land reform and the fight against rural poverty . Three acres and a cow was seen as being sufficient for a family to live on , particularly when compared to the rural poverty common at that time . To some , however , this slogan was backward looking and the source of amusement amongst many Conservatives and farmers . Joseph Chamberlain adapted the Three Acres and a Cow slogan for his own Radical Programme : he urged the purchase by local authorities of land to provide garden and field allotments for all labourers who might desire them , to be let at fair rents in plots of up to of arable and three to of pasture . Collings founded the Allotments Extension Association in 1883 to promote the formation of allotments and smallholdings . he also collaborated closely with the Highland Land Reform Association . The 1882 Allotments Extension Act was put through Parliament by Collings . By 1886 there were 394,517 allotments of under and 272,000 garden allotments ( Haywood , 1991 ) . In 1886 , Collings work defeated Lord Salisburys Government , which lost the vote on the Queens speech , when Collings moved his Small Holdings Amendment Act . A Liberal Government under William Ewart Gladstone took its place . Collings work also led to 1908 Small Holdings and Allotments Act ( which led to 30,000 families being resettled on the land ) and the 1919 Land Settlement Act . However , the programme of land reform via allotments and small holdings never made a considerable impact upon the countryside , either in Collings time or in the interwar period . Member of Parliament . He was Liberal Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Ipswich from 1880 until he was unseated on petition in April 1886 , and then for Birmingham Bordesley from 1886 until 1918 ( until 1912 as a Liberal Unionist , when the party was wound up , thereafter as a Conservative ) . On Chamberlains recommendation , Collings served in Gladstones administration as Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board in 1886 , although at a reduced salary . Collings joined the Liberal Unionist group set up by Chamberlain in 1886 as a result of the split with the Gladstonian Liberals over Ireland . Collings served in Salisburys government as Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department from 1895–1902 . Although he served in Parliament from 1880 ( with a small interruption ) and was a junior minister in two Governments , he was most influential outside Parliament – his ministerial posts were not connected to his lifelong advocacy of free education and land reform . He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1892 . As a Liberal Unionist . The concern of Liberal Unionists was that what they perceived as the need for important reforms was being subordinated to a preoccupation with Ireland . The land reform movement was split . Joseph Arch remained a Gladstonian Liberal and ensured that Collings was deposed from the Allotments Extension Association . Collings later set up the Rural Labourers League , which supported land reform and advocated tariffs on imported food to support the rural economy . Collings proposed a system of vocational education through free schools in rural areas . Erroneously or not , Collings along with Chamberlain and others believed that land reform in Ireland would give the peasants a stake in the country and reduce poverty , but convinced neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives to attempt it . He was made an Honorary Freeman of the City of Birmingham in 1911 . Collings published Land Reform in 1906 and in 1914 The Colonization of Rural Britain . He also published The Great War : Its Lessons and Warnings in 1915 . Collings continued to be active in promoting land reform until 1918 , when he retired from Parliament on the abolition of his seat when he was then aged 87 and oldest member of the House . He died in November 1920 aged 88 . Portrait . A portrait of Collings , painted circa 1885 , by Jonathan Pratt ( 1835–1911 ) , hangs in Birmingham Council House . It is not in a public area but may be viewed by prior application . Sources . - Collings , J . and Green , J . L . ( 1920 ) The life of Jesse Collings ( 2 vols ) .
|
[
"Liberal Unionist"
] |
easy
|
Which position did Jesse Collings hold from Oct 1900 to 1906?
|
/wiki/Jesse_Collings#P39#4
|
Jesse Collings Jesse Collings ( 2 December 1831 – 20 November 1920 ) was Mayor of Birmingham , England , a Liberal ( later Liberal Unionist ) member of Parliament , but was best known nationally in the UK as an advocate of educational reform and land reform . Background . Collings was the youngest son of Thomas Collings , Littleham-cum-Exmouth , Devon , and Annie Palmer . His father was a bricklayer , who later established a small building firm . He was educated at a Dame School and for a time at Church House School , Stoke , Plymouth . He started work as a shop assistant aged 15 years , later becoming a clerk and a traveller for an ironmongery firm . In 1850 , he started working for Booth and Company , a firm of ironmongers in Birmingham ; in 1864 he became a partner in the renamed business , Collings and Wallis . In 1879 , he retired from the partnership . He came under the influence of George Dawson , worshipped , along with other prominent families , in Dawsons Church of the Saviour , and became an adherent of Dawsons doctrine of the Civic Gospel . In 1858 he married Emily Oxenbould , the daughter of a master at King Edwards Grammar School , Birmingham . They had one daughter . Birmingham Town Council . He was a close friend of Joseph Chamberlain and supported the radical group around Chamberlain in developing local improvement schemes in Birmingham , parks , and what at the time was called gas-and-water socialism . He took over practical management of the education committee and served as Mayor of Birmingham in 1878–79 . He was responsible for free public libraries in Birmingham and was the original proponent of the Birmingham Art Gallery funded from the profits of the gas company . Free education . Early on , Collings had shown an interest in education by helping to found the Devon and Exeter Boys Industrial School in 1862 . He visited America to study its education system and published An Outline of the American School System in 1868 . This pamphlet recommended that a similar free and non-sectarian ( non-denominational ) form of school education to that of the USA should be set up in England and Wales . Collings pamphlet led directly to the formation of the National Education League by Birmingham Liberals in 1869 , with George Dixon as President and Jesse Collings as Secretary . The League became a major campaigning organisation , but Forsters Education Act retained the dominance of Church Schools in providing education for the young in England , Wales and Ireland . Collings called for Local Authorities to be obliged to set up sufficient schools to enable all children to attend ; these schools should be inspected by the state and managed by local government ; they should be free ; and attendance should be compulsory . Land reform . Collings background in Devon gave him an appreciation of the problems of the agricultural worker and small-scale farmer rare in a major industrial city like Birmingham . He was a friend of Joseph Arch , the founder of the National Agricultural Labourers Union , who lived in Barford , Warwickshire , near Birmingham . Collings believed that education was essential to improving the conditions of agricultural workers and that it needed to be free . The National Agricultural Workers Union joined the National Education League . Collings ensured that Chamberlain , Mayor of Birmingham and a millionaire industrialist , chaired the meeting in Birmingham to support the Agricultural Workers first strike . When Chamberlain became President of the Board of Trade , Collings acted as his unofficial advisor on agricultural matters affecting peasants in Britain and Ireland . Collings advocated land reform through providing allotments and small holdings for the rural poor , landless peasants , and even the industrial poor . He cited the Chartist settlement at Great Dodford as a successful example of what could be achieved . The slogan for Collings 1885 land-reform campaign Three Acres and a Cow became the battle cry of land reform and the fight against rural poverty . Three acres and a cow was seen as being sufficient for a family to live on , particularly when compared to the rural poverty common at that time . To some , however , this slogan was backward looking and the source of amusement amongst many Conservatives and farmers . Joseph Chamberlain adapted the Three Acres and a Cow slogan for his own Radical Programme : he urged the purchase by local authorities of land to provide garden and field allotments for all labourers who might desire them , to be let at fair rents in plots of up to of arable and three to of pasture . Collings founded the Allotments Extension Association in 1883 to promote the formation of allotments and smallholdings . he also collaborated closely with the Highland Land Reform Association . The 1882 Allotments Extension Act was put through Parliament by Collings . By 1886 there were 394,517 allotments of under and 272,000 garden allotments ( Haywood , 1991 ) . In 1886 , Collings work defeated Lord Salisburys Government , which lost the vote on the Queens speech , when Collings moved his Small Holdings Amendment Act . A Liberal Government under William Ewart Gladstone took its place . Collings work also led to 1908 Small Holdings and Allotments Act ( which led to 30,000 families being resettled on the land ) and the 1919 Land Settlement Act . However , the programme of land reform via allotments and small holdings never made a considerable impact upon the countryside , either in Collings time or in the interwar period . Member of Parliament . He was Liberal Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Ipswich from 1880 until he was unseated on petition in April 1886 , and then for Birmingham Bordesley from 1886 until 1918 ( until 1912 as a Liberal Unionist , when the party was wound up , thereafter as a Conservative ) . On Chamberlains recommendation , Collings served in Gladstones administration as Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board in 1886 , although at a reduced salary . Collings joined the Liberal Unionist group set up by Chamberlain in 1886 as a result of the split with the Gladstonian Liberals over Ireland . Collings served in Salisburys government as Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department from 1895–1902 . Although he served in Parliament from 1880 ( with a small interruption ) and was a junior minister in two Governments , he was most influential outside Parliament – his ministerial posts were not connected to his lifelong advocacy of free education and land reform . He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1892 . As a Liberal Unionist . The concern of Liberal Unionists was that what they perceived as the need for important reforms was being subordinated to a preoccupation with Ireland . The land reform movement was split . Joseph Arch remained a Gladstonian Liberal and ensured that Collings was deposed from the Allotments Extension Association . Collings later set up the Rural Labourers League , which supported land reform and advocated tariffs on imported food to support the rural economy . Collings proposed a system of vocational education through free schools in rural areas . Erroneously or not , Collings along with Chamberlain and others believed that land reform in Ireland would give the peasants a stake in the country and reduce poverty , but convinced neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives to attempt it . He was made an Honorary Freeman of the City of Birmingham in 1911 . Collings published Land Reform in 1906 and in 1914 The Colonization of Rural Britain . He also published The Great War : Its Lessons and Warnings in 1915 . Collings continued to be active in promoting land reform until 1918 , when he retired from Parliament on the abolition of his seat when he was then aged 87 and oldest member of the House . He died in November 1920 aged 88 . Portrait . A portrait of Collings , painted circa 1885 , by Jonathan Pratt ( 1835–1911 ) , hangs in Birmingham Council House . It is not in a public area but may be viewed by prior application . Sources . - Collings , J . and Green , J . L . ( 1920 ) The life of Jesse Collings ( 2 vols ) .
|
[
"Liberal Unionist"
] |
easy
|
Which position did Jesse Collings hold from 1906 to 1910?
|
/wiki/Jesse_Collings#P39#5
|
Jesse Collings Jesse Collings ( 2 December 1831 – 20 November 1920 ) was Mayor of Birmingham , England , a Liberal ( later Liberal Unionist ) member of Parliament , but was best known nationally in the UK as an advocate of educational reform and land reform . Background . Collings was the youngest son of Thomas Collings , Littleham-cum-Exmouth , Devon , and Annie Palmer . His father was a bricklayer , who later established a small building firm . He was educated at a Dame School and for a time at Church House School , Stoke , Plymouth . He started work as a shop assistant aged 15 years , later becoming a clerk and a traveller for an ironmongery firm . In 1850 , he started working for Booth and Company , a firm of ironmongers in Birmingham ; in 1864 he became a partner in the renamed business , Collings and Wallis . In 1879 , he retired from the partnership . He came under the influence of George Dawson , worshipped , along with other prominent families , in Dawsons Church of the Saviour , and became an adherent of Dawsons doctrine of the Civic Gospel . In 1858 he married Emily Oxenbould , the daughter of a master at King Edwards Grammar School , Birmingham . They had one daughter . Birmingham Town Council . He was a close friend of Joseph Chamberlain and supported the radical group around Chamberlain in developing local improvement schemes in Birmingham , parks , and what at the time was called gas-and-water socialism . He took over practical management of the education committee and served as Mayor of Birmingham in 1878–79 . He was responsible for free public libraries in Birmingham and was the original proponent of the Birmingham Art Gallery funded from the profits of the gas company . Free education . Early on , Collings had shown an interest in education by helping to found the Devon and Exeter Boys Industrial School in 1862 . He visited America to study its education system and published An Outline of the American School System in 1868 . This pamphlet recommended that a similar free and non-sectarian ( non-denominational ) form of school education to that of the USA should be set up in England and Wales . Collings pamphlet led directly to the formation of the National Education League by Birmingham Liberals in 1869 , with George Dixon as President and Jesse Collings as Secretary . The League became a major campaigning organisation , but Forsters Education Act retained the dominance of Church Schools in providing education for the young in England , Wales and Ireland . Collings called for Local Authorities to be obliged to set up sufficient schools to enable all children to attend ; these schools should be inspected by the state and managed by local government ; they should be free ; and attendance should be compulsory . Land reform . Collings background in Devon gave him an appreciation of the problems of the agricultural worker and small-scale farmer rare in a major industrial city like Birmingham . He was a friend of Joseph Arch , the founder of the National Agricultural Labourers Union , who lived in Barford , Warwickshire , near Birmingham . Collings believed that education was essential to improving the conditions of agricultural workers and that it needed to be free . The National Agricultural Workers Union joined the National Education League . Collings ensured that Chamberlain , Mayor of Birmingham and a millionaire industrialist , chaired the meeting in Birmingham to support the Agricultural Workers first strike . When Chamberlain became President of the Board of Trade , Collings acted as his unofficial advisor on agricultural matters affecting peasants in Britain and Ireland . Collings advocated land reform through providing allotments and small holdings for the rural poor , landless peasants , and even the industrial poor . He cited the Chartist settlement at Great Dodford as a successful example of what could be achieved . The slogan for Collings 1885 land-reform campaign Three Acres and a Cow became the battle cry of land reform and the fight against rural poverty . Three acres and a cow was seen as being sufficient for a family to live on , particularly when compared to the rural poverty common at that time . To some , however , this slogan was backward looking and the source of amusement amongst many Conservatives and farmers . Joseph Chamberlain adapted the Three Acres and a Cow slogan for his own Radical Programme : he urged the purchase by local authorities of land to provide garden and field allotments for all labourers who might desire them , to be let at fair rents in plots of up to of arable and three to of pasture . Collings founded the Allotments Extension Association in 1883 to promote the formation of allotments and smallholdings . he also collaborated closely with the Highland Land Reform Association . The 1882 Allotments Extension Act was put through Parliament by Collings . By 1886 there were 394,517 allotments of under and 272,000 garden allotments ( Haywood , 1991 ) . In 1886 , Collings work defeated Lord Salisburys Government , which lost the vote on the Queens speech , when Collings moved his Small Holdings Amendment Act . A Liberal Government under William Ewart Gladstone took its place . Collings work also led to 1908 Small Holdings and Allotments Act ( which led to 30,000 families being resettled on the land ) and the 1919 Land Settlement Act . However , the programme of land reform via allotments and small holdings never made a considerable impact upon the countryside , either in Collings time or in the interwar period . Member of Parliament . He was Liberal Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Ipswich from 1880 until he was unseated on petition in April 1886 , and then for Birmingham Bordesley from 1886 until 1918 ( until 1912 as a Liberal Unionist , when the party was wound up , thereafter as a Conservative ) . On Chamberlains recommendation , Collings served in Gladstones administration as Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board in 1886 , although at a reduced salary . Collings joined the Liberal Unionist group set up by Chamberlain in 1886 as a result of the split with the Gladstonian Liberals over Ireland . Collings served in Salisburys government as Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department from 1895–1902 . Although he served in Parliament from 1880 ( with a small interruption ) and was a junior minister in two Governments , he was most influential outside Parliament – his ministerial posts were not connected to his lifelong advocacy of free education and land reform . He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1892 . As a Liberal Unionist . The concern of Liberal Unionists was that what they perceived as the need for important reforms was being subordinated to a preoccupation with Ireland . The land reform movement was split . Joseph Arch remained a Gladstonian Liberal and ensured that Collings was deposed from the Allotments Extension Association . Collings later set up the Rural Labourers League , which supported land reform and advocated tariffs on imported food to support the rural economy . Collings proposed a system of vocational education through free schools in rural areas . Erroneously or not , Collings along with Chamberlain and others believed that land reform in Ireland would give the peasants a stake in the country and reduce poverty , but convinced neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives to attempt it . He was made an Honorary Freeman of the City of Birmingham in 1911 . Collings published Land Reform in 1906 and in 1914 The Colonization of Rural Britain . He also published The Great War : Its Lessons and Warnings in 1915 . Collings continued to be active in promoting land reform until 1918 , when he retired from Parliament on the abolition of his seat when he was then aged 87 and oldest member of the House . He died in November 1920 aged 88 . Portrait . A portrait of Collings , painted circa 1885 , by Jonathan Pratt ( 1835–1911 ) , hangs in Birmingham Council House . It is not in a public area but may be viewed by prior application . Sources . - Collings , J . and Green , J . L . ( 1920 ) The life of Jesse Collings ( 2 vols ) .
|
[
"Liberal Unionist"
] |
easy
|
What was the position of Jesse Collings from 1910 to Nov 1910?
|
/wiki/Jesse_Collings#P39#6
|
Jesse Collings Jesse Collings ( 2 December 1831 – 20 November 1920 ) was Mayor of Birmingham , England , a Liberal ( later Liberal Unionist ) member of Parliament , but was best known nationally in the UK as an advocate of educational reform and land reform . Background . Collings was the youngest son of Thomas Collings , Littleham-cum-Exmouth , Devon , and Annie Palmer . His father was a bricklayer , who later established a small building firm . He was educated at a Dame School and for a time at Church House School , Stoke , Plymouth . He started work as a shop assistant aged 15 years , later becoming a clerk and a traveller for an ironmongery firm . In 1850 , he started working for Booth and Company , a firm of ironmongers in Birmingham ; in 1864 he became a partner in the renamed business , Collings and Wallis . In 1879 , he retired from the partnership . He came under the influence of George Dawson , worshipped , along with other prominent families , in Dawsons Church of the Saviour , and became an adherent of Dawsons doctrine of the Civic Gospel . In 1858 he married Emily Oxenbould , the daughter of a master at King Edwards Grammar School , Birmingham . They had one daughter . Birmingham Town Council . He was a close friend of Joseph Chamberlain and supported the radical group around Chamberlain in developing local improvement schemes in Birmingham , parks , and what at the time was called gas-and-water socialism . He took over practical management of the education committee and served as Mayor of Birmingham in 1878–79 . He was responsible for free public libraries in Birmingham and was the original proponent of the Birmingham Art Gallery funded from the profits of the gas company . Free education . Early on , Collings had shown an interest in education by helping to found the Devon and Exeter Boys Industrial School in 1862 . He visited America to study its education system and published An Outline of the American School System in 1868 . This pamphlet recommended that a similar free and non-sectarian ( non-denominational ) form of school education to that of the USA should be set up in England and Wales . Collings pamphlet led directly to the formation of the National Education League by Birmingham Liberals in 1869 , with George Dixon as President and Jesse Collings as Secretary . The League became a major campaigning organisation , but Forsters Education Act retained the dominance of Church Schools in providing education for the young in England , Wales and Ireland . Collings called for Local Authorities to be obliged to set up sufficient schools to enable all children to attend ; these schools should be inspected by the state and managed by local government ; they should be free ; and attendance should be compulsory . Land reform . Collings background in Devon gave him an appreciation of the problems of the agricultural worker and small-scale farmer rare in a major industrial city like Birmingham . He was a friend of Joseph Arch , the founder of the National Agricultural Labourers Union , who lived in Barford , Warwickshire , near Birmingham . Collings believed that education was essential to improving the conditions of agricultural workers and that it needed to be free . The National Agricultural Workers Union joined the National Education League . Collings ensured that Chamberlain , Mayor of Birmingham and a millionaire industrialist , chaired the meeting in Birmingham to support the Agricultural Workers first strike . When Chamberlain became President of the Board of Trade , Collings acted as his unofficial advisor on agricultural matters affecting peasants in Britain and Ireland . Collings advocated land reform through providing allotments and small holdings for the rural poor , landless peasants , and even the industrial poor . He cited the Chartist settlement at Great Dodford as a successful example of what could be achieved . The slogan for Collings 1885 land-reform campaign Three Acres and a Cow became the battle cry of land reform and the fight against rural poverty . Three acres and a cow was seen as being sufficient for a family to live on , particularly when compared to the rural poverty common at that time . To some , however , this slogan was backward looking and the source of amusement amongst many Conservatives and farmers . Joseph Chamberlain adapted the Three Acres and a Cow slogan for his own Radical Programme : he urged the purchase by local authorities of land to provide garden and field allotments for all labourers who might desire them , to be let at fair rents in plots of up to of arable and three to of pasture . Collings founded the Allotments Extension Association in 1883 to promote the formation of allotments and smallholdings . he also collaborated closely with the Highland Land Reform Association . The 1882 Allotments Extension Act was put through Parliament by Collings . By 1886 there were 394,517 allotments of under and 272,000 garden allotments ( Haywood , 1991 ) . In 1886 , Collings work defeated Lord Salisburys Government , which lost the vote on the Queens speech , when Collings moved his Small Holdings Amendment Act . A Liberal Government under William Ewart Gladstone took its place . Collings work also led to 1908 Small Holdings and Allotments Act ( which led to 30,000 families being resettled on the land ) and the 1919 Land Settlement Act . However , the programme of land reform via allotments and small holdings never made a considerable impact upon the countryside , either in Collings time or in the interwar period . Member of Parliament . He was Liberal Member of Parliament ( MP ) for Ipswich from 1880 until he was unseated on petition in April 1886 , and then for Birmingham Bordesley from 1886 until 1918 ( until 1912 as a Liberal Unionist , when the party was wound up , thereafter as a Conservative ) . On Chamberlains recommendation , Collings served in Gladstones administration as Parliamentary Secretary to the Local Government Board in 1886 , although at a reduced salary . Collings joined the Liberal Unionist group set up by Chamberlain in 1886 as a result of the split with the Gladstonian Liberals over Ireland . Collings served in Salisburys government as Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department from 1895–1902 . Although he served in Parliament from 1880 ( with a small interruption ) and was a junior minister in two Governments , he was most influential outside Parliament – his ministerial posts were not connected to his lifelong advocacy of free education and land reform . He was appointed a Privy Counsellor in 1892 . As a Liberal Unionist . The concern of Liberal Unionists was that what they perceived as the need for important reforms was being subordinated to a preoccupation with Ireland . The land reform movement was split . Joseph Arch remained a Gladstonian Liberal and ensured that Collings was deposed from the Allotments Extension Association . Collings later set up the Rural Labourers League , which supported land reform and advocated tariffs on imported food to support the rural economy . Collings proposed a system of vocational education through free schools in rural areas . Erroneously or not , Collings along with Chamberlain and others believed that land reform in Ireland would give the peasants a stake in the country and reduce poverty , but convinced neither the Liberals nor the Conservatives to attempt it . He was made an Honorary Freeman of the City of Birmingham in 1911 . Collings published Land Reform in 1906 and in 1914 The Colonization of Rural Britain . He also published The Great War : Its Lessons and Warnings in 1915 . Collings continued to be active in promoting land reform until 1918 , when he retired from Parliament on the abolition of his seat when he was then aged 87 and oldest member of the House . He died in November 1920 aged 88 . Portrait . A portrait of Collings , painted circa 1885 , by Jonathan Pratt ( 1835–1911 ) , hangs in Birmingham Council House . It is not in a public area but may be viewed by prior application . Sources . - Collings , J . and Green , J . L . ( 1920 ) The life of Jesse Collings ( 2 vols ) .
|
[
"Shrewsbury Town",
"AFC Telford United"
] |
easy
|
Andre Gray played for which team from 2009 to 2010?
|
/wiki/Andre_Gray#P54#0
|
Andre Gray Andre Anthony Gray ( born 26 June 1991 ) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Watford and the Jamaica national team . A product of the Shrewsbury Town youth system , Gray came to prominence after scoring 57 goals in 111 appearances in a two-season spell with Luton Town . He earned six caps for the England national C team from 2012 to 2014 , before being called up to the Jamaica national team and making his debut in March 2021 . Club career . Shrewsbury Town . Gray began his career in the academy at hometown club Wolverhampton Wanderers , but was released at age 13 . Gray joined the youth system at League Two club Shrewsbury Town in 2004 , signing his first professional one-year contract prior to the start of the 2009–10 season . Awarded the number 20 shirt , he made his debut on the opening day of the season , coming on as an 89th-minute substitute for Nathan Elder in a 3–1 win over Burton Albion . An injury crisis saw Gray make four further cameos , with what would be his final appearance for the club coming as a 57th-minute replacement for Kris Bright in a 2–0 Football League Trophy second round defeat to Accrington Stanley on 20 October . He spent periods of the 2009–10 season away on loan , but competition for places meant that Gray was relegated to the reserve team substitutes bench . Gray was released by Shrewsbury on 14 May 2010 , having made just five appearances for the club . Looking back on his time at Shrewsbury , Gray said I was at the stage in my life where I thought everything was set for me . I didnt really care about playing in Shrewsburys reserves , which it shouldnt have been . AFC Telford United . Gray joined Conference North club AFC Telford United on a one-month loan on 26 November 2009 . Grays good form meant that his loan was extended for a second month . He scored his first goal for the club with a late winner against local rivals Stafford Rangers on Boxing Day . Competition for places meant that Gray gradually lost his place in the team and he returned to Shrewsbury Town on 5 February 2010 . Gray played six times for the Bucks , scoring once . Hinckley United . On 5 March 2010 , Gray joined Conference North club Hinckley United on an emergency one-month loan . He made five appearances and scored no goals for the club , before returning to Shrewsbury Town . Gray returned to De Montfort Park in June 2010 and signed a permanent one-year contract with the club . His first goal for the club was a late equaliser in a 2–2 draw with Harrogate Town on 4 September . After two further goals that month in defeats to Guiseley and Eastwood Town , Grays goalscoring form dried up . His form returned in late March 2011 , when he scored a brace in a 4–0 drubbing of Redditch United . He scored four goals in a 7–2 thrashing of Solihull Moors on 23 April , before ending the 2010–11 season having made 35 appearances and scored 14 goals . Gray remained with Hinckley for the 2011–12 season and showed fine form , with his goalscoring exploits firing the Knitters to an FA Cup first round proper match versus Conference Premier club Tamworth on 12 November 2011 . He scored the opening goal in the 2–2 draw , but couldnt find the net in the replay , resulting in a 1–0 defeat . Gray also helped Hinckley reach the second round proper of the FA Trophy , scoring a late winner against Conference Premier club Wrexham in the first round , though he was unable to find the net against Luton Town in the following round , to whom they were defeated 3–0 in a replay . His exploits garnered him attention from Championship clubs . Gray made 45 appearances and scored 23 goals during the 2011–12 season . Gray departed Hinckley in the summer of 2012 , having made 85 appearances and scored 37 goals across his two spells with the club . Gray looked back on his years playing part-time with Hinckley as the point at which he regained his focus , saying as long as I still had a job and was getting paid , it was OK . Until I started playing and realised that full-time football was the only thing I wanted to do , it kicked me into gear . Being bored all day , waiting to go training , made me really want it . Luton Town . On 22 March 2012 , Gray signed for Conference Premier club Luton Town on loan until the end of the 2011–12 season with a view to a permanent move , having impressed the clubs backroom staff with his performances against the club in the FA Trophy . Going straight into the starting lineup , he scored on his debut in a 1–1 draw with Grimsby Town on 24 March and hit a goal in each of his next matches against York City , Braintree Town and Hayes & Yeading United . This meant that Gray became the only player in Luton Town history to have scored in each of his first four matches for the club . He scored his fifth goal in a 2–0 win over champions Fleetwood Town in the last match of the season to secure Luton a fifth-place finish in the league and the last available remaining play-off spot . Gray scored the opening goal in the play-off semi-final first leg at home to Wrexham , which Luton won 3–2 on aggregate to set up a final against York City at Wembley Stadium . Luton lost the match 2–1 , despite Gray scoring the opening goal after just 74 seconds . In total , he scored seven goals in 12 appearances during his loan spell . The day after the play-off final defeat , Gray signed a two-year professional contract with Luton for a fee of £30,000 . Beginning the 2012–13 season in a substitute role , Gray scored his first goal of the campaign in a 4–1 win over Macclesfield Town on 1 September 2012 as he broke back into the starting lineup . Grays performance in a 2–0 FA Cup fourth qualifying round victory over Cambridge United in late October saw him win the FA Cup Player of the Round award . On 1 December , he helped the Hatters into the third round proper of the FA Cup , scoring the opener in a 2–1 second round victory over Dorchester Town . Luton were drawn against Grays hometown club Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round and he played 89 minutes of the 1–0 giant killing on 5 January 2013 . On 14 January , following a run of ten matches in which he scored eight goals , Gray signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract , which would keep him at Kenilworth Road until June 2015 . He played 75 minutes of Lutons shock 1–0 FA Cup fourth round giant killing of Norwich City on 26 January , but the Hatters run was stopped by Millwall in the fifth round , who ran out 3–0 victors . Gray rounded out the 2012–13 season with a run of six goals in six matches , which included two braces in the Hatters final two matches of the season . Gray made 54 appearances and scored 20 goals in a season which saw Luton finish two places outside the play-offs . Gray was primarily used as an impact substitute during the beginning of the 2013–14 season , with new signing Mark Cullen preferred in a starting role by new Luton manager John Still . He scored his first goal of the season on 24 September 2013 , the clubs eleventh league match , in a 4–0 victory over Woking . He then went on a goalscoring run and reclaimed his place in the team , scoring six goals in five matches , culminating with a hat-trick in a 4–1 victory over Hyde on 12 October . A run of 11 goals in 10 matches from November through to January helped the Hatters to the top of the Conference Premier table . Gray confirmed he had no intention of leaving the club midway through the season , stating that it would be stupid to with the club having a realistic chance of promotion back to the Football League and he instructed his agent to reject any approaches . After scoring a further seven goals in four matches in February , Gray was named as the Conference Premier Player of the Month . In total , Gray scored 30 goals in 45 appearances during the 2013–14 season , and won the first silverware of his career , as Luton were promoted back to the Football League as Conference Premier champions . He was recognised by the club for his performances by winning the Young Player of the Season award.<ref Night 2013/14></ref> Gray was the leading scorer in the Conference Premier ( for which he won the leagues Golden Boot award ) and he was also named in the Conference Premier Team of the Season . He was the subject of reported transfer interest from League One neighbours Milton Keynes Dons in May 2014 , but the Dons baulked at his £300,000 price tag . Gray departed the Hatters in late June 2014 , having made 111 appearances and scored 57 goals during his time at Kenilworth Road . Brentford . On 27 June 2014 , Gray signed a three-year deal at Championship club Brentford for an undisclosed fee and was given the number 19 shirt . After joining , he said the fact that the manager wanted me was a big part in selling me on Brentford . They had a vision of how they wanted me to play and also they have a vision for this club . As soon as Brentford came along I knew it was a good opportunity for me . After scoring in friendlies versus Barnet and Nice in July 2014 , Gray made his competitive debut for the club on the opening day of the 2014–15 season against Charlton Athletic , making the first Football League start of his career . He lasted 67 minutes of the 1–1 draw before being replaced by fellow new signing Nick Proschwitz . Gray scored his first competitive goal for the club in the following match , a 6–6 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge in the League Cup first round , which Brentford won 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out . He scored the first Football League goal of his career on the stroke of half-time in a 2–0 win over Rotherham United on 30 August . After a long goalless run , Gray regained form in November , scoring five goals in four of five successive wins and receiving the Championship Player of the Month award . He also earned a place in the Football League Team of the Week for his goalscoring performances in wins over Nottingham Forest and Millwall in mid-November . Grays goal in a 3–2 win over Cardiff City on 20 December was the last of a run of seven goals in eight matches . A sparse goal return in the early months of 2015 saw manager Mark Warburton drop Gray to the bench in favour of Chris Long for the visit of Huddersfield Town to Griffin Park on 3 March . He quickly regained his starting berth and finished the regular season with four goals in his last 10 appearances , helping Brentford to fifth position and a matchup with Middlesbrough in the play-off semi-finals . He scored in the first leg , but a successful first full league season ended after a 5–1 aggregate defeat . Gray made 50 appearances and scored 18 goals during the 2014–15 season . Amidst three transfer bids from Hull City , Grays two goals in his first two appearances of the 2015–16 season prompted Brentford to offer him a new , improved contract , but he left the club on 21 August 2015 . Gray finished his time at Griffin Park having scored 20 goals in 52 appearances and departed for a club-record fee . Burnley . On 21 August 2015 , Gray joined Championship club Burnley on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee – believed to be a club-record £6 million deal – double the previous record jointly held by George Boyd and Steven Fletcher . Gray signed on the eve of Brentfords Championship clash at Turf Moor but wasnt eligible to make his debut against his former club , having signed too late . Grays former club Luton Town revealed their financial windfall after the strikers transfer to Burnley . A club statement read : We are guaranteed to receive a shade over £1.1 million from the fee which will be spread over three seasons ; an initial figure approaching £300,000 followed by two of just over £400,000 each . On 29 August 2015 , Gray made his Burnley debut in a 2–1 away victory over Bristol City . He followed up his debut by scoring his first goal for the club in second half stoppage time to complete a 3–1 home win over Sheffield Wednesday two weeks later . Grays goalscoring run of eight goals in eight matches during October and November helped Burnley keep pace with the league leaders . A further seven goals in nine matches from late December to early February , including a hat-trick in a 4–0 win over Bristol City increased his goalscoring tally to 15 , as Burnley chased the automatic promotion positions in the Championship table . Gray scored eight goals in Burnleys remaining matches to help them reach the Championship summit , including one on the final day of the 2015–16 season as Burnley secured the Championship title after a 3–0 away win over Charlton Athletic . During this time , Gray was named Championship Player of the Year and won the Golden Boot award after finishing as Championship top scorer with 25 goals , including the two he scored in his appearances for Brentford . Gray made his Premier League debut on the opening day of the 2016–17 season in a 1–0 home defeat to Swansea City . One week later , he followed up his Premier League debut by scoring his first Premier League goal in a 2–0 home win over Liverpool . Gray scored his first Premier League hat-trick in a 4–1 victory over Sunderland on 31 December 2016 to become the first Burnley player to score a Premier League hat-trick and the first Burnley player to score a top flight hat-trick since Peter Noble in 1975 . Gray finished the 2016–17 season with 36 appearances and 10 goals , helping Burnley to finish 16th in the Premier League . Watford . On 9 August 2017 , Gray signed for Premier League club Watford on a five-year contract for an undisclosed club record fee , after he rejected the offer of a new contract at Burnley , having entered the final year of his contract . He made his debut for Watford three days later as a 63rd-minute substitute for Stefano Okaka in a 3–3 home draw with Liverpool and scored his first goal on 23 September in a 2–1 victory away to Swansea City . Gray finished his first season with five goals in 33 appearances , competing with Richarlison and Troy Deeney for a starting position . Gray made 34 appearances and scored nine goals in 2018–19 . International career . Born in England , Gray is of Jamaican descent and is eligible to represent either Country internationally . Grays goalscoring record for Luton in the final months of the 2011–12 season raised the attention of the England C team and he was named in the squad for an International Challenge Trophy match against Russia U23 in June 2012 . He made his debut in a 4–0 defeat , playing the full 90 minutes . He was later called into the squad to face Belgium U23 in September 2012 . He came on as a half-time substitute for Stephen Brogan and scored his first international goal with the winner in a 2–1 victory . The win saw England C qualify for the semi-final of the International Challenge Trophy . He played in the semi-final on 5 February 2013 against Turkey A2 , which England C lost 1–0 . Gray captained England C in the second half of a 6–1 friendly win over Bermuda on 5 June 2013 , scoring the teams sixth goal . He appeared again in a 2–2 friendly draw with Czech Republic U21 in November 2013 , starting the match and lasting 70 minutes before being replaced by Dan Fitchett . Gray played in a friendly versus Jordan U23 at the King Abdullah Stadium in Amman on 4 March 2014 , starting in a 1–0 victory and was replaced by Dan Fitchett at half-time . Grays return to the Football League in June 2014 meant that he was no longer eligible for England C . He won six caps and scored two goals . In March 2021 he was one of six English-born players to receive their first call-up to the Jamaica national team . This came about due to a plot by the Jamaican Football Federation to intentionally call-up a number of English players with Jamaican backgrounds in a bid to improve the national teams chances of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup . On 25 March 2021 , Gray made his debut for Jamaica against the United States . Personal life . Gray was born in Wolverhampton , West Midlands . He was introduced to football by his grandfather and suffered heartbreak at 13-years-old when his grandfather died . Acting as a mentor and father figure for his younger half-brother Cody , Gray said I know what my grandad wants me to do and thats look after my family . Its driving me to work harder . He is an Arsenal supporter . Gray has a four-inch scar on his left cheek having been stabbed in the face in Wolverhampton in a gang-related incident in 2011 . He spoke in May 2015 of having started to grow out of the gang lifestyle around the time of the incident and credited his mother , close friends and Luton Town for turning his life around . On 23 August 2016 , Gray was charged with misconduct by the FA after a series of homophobic tweets he posted on Twitter in 2012 came to light . Four days later , it was reported that the FA were also investigating another tweet posted by Gray in 2014 which included a derogatory racial term . On 23 September , Gray was suspended for four matches and fined £25,000 . In May 2016 , Gray entered a relationship with Leigh-Anne Pinnock of the pop group Little Mix . On 28 May 2020 , Gray proposed to Pinnock on their four-year anniversary . In May 2021 , the pair announced that they are expecting their first child . Honours . Luton Town - Conference Premier : 2013–14 Burnley - Football League Championship : 2015–16 Watford - FA Cup runner-up : 2018–19 Individual - Conference Premier Player of the Month : February 2014 - Luton Town Young Player of the Season : 2013–14 - Conference Premier Golden Boot : 2013–14 - Conference Premier Team of the Season : 2013–14 - Football League Championship Player of the Month : November 2014 - Football League Championship Player of the Year : 2015–16 - Football League Championship Golden Boot : 2015–16 - PFA Team of the Year : 2015–16 Championship External links . - Profile at the Watford F.C . website
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"Hinckley United"
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Andre Gray played for which team from 2010 to 2012?
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/wiki/Andre_Gray#P54#1
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Andre Gray Andre Anthony Gray ( born 26 June 1991 ) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Watford and the Jamaica national team . A product of the Shrewsbury Town youth system , Gray came to prominence after scoring 57 goals in 111 appearances in a two-season spell with Luton Town . He earned six caps for the England national C team from 2012 to 2014 , before being called up to the Jamaica national team and making his debut in March 2021 . Club career . Shrewsbury Town . Gray began his career in the academy at hometown club Wolverhampton Wanderers , but was released at age 13 . Gray joined the youth system at League Two club Shrewsbury Town in 2004 , signing his first professional one-year contract prior to the start of the 2009–10 season . Awarded the number 20 shirt , he made his debut on the opening day of the season , coming on as an 89th-minute substitute for Nathan Elder in a 3–1 win over Burton Albion . An injury crisis saw Gray make four further cameos , with what would be his final appearance for the club coming as a 57th-minute replacement for Kris Bright in a 2–0 Football League Trophy second round defeat to Accrington Stanley on 20 October . He spent periods of the 2009–10 season away on loan , but competition for places meant that Gray was relegated to the reserve team substitutes bench . Gray was released by Shrewsbury on 14 May 2010 , having made just five appearances for the club . Looking back on his time at Shrewsbury , Gray said I was at the stage in my life where I thought everything was set for me . I didnt really care about playing in Shrewsburys reserves , which it shouldnt have been . AFC Telford United . Gray joined Conference North club AFC Telford United on a one-month loan on 26 November 2009 . Grays good form meant that his loan was extended for a second month . He scored his first goal for the club with a late winner against local rivals Stafford Rangers on Boxing Day . Competition for places meant that Gray gradually lost his place in the team and he returned to Shrewsbury Town on 5 February 2010 . Gray played six times for the Bucks , scoring once . Hinckley United . On 5 March 2010 , Gray joined Conference North club Hinckley United on an emergency one-month loan . He made five appearances and scored no goals for the club , before returning to Shrewsbury Town . Gray returned to De Montfort Park in June 2010 and signed a permanent one-year contract with the club . His first goal for the club was a late equaliser in a 2–2 draw with Harrogate Town on 4 September . After two further goals that month in defeats to Guiseley and Eastwood Town , Grays goalscoring form dried up . His form returned in late March 2011 , when he scored a brace in a 4–0 drubbing of Redditch United . He scored four goals in a 7–2 thrashing of Solihull Moors on 23 April , before ending the 2010–11 season having made 35 appearances and scored 14 goals . Gray remained with Hinckley for the 2011–12 season and showed fine form , with his goalscoring exploits firing the Knitters to an FA Cup first round proper match versus Conference Premier club Tamworth on 12 November 2011 . He scored the opening goal in the 2–2 draw , but couldnt find the net in the replay , resulting in a 1–0 defeat . Gray also helped Hinckley reach the second round proper of the FA Trophy , scoring a late winner against Conference Premier club Wrexham in the first round , though he was unable to find the net against Luton Town in the following round , to whom they were defeated 3–0 in a replay . His exploits garnered him attention from Championship clubs . Gray made 45 appearances and scored 23 goals during the 2011–12 season . Gray departed Hinckley in the summer of 2012 , having made 85 appearances and scored 37 goals across his two spells with the club . Gray looked back on his years playing part-time with Hinckley as the point at which he regained his focus , saying as long as I still had a job and was getting paid , it was OK . Until I started playing and realised that full-time football was the only thing I wanted to do , it kicked me into gear . Being bored all day , waiting to go training , made me really want it . Luton Town . On 22 March 2012 , Gray signed for Conference Premier club Luton Town on loan until the end of the 2011–12 season with a view to a permanent move , having impressed the clubs backroom staff with his performances against the club in the FA Trophy . Going straight into the starting lineup , he scored on his debut in a 1–1 draw with Grimsby Town on 24 March and hit a goal in each of his next matches against York City , Braintree Town and Hayes & Yeading United . This meant that Gray became the only player in Luton Town history to have scored in each of his first four matches for the club . He scored his fifth goal in a 2–0 win over champions Fleetwood Town in the last match of the season to secure Luton a fifth-place finish in the league and the last available remaining play-off spot . Gray scored the opening goal in the play-off semi-final first leg at home to Wrexham , which Luton won 3–2 on aggregate to set up a final against York City at Wembley Stadium . Luton lost the match 2–1 , despite Gray scoring the opening goal after just 74 seconds . In total , he scored seven goals in 12 appearances during his loan spell . The day after the play-off final defeat , Gray signed a two-year professional contract with Luton for a fee of £30,000 . Beginning the 2012–13 season in a substitute role , Gray scored his first goal of the campaign in a 4–1 win over Macclesfield Town on 1 September 2012 as he broke back into the starting lineup . Grays performance in a 2–0 FA Cup fourth qualifying round victory over Cambridge United in late October saw him win the FA Cup Player of the Round award . On 1 December , he helped the Hatters into the third round proper of the FA Cup , scoring the opener in a 2–1 second round victory over Dorchester Town . Luton were drawn against Grays hometown club Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round and he played 89 minutes of the 1–0 giant killing on 5 January 2013 . On 14 January , following a run of ten matches in which he scored eight goals , Gray signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract , which would keep him at Kenilworth Road until June 2015 . He played 75 minutes of Lutons shock 1–0 FA Cup fourth round giant killing of Norwich City on 26 January , but the Hatters run was stopped by Millwall in the fifth round , who ran out 3–0 victors . Gray rounded out the 2012–13 season with a run of six goals in six matches , which included two braces in the Hatters final two matches of the season . Gray made 54 appearances and scored 20 goals in a season which saw Luton finish two places outside the play-offs . Gray was primarily used as an impact substitute during the beginning of the 2013–14 season , with new signing Mark Cullen preferred in a starting role by new Luton manager John Still . He scored his first goal of the season on 24 September 2013 , the clubs eleventh league match , in a 4–0 victory over Woking . He then went on a goalscoring run and reclaimed his place in the team , scoring six goals in five matches , culminating with a hat-trick in a 4–1 victory over Hyde on 12 October . A run of 11 goals in 10 matches from November through to January helped the Hatters to the top of the Conference Premier table . Gray confirmed he had no intention of leaving the club midway through the season , stating that it would be stupid to with the club having a realistic chance of promotion back to the Football League and he instructed his agent to reject any approaches . After scoring a further seven goals in four matches in February , Gray was named as the Conference Premier Player of the Month . In total , Gray scored 30 goals in 45 appearances during the 2013–14 season , and won the first silverware of his career , as Luton were promoted back to the Football League as Conference Premier champions . He was recognised by the club for his performances by winning the Young Player of the Season award.<ref Night 2013/14></ref> Gray was the leading scorer in the Conference Premier ( for which he won the leagues Golden Boot award ) and he was also named in the Conference Premier Team of the Season . He was the subject of reported transfer interest from League One neighbours Milton Keynes Dons in May 2014 , but the Dons baulked at his £300,000 price tag . Gray departed the Hatters in late June 2014 , having made 111 appearances and scored 57 goals during his time at Kenilworth Road . Brentford . On 27 June 2014 , Gray signed a three-year deal at Championship club Brentford for an undisclosed fee and was given the number 19 shirt . After joining , he said the fact that the manager wanted me was a big part in selling me on Brentford . They had a vision of how they wanted me to play and also they have a vision for this club . As soon as Brentford came along I knew it was a good opportunity for me . After scoring in friendlies versus Barnet and Nice in July 2014 , Gray made his competitive debut for the club on the opening day of the 2014–15 season against Charlton Athletic , making the first Football League start of his career . He lasted 67 minutes of the 1–1 draw before being replaced by fellow new signing Nick Proschwitz . Gray scored his first competitive goal for the club in the following match , a 6–6 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge in the League Cup first round , which Brentford won 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out . He scored the first Football League goal of his career on the stroke of half-time in a 2–0 win over Rotherham United on 30 August . After a long goalless run , Gray regained form in November , scoring five goals in four of five successive wins and receiving the Championship Player of the Month award . He also earned a place in the Football League Team of the Week for his goalscoring performances in wins over Nottingham Forest and Millwall in mid-November . Grays goal in a 3–2 win over Cardiff City on 20 December was the last of a run of seven goals in eight matches . A sparse goal return in the early months of 2015 saw manager Mark Warburton drop Gray to the bench in favour of Chris Long for the visit of Huddersfield Town to Griffin Park on 3 March . He quickly regained his starting berth and finished the regular season with four goals in his last 10 appearances , helping Brentford to fifth position and a matchup with Middlesbrough in the play-off semi-finals . He scored in the first leg , but a successful first full league season ended after a 5–1 aggregate defeat . Gray made 50 appearances and scored 18 goals during the 2014–15 season . Amidst three transfer bids from Hull City , Grays two goals in his first two appearances of the 2015–16 season prompted Brentford to offer him a new , improved contract , but he left the club on 21 August 2015 . Gray finished his time at Griffin Park having scored 20 goals in 52 appearances and departed for a club-record fee . Burnley . On 21 August 2015 , Gray joined Championship club Burnley on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee – believed to be a club-record £6 million deal – double the previous record jointly held by George Boyd and Steven Fletcher . Gray signed on the eve of Brentfords Championship clash at Turf Moor but wasnt eligible to make his debut against his former club , having signed too late . Grays former club Luton Town revealed their financial windfall after the strikers transfer to Burnley . A club statement read : We are guaranteed to receive a shade over £1.1 million from the fee which will be spread over three seasons ; an initial figure approaching £300,000 followed by two of just over £400,000 each . On 29 August 2015 , Gray made his Burnley debut in a 2–1 away victory over Bristol City . He followed up his debut by scoring his first goal for the club in second half stoppage time to complete a 3–1 home win over Sheffield Wednesday two weeks later . Grays goalscoring run of eight goals in eight matches during October and November helped Burnley keep pace with the league leaders . A further seven goals in nine matches from late December to early February , including a hat-trick in a 4–0 win over Bristol City increased his goalscoring tally to 15 , as Burnley chased the automatic promotion positions in the Championship table . Gray scored eight goals in Burnleys remaining matches to help them reach the Championship summit , including one on the final day of the 2015–16 season as Burnley secured the Championship title after a 3–0 away win over Charlton Athletic . During this time , Gray was named Championship Player of the Year and won the Golden Boot award after finishing as Championship top scorer with 25 goals , including the two he scored in his appearances for Brentford . Gray made his Premier League debut on the opening day of the 2016–17 season in a 1–0 home defeat to Swansea City . One week later , he followed up his Premier League debut by scoring his first Premier League goal in a 2–0 home win over Liverpool . Gray scored his first Premier League hat-trick in a 4–1 victory over Sunderland on 31 December 2016 to become the first Burnley player to score a Premier League hat-trick and the first Burnley player to score a top flight hat-trick since Peter Noble in 1975 . Gray finished the 2016–17 season with 36 appearances and 10 goals , helping Burnley to finish 16th in the Premier League . Watford . On 9 August 2017 , Gray signed for Premier League club Watford on a five-year contract for an undisclosed club record fee , after he rejected the offer of a new contract at Burnley , having entered the final year of his contract . He made his debut for Watford three days later as a 63rd-minute substitute for Stefano Okaka in a 3–3 home draw with Liverpool and scored his first goal on 23 September in a 2–1 victory away to Swansea City . Gray finished his first season with five goals in 33 appearances , competing with Richarlison and Troy Deeney for a starting position . Gray made 34 appearances and scored nine goals in 2018–19 . International career . Born in England , Gray is of Jamaican descent and is eligible to represent either Country internationally . Grays goalscoring record for Luton in the final months of the 2011–12 season raised the attention of the England C team and he was named in the squad for an International Challenge Trophy match against Russia U23 in June 2012 . He made his debut in a 4–0 defeat , playing the full 90 minutes . He was later called into the squad to face Belgium U23 in September 2012 . He came on as a half-time substitute for Stephen Brogan and scored his first international goal with the winner in a 2–1 victory . The win saw England C qualify for the semi-final of the International Challenge Trophy . He played in the semi-final on 5 February 2013 against Turkey A2 , which England C lost 1–0 . Gray captained England C in the second half of a 6–1 friendly win over Bermuda on 5 June 2013 , scoring the teams sixth goal . He appeared again in a 2–2 friendly draw with Czech Republic U21 in November 2013 , starting the match and lasting 70 minutes before being replaced by Dan Fitchett . Gray played in a friendly versus Jordan U23 at the King Abdullah Stadium in Amman on 4 March 2014 , starting in a 1–0 victory and was replaced by Dan Fitchett at half-time . Grays return to the Football League in June 2014 meant that he was no longer eligible for England C . He won six caps and scored two goals . In March 2021 he was one of six English-born players to receive their first call-up to the Jamaica national team . This came about due to a plot by the Jamaican Football Federation to intentionally call-up a number of English players with Jamaican backgrounds in a bid to improve the national teams chances of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup . On 25 March 2021 , Gray made his debut for Jamaica against the United States . Personal life . Gray was born in Wolverhampton , West Midlands . He was introduced to football by his grandfather and suffered heartbreak at 13-years-old when his grandfather died . Acting as a mentor and father figure for his younger half-brother Cody , Gray said I know what my grandad wants me to do and thats look after my family . Its driving me to work harder . He is an Arsenal supporter . Gray has a four-inch scar on his left cheek having been stabbed in the face in Wolverhampton in a gang-related incident in 2011 . He spoke in May 2015 of having started to grow out of the gang lifestyle around the time of the incident and credited his mother , close friends and Luton Town for turning his life around . On 23 August 2016 , Gray was charged with misconduct by the FA after a series of homophobic tweets he posted on Twitter in 2012 came to light . Four days later , it was reported that the FA were also investigating another tweet posted by Gray in 2014 which included a derogatory racial term . On 23 September , Gray was suspended for four matches and fined £25,000 . In May 2016 , Gray entered a relationship with Leigh-Anne Pinnock of the pop group Little Mix . On 28 May 2020 , Gray proposed to Pinnock on their four-year anniversary . In May 2021 , the pair announced that they are expecting their first child . Honours . Luton Town - Conference Premier : 2013–14 Burnley - Football League Championship : 2015–16 Watford - FA Cup runner-up : 2018–19 Individual - Conference Premier Player of the Month : February 2014 - Luton Town Young Player of the Season : 2013–14 - Conference Premier Golden Boot : 2013–14 - Conference Premier Team of the Season : 2013–14 - Football League Championship Player of the Month : November 2014 - Football League Championship Player of the Year : 2015–16 - Football League Championship Golden Boot : 2015–16 - PFA Team of the Year : 2015–16 Championship External links . - Profile at the Watford F.C . website
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Which team did Andre Gray play for from 2012 to 2014?
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/wiki/Andre_Gray#P54#2
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Andre Gray Andre Anthony Gray ( born 26 June 1991 ) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Watford and the Jamaica national team . A product of the Shrewsbury Town youth system , Gray came to prominence after scoring 57 goals in 111 appearances in a two-season spell with Luton Town . He earned six caps for the England national C team from 2012 to 2014 , before being called up to the Jamaica national team and making his debut in March 2021 . Club career . Shrewsbury Town . Gray began his career in the academy at hometown club Wolverhampton Wanderers , but was released at age 13 . Gray joined the youth system at League Two club Shrewsbury Town in 2004 , signing his first professional one-year contract prior to the start of the 2009–10 season . Awarded the number 20 shirt , he made his debut on the opening day of the season , coming on as an 89th-minute substitute for Nathan Elder in a 3–1 win over Burton Albion . An injury crisis saw Gray make four further cameos , with what would be his final appearance for the club coming as a 57th-minute replacement for Kris Bright in a 2–0 Football League Trophy second round defeat to Accrington Stanley on 20 October . He spent periods of the 2009–10 season away on loan , but competition for places meant that Gray was relegated to the reserve team substitutes bench . Gray was released by Shrewsbury on 14 May 2010 , having made just five appearances for the club . Looking back on his time at Shrewsbury , Gray said I was at the stage in my life where I thought everything was set for me . I didnt really care about playing in Shrewsburys reserves , which it shouldnt have been . AFC Telford United . Gray joined Conference North club AFC Telford United on a one-month loan on 26 November 2009 . Grays good form meant that his loan was extended for a second month . He scored his first goal for the club with a late winner against local rivals Stafford Rangers on Boxing Day . Competition for places meant that Gray gradually lost his place in the team and he returned to Shrewsbury Town on 5 February 2010 . Gray played six times for the Bucks , scoring once . Hinckley United . On 5 March 2010 , Gray joined Conference North club Hinckley United on an emergency one-month loan . He made five appearances and scored no goals for the club , before returning to Shrewsbury Town . Gray returned to De Montfort Park in June 2010 and signed a permanent one-year contract with the club . His first goal for the club was a late equaliser in a 2–2 draw with Harrogate Town on 4 September . After two further goals that month in defeats to Guiseley and Eastwood Town , Grays goalscoring form dried up . His form returned in late March 2011 , when he scored a brace in a 4–0 drubbing of Redditch United . He scored four goals in a 7–2 thrashing of Solihull Moors on 23 April , before ending the 2010–11 season having made 35 appearances and scored 14 goals . Gray remained with Hinckley for the 2011–12 season and showed fine form , with his goalscoring exploits firing the Knitters to an FA Cup first round proper match versus Conference Premier club Tamworth on 12 November 2011 . He scored the opening goal in the 2–2 draw , but couldnt find the net in the replay , resulting in a 1–0 defeat . Gray also helped Hinckley reach the second round proper of the FA Trophy , scoring a late winner against Conference Premier club Wrexham in the first round , though he was unable to find the net against Luton Town in the following round , to whom they were defeated 3–0 in a replay . His exploits garnered him attention from Championship clubs . Gray made 45 appearances and scored 23 goals during the 2011–12 season . Gray departed Hinckley in the summer of 2012 , having made 85 appearances and scored 37 goals across his two spells with the club . Gray looked back on his years playing part-time with Hinckley as the point at which he regained his focus , saying as long as I still had a job and was getting paid , it was OK . Until I started playing and realised that full-time football was the only thing I wanted to do , it kicked me into gear . Being bored all day , waiting to go training , made me really want it . Luton Town . On 22 March 2012 , Gray signed for Conference Premier club Luton Town on loan until the end of the 2011–12 season with a view to a permanent move , having impressed the clubs backroom staff with his performances against the club in the FA Trophy . Going straight into the starting lineup , he scored on his debut in a 1–1 draw with Grimsby Town on 24 March and hit a goal in each of his next matches against York City , Braintree Town and Hayes & Yeading United . This meant that Gray became the only player in Luton Town history to have scored in each of his first four matches for the club . He scored his fifth goal in a 2–0 win over champions Fleetwood Town in the last match of the season to secure Luton a fifth-place finish in the league and the last available remaining play-off spot . Gray scored the opening goal in the play-off semi-final first leg at home to Wrexham , which Luton won 3–2 on aggregate to set up a final against York City at Wembley Stadium . Luton lost the match 2–1 , despite Gray scoring the opening goal after just 74 seconds . In total , he scored seven goals in 12 appearances during his loan spell . The day after the play-off final defeat , Gray signed a two-year professional contract with Luton for a fee of £30,000 . Beginning the 2012–13 season in a substitute role , Gray scored his first goal of the campaign in a 4–1 win over Macclesfield Town on 1 September 2012 as he broke back into the starting lineup . Grays performance in a 2–0 FA Cup fourth qualifying round victory over Cambridge United in late October saw him win the FA Cup Player of the Round award . On 1 December , he helped the Hatters into the third round proper of the FA Cup , scoring the opener in a 2–1 second round victory over Dorchester Town . Luton were drawn against Grays hometown club Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round and he played 89 minutes of the 1–0 giant killing on 5 January 2013 . On 14 January , following a run of ten matches in which he scored eight goals , Gray signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract , which would keep him at Kenilworth Road until June 2015 . He played 75 minutes of Lutons shock 1–0 FA Cup fourth round giant killing of Norwich City on 26 January , but the Hatters run was stopped by Millwall in the fifth round , who ran out 3–0 victors . Gray rounded out the 2012–13 season with a run of six goals in six matches , which included two braces in the Hatters final two matches of the season . Gray made 54 appearances and scored 20 goals in a season which saw Luton finish two places outside the play-offs . Gray was primarily used as an impact substitute during the beginning of the 2013–14 season , with new signing Mark Cullen preferred in a starting role by new Luton manager John Still . He scored his first goal of the season on 24 September 2013 , the clubs eleventh league match , in a 4–0 victory over Woking . He then went on a goalscoring run and reclaimed his place in the team , scoring six goals in five matches , culminating with a hat-trick in a 4–1 victory over Hyde on 12 October . A run of 11 goals in 10 matches from November through to January helped the Hatters to the top of the Conference Premier table . Gray confirmed he had no intention of leaving the club midway through the season , stating that it would be stupid to with the club having a realistic chance of promotion back to the Football League and he instructed his agent to reject any approaches . After scoring a further seven goals in four matches in February , Gray was named as the Conference Premier Player of the Month . In total , Gray scored 30 goals in 45 appearances during the 2013–14 season , and won the first silverware of his career , as Luton were promoted back to the Football League as Conference Premier champions . He was recognised by the club for his performances by winning the Young Player of the Season award.<ref Night 2013/14></ref> Gray was the leading scorer in the Conference Premier ( for which he won the leagues Golden Boot award ) and he was also named in the Conference Premier Team of the Season . He was the subject of reported transfer interest from League One neighbours Milton Keynes Dons in May 2014 , but the Dons baulked at his £300,000 price tag . Gray departed the Hatters in late June 2014 , having made 111 appearances and scored 57 goals during his time at Kenilworth Road . Brentford . On 27 June 2014 , Gray signed a three-year deal at Championship club Brentford for an undisclosed fee and was given the number 19 shirt . After joining , he said the fact that the manager wanted me was a big part in selling me on Brentford . They had a vision of how they wanted me to play and also they have a vision for this club . As soon as Brentford came along I knew it was a good opportunity for me . After scoring in friendlies versus Barnet and Nice in July 2014 , Gray made his competitive debut for the club on the opening day of the 2014–15 season against Charlton Athletic , making the first Football League start of his career . He lasted 67 minutes of the 1–1 draw before being replaced by fellow new signing Nick Proschwitz . Gray scored his first competitive goal for the club in the following match , a 6–6 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge in the League Cup first round , which Brentford won 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out . He scored the first Football League goal of his career on the stroke of half-time in a 2–0 win over Rotherham United on 30 August . After a long goalless run , Gray regained form in November , scoring five goals in four of five successive wins and receiving the Championship Player of the Month award . He also earned a place in the Football League Team of the Week for his goalscoring performances in wins over Nottingham Forest and Millwall in mid-November . Grays goal in a 3–2 win over Cardiff City on 20 December was the last of a run of seven goals in eight matches . A sparse goal return in the early months of 2015 saw manager Mark Warburton drop Gray to the bench in favour of Chris Long for the visit of Huddersfield Town to Griffin Park on 3 March . He quickly regained his starting berth and finished the regular season with four goals in his last 10 appearances , helping Brentford to fifth position and a matchup with Middlesbrough in the play-off semi-finals . He scored in the first leg , but a successful first full league season ended after a 5–1 aggregate defeat . Gray made 50 appearances and scored 18 goals during the 2014–15 season . Amidst three transfer bids from Hull City , Grays two goals in his first two appearances of the 2015–16 season prompted Brentford to offer him a new , improved contract , but he left the club on 21 August 2015 . Gray finished his time at Griffin Park having scored 20 goals in 52 appearances and departed for a club-record fee . Burnley . On 21 August 2015 , Gray joined Championship club Burnley on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee – believed to be a club-record £6 million deal – double the previous record jointly held by George Boyd and Steven Fletcher . Gray signed on the eve of Brentfords Championship clash at Turf Moor but wasnt eligible to make his debut against his former club , having signed too late . Grays former club Luton Town revealed their financial windfall after the strikers transfer to Burnley . A club statement read : We are guaranteed to receive a shade over £1.1 million from the fee which will be spread over three seasons ; an initial figure approaching £300,000 followed by two of just over £400,000 each . On 29 August 2015 , Gray made his Burnley debut in a 2–1 away victory over Bristol City . He followed up his debut by scoring his first goal for the club in second half stoppage time to complete a 3–1 home win over Sheffield Wednesday two weeks later . Grays goalscoring run of eight goals in eight matches during October and November helped Burnley keep pace with the league leaders . A further seven goals in nine matches from late December to early February , including a hat-trick in a 4–0 win over Bristol City increased his goalscoring tally to 15 , as Burnley chased the automatic promotion positions in the Championship table . Gray scored eight goals in Burnleys remaining matches to help them reach the Championship summit , including one on the final day of the 2015–16 season as Burnley secured the Championship title after a 3–0 away win over Charlton Athletic . During this time , Gray was named Championship Player of the Year and won the Golden Boot award after finishing as Championship top scorer with 25 goals , including the two he scored in his appearances for Brentford . Gray made his Premier League debut on the opening day of the 2016–17 season in a 1–0 home defeat to Swansea City . One week later , he followed up his Premier League debut by scoring his first Premier League goal in a 2–0 home win over Liverpool . Gray scored his first Premier League hat-trick in a 4–1 victory over Sunderland on 31 December 2016 to become the first Burnley player to score a Premier League hat-trick and the first Burnley player to score a top flight hat-trick since Peter Noble in 1975 . Gray finished the 2016–17 season with 36 appearances and 10 goals , helping Burnley to finish 16th in the Premier League . Watford . On 9 August 2017 , Gray signed for Premier League club Watford on a five-year contract for an undisclosed club record fee , after he rejected the offer of a new contract at Burnley , having entered the final year of his contract . He made his debut for Watford three days later as a 63rd-minute substitute for Stefano Okaka in a 3–3 home draw with Liverpool and scored his first goal on 23 September in a 2–1 victory away to Swansea City . Gray finished his first season with five goals in 33 appearances , competing with Richarlison and Troy Deeney for a starting position . Gray made 34 appearances and scored nine goals in 2018–19 . International career . Born in England , Gray is of Jamaican descent and is eligible to represent either Country internationally . Grays goalscoring record for Luton in the final months of the 2011–12 season raised the attention of the England C team and he was named in the squad for an International Challenge Trophy match against Russia U23 in June 2012 . He made his debut in a 4–0 defeat , playing the full 90 minutes . He was later called into the squad to face Belgium U23 in September 2012 . He came on as a half-time substitute for Stephen Brogan and scored his first international goal with the winner in a 2–1 victory . The win saw England C qualify for the semi-final of the International Challenge Trophy . He played in the semi-final on 5 February 2013 against Turkey A2 , which England C lost 1–0 . Gray captained England C in the second half of a 6–1 friendly win over Bermuda on 5 June 2013 , scoring the teams sixth goal . He appeared again in a 2–2 friendly draw with Czech Republic U21 in November 2013 , starting the match and lasting 70 minutes before being replaced by Dan Fitchett . Gray played in a friendly versus Jordan U23 at the King Abdullah Stadium in Amman on 4 March 2014 , starting in a 1–0 victory and was replaced by Dan Fitchett at half-time . Grays return to the Football League in June 2014 meant that he was no longer eligible for England C . He won six caps and scored two goals . In March 2021 he was one of six English-born players to receive their first call-up to the Jamaica national team . This came about due to a plot by the Jamaican Football Federation to intentionally call-up a number of English players with Jamaican backgrounds in a bid to improve the national teams chances of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup . On 25 March 2021 , Gray made his debut for Jamaica against the United States . Personal life . Gray was born in Wolverhampton , West Midlands . He was introduced to football by his grandfather and suffered heartbreak at 13-years-old when his grandfather died . Acting as a mentor and father figure for his younger half-brother Cody , Gray said I know what my grandad wants me to do and thats look after my family . Its driving me to work harder . He is an Arsenal supporter . Gray has a four-inch scar on his left cheek having been stabbed in the face in Wolverhampton in a gang-related incident in 2011 . He spoke in May 2015 of having started to grow out of the gang lifestyle around the time of the incident and credited his mother , close friends and Luton Town for turning his life around . On 23 August 2016 , Gray was charged with misconduct by the FA after a series of homophobic tweets he posted on Twitter in 2012 came to light . Four days later , it was reported that the FA were also investigating another tweet posted by Gray in 2014 which included a derogatory racial term . On 23 September , Gray was suspended for four matches and fined £25,000 . In May 2016 , Gray entered a relationship with Leigh-Anne Pinnock of the pop group Little Mix . On 28 May 2020 , Gray proposed to Pinnock on their four-year anniversary . In May 2021 , the pair announced that they are expecting their first child . Honours . Luton Town - Conference Premier : 2013–14 Burnley - Football League Championship : 2015–16 Watford - FA Cup runner-up : 2018–19 Individual - Conference Premier Player of the Month : February 2014 - Luton Town Young Player of the Season : 2013–14 - Conference Premier Golden Boot : 2013–14 - Conference Premier Team of the Season : 2013–14 - Football League Championship Player of the Month : November 2014 - Football League Championship Player of the Year : 2015–16 - Football League Championship Golden Boot : 2015–16 - PFA Team of the Year : 2015–16 Championship External links . - Profile at the Watford F.C . website
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"Brentford"
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Which team did the player Andre Gray belong to from 2014 to 2015?
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/wiki/Andre_Gray#P54#3
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Andre Gray Andre Anthony Gray ( born 26 June 1991 ) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Watford and the Jamaica national team . A product of the Shrewsbury Town youth system , Gray came to prominence after scoring 57 goals in 111 appearances in a two-season spell with Luton Town . He earned six caps for the England national C team from 2012 to 2014 , before being called up to the Jamaica national team and making his debut in March 2021 . Club career . Shrewsbury Town . Gray began his career in the academy at hometown club Wolverhampton Wanderers , but was released at age 13 . Gray joined the youth system at League Two club Shrewsbury Town in 2004 , signing his first professional one-year contract prior to the start of the 2009–10 season . Awarded the number 20 shirt , he made his debut on the opening day of the season , coming on as an 89th-minute substitute for Nathan Elder in a 3–1 win over Burton Albion . An injury crisis saw Gray make four further cameos , with what would be his final appearance for the club coming as a 57th-minute replacement for Kris Bright in a 2–0 Football League Trophy second round defeat to Accrington Stanley on 20 October . He spent periods of the 2009–10 season away on loan , but competition for places meant that Gray was relegated to the reserve team substitutes bench . Gray was released by Shrewsbury on 14 May 2010 , having made just five appearances for the club . Looking back on his time at Shrewsbury , Gray said I was at the stage in my life where I thought everything was set for me . I didnt really care about playing in Shrewsburys reserves , which it shouldnt have been . AFC Telford United . Gray joined Conference North club AFC Telford United on a one-month loan on 26 November 2009 . Grays good form meant that his loan was extended for a second month . He scored his first goal for the club with a late winner against local rivals Stafford Rangers on Boxing Day . Competition for places meant that Gray gradually lost his place in the team and he returned to Shrewsbury Town on 5 February 2010 . Gray played six times for the Bucks , scoring once . Hinckley United . On 5 March 2010 , Gray joined Conference North club Hinckley United on an emergency one-month loan . He made five appearances and scored no goals for the club , before returning to Shrewsbury Town . Gray returned to De Montfort Park in June 2010 and signed a permanent one-year contract with the club . His first goal for the club was a late equaliser in a 2–2 draw with Harrogate Town on 4 September . After two further goals that month in defeats to Guiseley and Eastwood Town , Grays goalscoring form dried up . His form returned in late March 2011 , when he scored a brace in a 4–0 drubbing of Redditch United . He scored four goals in a 7–2 thrashing of Solihull Moors on 23 April , before ending the 2010–11 season having made 35 appearances and scored 14 goals . Gray remained with Hinckley for the 2011–12 season and showed fine form , with his goalscoring exploits firing the Knitters to an FA Cup first round proper match versus Conference Premier club Tamworth on 12 November 2011 . He scored the opening goal in the 2–2 draw , but couldnt find the net in the replay , resulting in a 1–0 defeat . Gray also helped Hinckley reach the second round proper of the FA Trophy , scoring a late winner against Conference Premier club Wrexham in the first round , though he was unable to find the net against Luton Town in the following round , to whom they were defeated 3–0 in a replay . His exploits garnered him attention from Championship clubs . Gray made 45 appearances and scored 23 goals during the 2011–12 season . Gray departed Hinckley in the summer of 2012 , having made 85 appearances and scored 37 goals across his two spells with the club . Gray looked back on his years playing part-time with Hinckley as the point at which he regained his focus , saying as long as I still had a job and was getting paid , it was OK . Until I started playing and realised that full-time football was the only thing I wanted to do , it kicked me into gear . Being bored all day , waiting to go training , made me really want it . Luton Town . On 22 March 2012 , Gray signed for Conference Premier club Luton Town on loan until the end of the 2011–12 season with a view to a permanent move , having impressed the clubs backroom staff with his performances against the club in the FA Trophy . Going straight into the starting lineup , he scored on his debut in a 1–1 draw with Grimsby Town on 24 March and hit a goal in each of his next matches against York City , Braintree Town and Hayes & Yeading United . This meant that Gray became the only player in Luton Town history to have scored in each of his first four matches for the club . He scored his fifth goal in a 2–0 win over champions Fleetwood Town in the last match of the season to secure Luton a fifth-place finish in the league and the last available remaining play-off spot . Gray scored the opening goal in the play-off semi-final first leg at home to Wrexham , which Luton won 3–2 on aggregate to set up a final against York City at Wembley Stadium . Luton lost the match 2–1 , despite Gray scoring the opening goal after just 74 seconds . In total , he scored seven goals in 12 appearances during his loan spell . The day after the play-off final defeat , Gray signed a two-year professional contract with Luton for a fee of £30,000 . Beginning the 2012–13 season in a substitute role , Gray scored his first goal of the campaign in a 4–1 win over Macclesfield Town on 1 September 2012 as he broke back into the starting lineup . Grays performance in a 2–0 FA Cup fourth qualifying round victory over Cambridge United in late October saw him win the FA Cup Player of the Round award . On 1 December , he helped the Hatters into the third round proper of the FA Cup , scoring the opener in a 2–1 second round victory over Dorchester Town . Luton were drawn against Grays hometown club Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round and he played 89 minutes of the 1–0 giant killing on 5 January 2013 . On 14 January , following a run of ten matches in which he scored eight goals , Gray signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract , which would keep him at Kenilworth Road until June 2015 . He played 75 minutes of Lutons shock 1–0 FA Cup fourth round giant killing of Norwich City on 26 January , but the Hatters run was stopped by Millwall in the fifth round , who ran out 3–0 victors . Gray rounded out the 2012–13 season with a run of six goals in six matches , which included two braces in the Hatters final two matches of the season . Gray made 54 appearances and scored 20 goals in a season which saw Luton finish two places outside the play-offs . Gray was primarily used as an impact substitute during the beginning of the 2013–14 season , with new signing Mark Cullen preferred in a starting role by new Luton manager John Still . He scored his first goal of the season on 24 September 2013 , the clubs eleventh league match , in a 4–0 victory over Woking . He then went on a goalscoring run and reclaimed his place in the team , scoring six goals in five matches , culminating with a hat-trick in a 4–1 victory over Hyde on 12 October . A run of 11 goals in 10 matches from November through to January helped the Hatters to the top of the Conference Premier table . Gray confirmed he had no intention of leaving the club midway through the season , stating that it would be stupid to with the club having a realistic chance of promotion back to the Football League and he instructed his agent to reject any approaches . After scoring a further seven goals in four matches in February , Gray was named as the Conference Premier Player of the Month . In total , Gray scored 30 goals in 45 appearances during the 2013–14 season , and won the first silverware of his career , as Luton were promoted back to the Football League as Conference Premier champions . He was recognised by the club for his performances by winning the Young Player of the Season award.<ref Night 2013/14></ref> Gray was the leading scorer in the Conference Premier ( for which he won the leagues Golden Boot award ) and he was also named in the Conference Premier Team of the Season . He was the subject of reported transfer interest from League One neighbours Milton Keynes Dons in May 2014 , but the Dons baulked at his £300,000 price tag . Gray departed the Hatters in late June 2014 , having made 111 appearances and scored 57 goals during his time at Kenilworth Road . Brentford . On 27 June 2014 , Gray signed a three-year deal at Championship club Brentford for an undisclosed fee and was given the number 19 shirt . After joining , he said the fact that the manager wanted me was a big part in selling me on Brentford . They had a vision of how they wanted me to play and also they have a vision for this club . As soon as Brentford came along I knew it was a good opportunity for me . After scoring in friendlies versus Barnet and Nice in July 2014 , Gray made his competitive debut for the club on the opening day of the 2014–15 season against Charlton Athletic , making the first Football League start of his career . He lasted 67 minutes of the 1–1 draw before being replaced by fellow new signing Nick Proschwitz . Gray scored his first competitive goal for the club in the following match , a 6–6 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge in the League Cup first round , which Brentford won 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out . He scored the first Football League goal of his career on the stroke of half-time in a 2–0 win over Rotherham United on 30 August . After a long goalless run , Gray regained form in November , scoring five goals in four of five successive wins and receiving the Championship Player of the Month award . He also earned a place in the Football League Team of the Week for his goalscoring performances in wins over Nottingham Forest and Millwall in mid-November . Grays goal in a 3–2 win over Cardiff City on 20 December was the last of a run of seven goals in eight matches . A sparse goal return in the early months of 2015 saw manager Mark Warburton drop Gray to the bench in favour of Chris Long for the visit of Huddersfield Town to Griffin Park on 3 March . He quickly regained his starting berth and finished the regular season with four goals in his last 10 appearances , helping Brentford to fifth position and a matchup with Middlesbrough in the play-off semi-finals . He scored in the first leg , but a successful first full league season ended after a 5–1 aggregate defeat . Gray made 50 appearances and scored 18 goals during the 2014–15 season . Amidst three transfer bids from Hull City , Grays two goals in his first two appearances of the 2015–16 season prompted Brentford to offer him a new , improved contract , but he left the club on 21 August 2015 . Gray finished his time at Griffin Park having scored 20 goals in 52 appearances and departed for a club-record fee . Burnley . On 21 August 2015 , Gray joined Championship club Burnley on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee – believed to be a club-record £6 million deal – double the previous record jointly held by George Boyd and Steven Fletcher . Gray signed on the eve of Brentfords Championship clash at Turf Moor but wasnt eligible to make his debut against his former club , having signed too late . Grays former club Luton Town revealed their financial windfall after the strikers transfer to Burnley . A club statement read : We are guaranteed to receive a shade over £1.1 million from the fee which will be spread over three seasons ; an initial figure approaching £300,000 followed by two of just over £400,000 each . On 29 August 2015 , Gray made his Burnley debut in a 2–1 away victory over Bristol City . He followed up his debut by scoring his first goal for the club in second half stoppage time to complete a 3–1 home win over Sheffield Wednesday two weeks later . Grays goalscoring run of eight goals in eight matches during October and November helped Burnley keep pace with the league leaders . A further seven goals in nine matches from late December to early February , including a hat-trick in a 4–0 win over Bristol City increased his goalscoring tally to 15 , as Burnley chased the automatic promotion positions in the Championship table . Gray scored eight goals in Burnleys remaining matches to help them reach the Championship summit , including one on the final day of the 2015–16 season as Burnley secured the Championship title after a 3–0 away win over Charlton Athletic . During this time , Gray was named Championship Player of the Year and won the Golden Boot award after finishing as Championship top scorer with 25 goals , including the two he scored in his appearances for Brentford . Gray made his Premier League debut on the opening day of the 2016–17 season in a 1–0 home defeat to Swansea City . One week later , he followed up his Premier League debut by scoring his first Premier League goal in a 2–0 home win over Liverpool . Gray scored his first Premier League hat-trick in a 4–1 victory over Sunderland on 31 December 2016 to become the first Burnley player to score a Premier League hat-trick and the first Burnley player to score a top flight hat-trick since Peter Noble in 1975 . Gray finished the 2016–17 season with 36 appearances and 10 goals , helping Burnley to finish 16th in the Premier League . Watford . On 9 August 2017 , Gray signed for Premier League club Watford on a five-year contract for an undisclosed club record fee , after he rejected the offer of a new contract at Burnley , having entered the final year of his contract . He made his debut for Watford three days later as a 63rd-minute substitute for Stefano Okaka in a 3–3 home draw with Liverpool and scored his first goal on 23 September in a 2–1 victory away to Swansea City . Gray finished his first season with five goals in 33 appearances , competing with Richarlison and Troy Deeney for a starting position . Gray made 34 appearances and scored nine goals in 2018–19 . International career . Born in England , Gray is of Jamaican descent and is eligible to represent either Country internationally . Grays goalscoring record for Luton in the final months of the 2011–12 season raised the attention of the England C team and he was named in the squad for an International Challenge Trophy match against Russia U23 in June 2012 . He made his debut in a 4–0 defeat , playing the full 90 minutes . He was later called into the squad to face Belgium U23 in September 2012 . He came on as a half-time substitute for Stephen Brogan and scored his first international goal with the winner in a 2–1 victory . The win saw England C qualify for the semi-final of the International Challenge Trophy . He played in the semi-final on 5 February 2013 against Turkey A2 , which England C lost 1–0 . Gray captained England C in the second half of a 6–1 friendly win over Bermuda on 5 June 2013 , scoring the teams sixth goal . He appeared again in a 2–2 friendly draw with Czech Republic U21 in November 2013 , starting the match and lasting 70 minutes before being replaced by Dan Fitchett . Gray played in a friendly versus Jordan U23 at the King Abdullah Stadium in Amman on 4 March 2014 , starting in a 1–0 victory and was replaced by Dan Fitchett at half-time . Grays return to the Football League in June 2014 meant that he was no longer eligible for England C . He won six caps and scored two goals . In March 2021 he was one of six English-born players to receive their first call-up to the Jamaica national team . This came about due to a plot by the Jamaican Football Federation to intentionally call-up a number of English players with Jamaican backgrounds in a bid to improve the national teams chances of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup . On 25 March 2021 , Gray made his debut for Jamaica against the United States . Personal life . Gray was born in Wolverhampton , West Midlands . He was introduced to football by his grandfather and suffered heartbreak at 13-years-old when his grandfather died . Acting as a mentor and father figure for his younger half-brother Cody , Gray said I know what my grandad wants me to do and thats look after my family . Its driving me to work harder . He is an Arsenal supporter . Gray has a four-inch scar on his left cheek having been stabbed in the face in Wolverhampton in a gang-related incident in 2011 . He spoke in May 2015 of having started to grow out of the gang lifestyle around the time of the incident and credited his mother , close friends and Luton Town for turning his life around . On 23 August 2016 , Gray was charged with misconduct by the FA after a series of homophobic tweets he posted on Twitter in 2012 came to light . Four days later , it was reported that the FA were also investigating another tweet posted by Gray in 2014 which included a derogatory racial term . On 23 September , Gray was suspended for four matches and fined £25,000 . In May 2016 , Gray entered a relationship with Leigh-Anne Pinnock of the pop group Little Mix . On 28 May 2020 , Gray proposed to Pinnock on their four-year anniversary . In May 2021 , the pair announced that they are expecting their first child . Honours . Luton Town - Conference Premier : 2013–14 Burnley - Football League Championship : 2015–16 Watford - FA Cup runner-up : 2018–19 Individual - Conference Premier Player of the Month : February 2014 - Luton Town Young Player of the Season : 2013–14 - Conference Premier Golden Boot : 2013–14 - Conference Premier Team of the Season : 2013–14 - Football League Championship Player of the Month : November 2014 - Football League Championship Player of the Year : 2015–16 - Football League Championship Golden Boot : 2015–16 - PFA Team of the Year : 2015–16 Championship External links . - Profile at the Watford F.C . website
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"Burnley"
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Andre Gray played for which team from 2015 to 2016?
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/wiki/Andre_Gray#P54#4
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Andre Gray Andre Anthony Gray ( born 26 June 1991 ) is a professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Watford and the Jamaica national team . A product of the Shrewsbury Town youth system , Gray came to prominence after scoring 57 goals in 111 appearances in a two-season spell with Luton Town . He earned six caps for the England national C team from 2012 to 2014 , before being called up to the Jamaica national team and making his debut in March 2021 . Club career . Shrewsbury Town . Gray began his career in the academy at hometown club Wolverhampton Wanderers , but was released at age 13 . Gray joined the youth system at League Two club Shrewsbury Town in 2004 , signing his first professional one-year contract prior to the start of the 2009–10 season . Awarded the number 20 shirt , he made his debut on the opening day of the season , coming on as an 89th-minute substitute for Nathan Elder in a 3–1 win over Burton Albion . An injury crisis saw Gray make four further cameos , with what would be his final appearance for the club coming as a 57th-minute replacement for Kris Bright in a 2–0 Football League Trophy second round defeat to Accrington Stanley on 20 October . He spent periods of the 2009–10 season away on loan , but competition for places meant that Gray was relegated to the reserve team substitutes bench . Gray was released by Shrewsbury on 14 May 2010 , having made just five appearances for the club . Looking back on his time at Shrewsbury , Gray said I was at the stage in my life where I thought everything was set for me . I didnt really care about playing in Shrewsburys reserves , which it shouldnt have been . AFC Telford United . Gray joined Conference North club AFC Telford United on a one-month loan on 26 November 2009 . Grays good form meant that his loan was extended for a second month . He scored his first goal for the club with a late winner against local rivals Stafford Rangers on Boxing Day . Competition for places meant that Gray gradually lost his place in the team and he returned to Shrewsbury Town on 5 February 2010 . Gray played six times for the Bucks , scoring once . Hinckley United . On 5 March 2010 , Gray joined Conference North club Hinckley United on an emergency one-month loan . He made five appearances and scored no goals for the club , before returning to Shrewsbury Town . Gray returned to De Montfort Park in June 2010 and signed a permanent one-year contract with the club . His first goal for the club was a late equaliser in a 2–2 draw with Harrogate Town on 4 September . After two further goals that month in defeats to Guiseley and Eastwood Town , Grays goalscoring form dried up . His form returned in late March 2011 , when he scored a brace in a 4–0 drubbing of Redditch United . He scored four goals in a 7–2 thrashing of Solihull Moors on 23 April , before ending the 2010–11 season having made 35 appearances and scored 14 goals . Gray remained with Hinckley for the 2011–12 season and showed fine form , with his goalscoring exploits firing the Knitters to an FA Cup first round proper match versus Conference Premier club Tamworth on 12 November 2011 . He scored the opening goal in the 2–2 draw , but couldnt find the net in the replay , resulting in a 1–0 defeat . Gray also helped Hinckley reach the second round proper of the FA Trophy , scoring a late winner against Conference Premier club Wrexham in the first round , though he was unable to find the net against Luton Town in the following round , to whom they were defeated 3–0 in a replay . His exploits garnered him attention from Championship clubs . Gray made 45 appearances and scored 23 goals during the 2011–12 season . Gray departed Hinckley in the summer of 2012 , having made 85 appearances and scored 37 goals across his two spells with the club . Gray looked back on his years playing part-time with Hinckley as the point at which he regained his focus , saying as long as I still had a job and was getting paid , it was OK . Until I started playing and realised that full-time football was the only thing I wanted to do , it kicked me into gear . Being bored all day , waiting to go training , made me really want it . Luton Town . On 22 March 2012 , Gray signed for Conference Premier club Luton Town on loan until the end of the 2011–12 season with a view to a permanent move , having impressed the clubs backroom staff with his performances against the club in the FA Trophy . Going straight into the starting lineup , he scored on his debut in a 1–1 draw with Grimsby Town on 24 March and hit a goal in each of his next matches against York City , Braintree Town and Hayes & Yeading United . This meant that Gray became the only player in Luton Town history to have scored in each of his first four matches for the club . He scored his fifth goal in a 2–0 win over champions Fleetwood Town in the last match of the season to secure Luton a fifth-place finish in the league and the last available remaining play-off spot . Gray scored the opening goal in the play-off semi-final first leg at home to Wrexham , which Luton won 3–2 on aggregate to set up a final against York City at Wembley Stadium . Luton lost the match 2–1 , despite Gray scoring the opening goal after just 74 seconds . In total , he scored seven goals in 12 appearances during his loan spell . The day after the play-off final defeat , Gray signed a two-year professional contract with Luton for a fee of £30,000 . Beginning the 2012–13 season in a substitute role , Gray scored his first goal of the campaign in a 4–1 win over Macclesfield Town on 1 September 2012 as he broke back into the starting lineup . Grays performance in a 2–0 FA Cup fourth qualifying round victory over Cambridge United in late October saw him win the FA Cup Player of the Round award . On 1 December , he helped the Hatters into the third round proper of the FA Cup , scoring the opener in a 2–1 second round victory over Dorchester Town . Luton were drawn against Grays hometown club Wolverhampton Wanderers in the third round and he played 89 minutes of the 1–0 giant killing on 5 January 2013 . On 14 January , following a run of ten matches in which he scored eight goals , Gray signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract , which would keep him at Kenilworth Road until June 2015 . He played 75 minutes of Lutons shock 1–0 FA Cup fourth round giant killing of Norwich City on 26 January , but the Hatters run was stopped by Millwall in the fifth round , who ran out 3–0 victors . Gray rounded out the 2012–13 season with a run of six goals in six matches , which included two braces in the Hatters final two matches of the season . Gray made 54 appearances and scored 20 goals in a season which saw Luton finish two places outside the play-offs . Gray was primarily used as an impact substitute during the beginning of the 2013–14 season , with new signing Mark Cullen preferred in a starting role by new Luton manager John Still . He scored his first goal of the season on 24 September 2013 , the clubs eleventh league match , in a 4–0 victory over Woking . He then went on a goalscoring run and reclaimed his place in the team , scoring six goals in five matches , culminating with a hat-trick in a 4–1 victory over Hyde on 12 October . A run of 11 goals in 10 matches from November through to January helped the Hatters to the top of the Conference Premier table . Gray confirmed he had no intention of leaving the club midway through the season , stating that it would be stupid to with the club having a realistic chance of promotion back to the Football League and he instructed his agent to reject any approaches . After scoring a further seven goals in four matches in February , Gray was named as the Conference Premier Player of the Month . In total , Gray scored 30 goals in 45 appearances during the 2013–14 season , and won the first silverware of his career , as Luton were promoted back to the Football League as Conference Premier champions . He was recognised by the club for his performances by winning the Young Player of the Season award.<ref Night 2013/14></ref> Gray was the leading scorer in the Conference Premier ( for which he won the leagues Golden Boot award ) and he was also named in the Conference Premier Team of the Season . He was the subject of reported transfer interest from League One neighbours Milton Keynes Dons in May 2014 , but the Dons baulked at his £300,000 price tag . Gray departed the Hatters in late June 2014 , having made 111 appearances and scored 57 goals during his time at Kenilworth Road . Brentford . On 27 June 2014 , Gray signed a three-year deal at Championship club Brentford for an undisclosed fee and was given the number 19 shirt . After joining , he said the fact that the manager wanted me was a big part in selling me on Brentford . They had a vision of how they wanted me to play and also they have a vision for this club . As soon as Brentford came along I knew it was a good opportunity for me . After scoring in friendlies versus Barnet and Nice in July 2014 , Gray made his competitive debut for the club on the opening day of the 2014–15 season against Charlton Athletic , making the first Football League start of his career . He lasted 67 minutes of the 1–1 draw before being replaced by fellow new signing Nick Proschwitz . Gray scored his first competitive goal for the club in the following match , a 6–6 draw with Dagenham & Redbridge in the League Cup first round , which Brentford won 4–2 in a penalty shoot-out . He scored the first Football League goal of his career on the stroke of half-time in a 2–0 win over Rotherham United on 30 August . After a long goalless run , Gray regained form in November , scoring five goals in four of five successive wins and receiving the Championship Player of the Month award . He also earned a place in the Football League Team of the Week for his goalscoring performances in wins over Nottingham Forest and Millwall in mid-November . Grays goal in a 3–2 win over Cardiff City on 20 December was the last of a run of seven goals in eight matches . A sparse goal return in the early months of 2015 saw manager Mark Warburton drop Gray to the bench in favour of Chris Long for the visit of Huddersfield Town to Griffin Park on 3 March . He quickly regained his starting berth and finished the regular season with four goals in his last 10 appearances , helping Brentford to fifth position and a matchup with Middlesbrough in the play-off semi-finals . He scored in the first leg , but a successful first full league season ended after a 5–1 aggregate defeat . Gray made 50 appearances and scored 18 goals during the 2014–15 season . Amidst three transfer bids from Hull City , Grays two goals in his first two appearances of the 2015–16 season prompted Brentford to offer him a new , improved contract , but he left the club on 21 August 2015 . Gray finished his time at Griffin Park having scored 20 goals in 52 appearances and departed for a club-record fee . Burnley . On 21 August 2015 , Gray joined Championship club Burnley on a three-year contract for an undisclosed fee – believed to be a club-record £6 million deal – double the previous record jointly held by George Boyd and Steven Fletcher . Gray signed on the eve of Brentfords Championship clash at Turf Moor but wasnt eligible to make his debut against his former club , having signed too late . Grays former club Luton Town revealed their financial windfall after the strikers transfer to Burnley . A club statement read : We are guaranteed to receive a shade over £1.1 million from the fee which will be spread over three seasons ; an initial figure approaching £300,000 followed by two of just over £400,000 each . On 29 August 2015 , Gray made his Burnley debut in a 2–1 away victory over Bristol City . He followed up his debut by scoring his first goal for the club in second half stoppage time to complete a 3–1 home win over Sheffield Wednesday two weeks later . Grays goalscoring run of eight goals in eight matches during October and November helped Burnley keep pace with the league leaders . A further seven goals in nine matches from late December to early February , including a hat-trick in a 4–0 win over Bristol City increased his goalscoring tally to 15 , as Burnley chased the automatic promotion positions in the Championship table . Gray scored eight goals in Burnleys remaining matches to help them reach the Championship summit , including one on the final day of the 2015–16 season as Burnley secured the Championship title after a 3–0 away win over Charlton Athletic . During this time , Gray was named Championship Player of the Year and won the Golden Boot award after finishing as Championship top scorer with 25 goals , including the two he scored in his appearances for Brentford . Gray made his Premier League debut on the opening day of the 2016–17 season in a 1–0 home defeat to Swansea City . One week later , he followed up his Premier League debut by scoring his first Premier League goal in a 2–0 home win over Liverpool . Gray scored his first Premier League hat-trick in a 4–1 victory over Sunderland on 31 December 2016 to become the first Burnley player to score a Premier League hat-trick and the first Burnley player to score a top flight hat-trick since Peter Noble in 1975 . Gray finished the 2016–17 season with 36 appearances and 10 goals , helping Burnley to finish 16th in the Premier League . Watford . On 9 August 2017 , Gray signed for Premier League club Watford on a five-year contract for an undisclosed club record fee , after he rejected the offer of a new contract at Burnley , having entered the final year of his contract . He made his debut for Watford three days later as a 63rd-minute substitute for Stefano Okaka in a 3–3 home draw with Liverpool and scored his first goal on 23 September in a 2–1 victory away to Swansea City . Gray finished his first season with five goals in 33 appearances , competing with Richarlison and Troy Deeney for a starting position . Gray made 34 appearances and scored nine goals in 2018–19 . International career . Born in England , Gray is of Jamaican descent and is eligible to represent either Country internationally . Grays goalscoring record for Luton in the final months of the 2011–12 season raised the attention of the England C team and he was named in the squad for an International Challenge Trophy match against Russia U23 in June 2012 . He made his debut in a 4–0 defeat , playing the full 90 minutes . He was later called into the squad to face Belgium U23 in September 2012 . He came on as a half-time substitute for Stephen Brogan and scored his first international goal with the winner in a 2–1 victory . The win saw England C qualify for the semi-final of the International Challenge Trophy . He played in the semi-final on 5 February 2013 against Turkey A2 , which England C lost 1–0 . Gray captained England C in the second half of a 6–1 friendly win over Bermuda on 5 June 2013 , scoring the teams sixth goal . He appeared again in a 2–2 friendly draw with Czech Republic U21 in November 2013 , starting the match and lasting 70 minutes before being replaced by Dan Fitchett . Gray played in a friendly versus Jordan U23 at the King Abdullah Stadium in Amman on 4 March 2014 , starting in a 1–0 victory and was replaced by Dan Fitchett at half-time . Grays return to the Football League in June 2014 meant that he was no longer eligible for England C . He won six caps and scored two goals . In March 2021 he was one of six English-born players to receive their first call-up to the Jamaica national team . This came about due to a plot by the Jamaican Football Federation to intentionally call-up a number of English players with Jamaican backgrounds in a bid to improve the national teams chances of qualifying for the 2022 World Cup . On 25 March 2021 , Gray made his debut for Jamaica against the United States . Personal life . Gray was born in Wolverhampton , West Midlands . He was introduced to football by his grandfather and suffered heartbreak at 13-years-old when his grandfather died . Acting as a mentor and father figure for his younger half-brother Cody , Gray said I know what my grandad wants me to do and thats look after my family . Its driving me to work harder . He is an Arsenal supporter . Gray has a four-inch scar on his left cheek having been stabbed in the face in Wolverhampton in a gang-related incident in 2011 . He spoke in May 2015 of having started to grow out of the gang lifestyle around the time of the incident and credited his mother , close friends and Luton Town for turning his life around . On 23 August 2016 , Gray was charged with misconduct by the FA after a series of homophobic tweets he posted on Twitter in 2012 came to light . Four days later , it was reported that the FA were also investigating another tweet posted by Gray in 2014 which included a derogatory racial term . On 23 September , Gray was suspended for four matches and fined £25,000 . In May 2016 , Gray entered a relationship with Leigh-Anne Pinnock of the pop group Little Mix . On 28 May 2020 , Gray proposed to Pinnock on their four-year anniversary . In May 2021 , the pair announced that they are expecting their first child . Honours . Luton Town - Conference Premier : 2013–14 Burnley - Football League Championship : 2015–16 Watford - FA Cup runner-up : 2018–19 Individual - Conference Premier Player of the Month : February 2014 - Luton Town Young Player of the Season : 2013–14 - Conference Premier Golden Boot : 2013–14 - Conference Premier Team of the Season : 2013–14 - Football League Championship Player of the Month : November 2014 - Football League Championship Player of the Year : 2015–16 - Football League Championship Golden Boot : 2015–16 - PFA Team of the Year : 2015–16 Championship External links . - Profile at the Watford F.C . website
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[
"Rapid City"
] |
easy
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Where did Tomi Lahren live from 2013 to 2014?
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/wiki/Tomi_Lahren#P551#0
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Tomi Lahren Tomi Rae Augustus Lahren ( ; born August 11 , 1992 ) is an American conservative political commentator and former television host . She hosted Tomi on TheBlaze , where she gained notice for her short video segments called final thoughts , in which she frequently criticized liberal politics . Many of her videos went viral , with The New York Times describing her as a rising media star . Lahren was suspended from TheBlaze in March 2017 after saying in an interview on The View that she believed women should have legal access to abortion . Shortly thereafter , she began working for Great America Alliance , an advocacy organization that supports Donald Trump , and , in August 2017 , she joined Fox News as a contributor and currently hosts a talk show on Fox Nation , No Interruption ( 2018– ) . Early life and education . Lahren grew up in Rapid City , South Dakota , and graduated from Central High School in 2010 . She is of German and Norwegian descent . Lahren graduated from University of Nevada , Las Vegas in 2014 with a B.A . in broadcast journalism and political science . She hosted and associate produced the universitys political roundtable show The Scramble . Lahren interned for Republican Congresswoman Kristi Noem from South Dakota , serving as the first intern at Noems Rapid City office . Career . Hoping to find an internship in political commentary , Lahren applied to One America News Network ( OANN ) , obtained an interview , and was instead offered the opportunity to host her own show . She moved to San Diego , California and began working for OANN . On Point with Tomi Lahren debuted in August 2014 . In July 2015 , a video of her commentary on the 2015 Chattanooga shootings garnered widespread attention . On August 19 , Lahren announced that she had completed her last show with OANN . She moved to Texas and began a new show with The Blaze in November 2015 . She became known for ending her program with three-minute segments called final thoughts , in which she spoke extremely quickly . These segments became widely popular on social media . In January 2016 , Lahren endorsed Marco Rubio for president in the Republican Party presidential primary . On November 30 , Lahren appeared on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah for a 26-minute interview . Many critics compared her appearance to former host Jon Stewarts friendly rivalry with Bill OReilly . On March 17 , 2017 , Lahren made a guest appearance on The View in which she said that women should have access to abortion and that she would be a hypocrite if she supported both limited government and also government restrictions on abortion . TheBlazes owner , Glenn Beck , who is anti-abortion , criticized Lahren for her comments and suspended her with pay , leading Lahren to file a wrongful termination suit . The suit was settled under an agreement in which Lahren kept her Facebook page but removed videos she had made with TheBlaze . In May 2017 , Lahren began working in communications at Great America Alliance , an offshoot of Great America PAC , a large pro-Donald Trump super PAC chaired by Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani . Lahren described her role there as a side gig and said she would return to television as a commentator . In August 2017 , Lahren joined Fox News as a contributor . Political views . Lahren describes herself as a constitutional conservative . She has said that she is a commentator , not a journalist , and that her shows are not about presenting news neutrally , but about commentary and mak [ ing ] the news . The Daily Beast described her as a right-wing provocateur . Lahren has been described as an anti-feminist who admires strong women . Lahren has said that while she does not consider herself a feminist , she believes in womens empowerment and looks up to various women from both the political left and the political right . In March 2017 , Lahren said she was pro-abortion rights , sparking criticism from a number of anti-abortion writers . TheBlaze owner Glenn Beck , among others , noted that Lahren had previously publicly said she was anti-abortion , in addition to numerous other inconsistencies on other issues . Soon thereafter , Lahren told Playboy that she had always supported abortion rights as a matter of national law but was personally against abortion . While in college , Lahren wrote a feature for the Las Vegas Review-Journal about a classmate who had turned to stripping to support herself . Lahren is in favor of same-sex marriage . In June 2020 she supported Supreme Court justice Neil Gorsuchs vote and majority opinion in the combined cases of Bostock v . Clayton County , Altitude Express Inc . v . Zarda , and R.G . & G.R . Harris Funeral Homes Inc . v . Equal Employment Opportunity Commission , ruling that businesses cannot fire LGBTQ people for their sexuality or gender identity . Lahren stated , You can be Christian , conservative , and a proud Trump supporter and believe people should not be fired for who they love . Conservative doesnt come in one flavor , one race , one religion , one gender or one sexuality .. . and I wont sit by quietly and allow certain self-righteous and self-appointed and anointed conservative thought policemen make that decree . Lahrens commentaries have been described by critics as racist or race-baiting , which she disputes . In July 2016 , Lahren posted a tweet comparing the Black Lives Matter movement to the Ku Klux Klan . Tens of thousands of people signed a Change.org petition in response asking for her to be fired from TheBlaze . The petition was unsuccessful . In August 2016 , she released a video criticizing NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick , who had been protesting police brutality by kneeling during the playing of the national anthem before football games . In August 2018 , at a political rally for Kelli Ward , Lahren warned against voters electing RINOs ( Republicans in name only ) into Congress ; the term was applied to Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake . Lahren was criticized as cruel and disrespectful as McCain was in very poor health ; that day he discontinued medical treatment for brain cancer , and he died the next day . Many people have criticized Lahren for her behavior including former Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren . In November 2018 , Lahren said that the highlight of her Thanksgiving had been watching United States Border Patrol fire teargas at migrants trying to illegally cross over the Mexico–United States border . In December 2018 , she ran a Fox Nation segment focusing on how members of a Central American migrant caravan that had been stopped in Mexico that year were carrying diseases ; she listed several unconfirmed cases of HIV/AIDS and Chickenpox to support the claim . That same month , she urged President Trump to shut down the government to force Congress to fund the construction of a wall on the Mexico–United States border . Personal life . In June 2019 , Lahren announced on Instagram that she was engaged to her boyfriend , Brandon Fricke . The engagement was called off in 2020 . In April 2020 , Lahren moved from Los Angeles to Nashville . External links . - Fox News Insider : Tomi Lahrens Final Thoughts
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[
"San Diego"
] |
easy
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What was the residence of Tomi Lahren from 2014 to 2015?
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/wiki/Tomi_Lahren#P551#1
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Tomi Lahren Tomi Rae Augustus Lahren ( ; born August 11 , 1992 ) is an American conservative political commentator and former television host . She hosted Tomi on TheBlaze , where she gained notice for her short video segments called final thoughts , in which she frequently criticized liberal politics . Many of her videos went viral , with The New York Times describing her as a rising media star . Lahren was suspended from TheBlaze in March 2017 after saying in an interview on The View that she believed women should have legal access to abortion . Shortly thereafter , she began working for Great America Alliance , an advocacy organization that supports Donald Trump , and , in August 2017 , she joined Fox News as a contributor and currently hosts a talk show on Fox Nation , No Interruption ( 2018– ) . Early life and education . Lahren grew up in Rapid City , South Dakota , and graduated from Central High School in 2010 . She is of German and Norwegian descent . Lahren graduated from University of Nevada , Las Vegas in 2014 with a B.A . in broadcast journalism and political science . She hosted and associate produced the universitys political roundtable show The Scramble . Lahren interned for Republican Congresswoman Kristi Noem from South Dakota , serving as the first intern at Noems Rapid City office . Career . Hoping to find an internship in political commentary , Lahren applied to One America News Network ( OANN ) , obtained an interview , and was instead offered the opportunity to host her own show . She moved to San Diego , California and began working for OANN . On Point with Tomi Lahren debuted in August 2014 . In July 2015 , a video of her commentary on the 2015 Chattanooga shootings garnered widespread attention . On August 19 , Lahren announced that she had completed her last show with OANN . She moved to Texas and began a new show with The Blaze in November 2015 . She became known for ending her program with three-minute segments called final thoughts , in which she spoke extremely quickly . These segments became widely popular on social media . In January 2016 , Lahren endorsed Marco Rubio for president in the Republican Party presidential primary . On November 30 , Lahren appeared on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah for a 26-minute interview . Many critics compared her appearance to former host Jon Stewarts friendly rivalry with Bill OReilly . On March 17 , 2017 , Lahren made a guest appearance on The View in which she said that women should have access to abortion and that she would be a hypocrite if she supported both limited government and also government restrictions on abortion . TheBlazes owner , Glenn Beck , who is anti-abortion , criticized Lahren for her comments and suspended her with pay , leading Lahren to file a wrongful termination suit . The suit was settled under an agreement in which Lahren kept her Facebook page but removed videos she had made with TheBlaze . In May 2017 , Lahren began working in communications at Great America Alliance , an offshoot of Great America PAC , a large pro-Donald Trump super PAC chaired by Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani . Lahren described her role there as a side gig and said she would return to television as a commentator . In August 2017 , Lahren joined Fox News as a contributor . Political views . Lahren describes herself as a constitutional conservative . She has said that she is a commentator , not a journalist , and that her shows are not about presenting news neutrally , but about commentary and mak [ ing ] the news . The Daily Beast described her as a right-wing provocateur . Lahren has been described as an anti-feminist who admires strong women . Lahren has said that while she does not consider herself a feminist , she believes in womens empowerment and looks up to various women from both the political left and the political right . In March 2017 , Lahren said she was pro-abortion rights , sparking criticism from a number of anti-abortion writers . TheBlaze owner Glenn Beck , among others , noted that Lahren had previously publicly said she was anti-abortion , in addition to numerous other inconsistencies on other issues . Soon thereafter , Lahren told Playboy that she had always supported abortion rights as a matter of national law but was personally against abortion . While in college , Lahren wrote a feature for the Las Vegas Review-Journal about a classmate who had turned to stripping to support herself . Lahren is in favor of same-sex marriage . In June 2020 she supported Supreme Court justice Neil Gorsuchs vote and majority opinion in the combined cases of Bostock v . Clayton County , Altitude Express Inc . v . Zarda , and R.G . & G.R . Harris Funeral Homes Inc . v . Equal Employment Opportunity Commission , ruling that businesses cannot fire LGBTQ people for their sexuality or gender identity . Lahren stated , You can be Christian , conservative , and a proud Trump supporter and believe people should not be fired for who they love . Conservative doesnt come in one flavor , one race , one religion , one gender or one sexuality .. . and I wont sit by quietly and allow certain self-righteous and self-appointed and anointed conservative thought policemen make that decree . Lahrens commentaries have been described by critics as racist or race-baiting , which she disputes . In July 2016 , Lahren posted a tweet comparing the Black Lives Matter movement to the Ku Klux Klan . Tens of thousands of people signed a Change.org petition in response asking for her to be fired from TheBlaze . The petition was unsuccessful . In August 2016 , she released a video criticizing NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick , who had been protesting police brutality by kneeling during the playing of the national anthem before football games . In August 2018 , at a political rally for Kelli Ward , Lahren warned against voters electing RINOs ( Republicans in name only ) into Congress ; the term was applied to Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake . Lahren was criticized as cruel and disrespectful as McCain was in very poor health ; that day he discontinued medical treatment for brain cancer , and he died the next day . Many people have criticized Lahren for her behavior including former Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren . In November 2018 , Lahren said that the highlight of her Thanksgiving had been watching United States Border Patrol fire teargas at migrants trying to illegally cross over the Mexico–United States border . In December 2018 , she ran a Fox Nation segment focusing on how members of a Central American migrant caravan that had been stopped in Mexico that year were carrying diseases ; she listed several unconfirmed cases of HIV/AIDS and Chickenpox to support the claim . That same month , she urged President Trump to shut down the government to force Congress to fund the construction of a wall on the Mexico–United States border . Personal life . In June 2019 , Lahren announced on Instagram that she was engaged to her boyfriend , Brandon Fricke . The engagement was called off in 2020 . In April 2020 , Lahren moved from Los Angeles to Nashville . External links . - Fox News Insider : Tomi Lahrens Final Thoughts
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[
"American conservative political commentator"
] |
easy
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What was the residence of Tomi Lahren from 2015 to 2016?
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/wiki/Tomi_Lahren#P551#2
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Tomi Lahren Tomi Rae Augustus Lahren ( ; born August 11 , 1992 ) is an American conservative political commentator and former television host . She hosted Tomi on TheBlaze , where she gained notice for her short video segments called final thoughts , in which she frequently criticized liberal politics . Many of her videos went viral , with The New York Times describing her as a rising media star . Lahren was suspended from TheBlaze in March 2017 after saying in an interview on The View that she believed women should have legal access to abortion . Shortly thereafter , she began working for Great America Alliance , an advocacy organization that supports Donald Trump , and , in August 2017 , she joined Fox News as a contributor and currently hosts a talk show on Fox Nation , No Interruption ( 2018– ) . Early life and education . Lahren grew up in Rapid City , South Dakota , and graduated from Central High School in 2010 . She is of German and Norwegian descent . Lahren graduated from University of Nevada , Las Vegas in 2014 with a B.A . in broadcast journalism and political science . She hosted and associate produced the universitys political roundtable show The Scramble . Lahren interned for Republican Congresswoman Kristi Noem from South Dakota , serving as the first intern at Noems Rapid City office . Career . Hoping to find an internship in political commentary , Lahren applied to One America News Network ( OANN ) , obtained an interview , and was instead offered the opportunity to host her own show . She moved to San Diego , California and began working for OANN . On Point with Tomi Lahren debuted in August 2014 . In July 2015 , a video of her commentary on the 2015 Chattanooga shootings garnered widespread attention . On August 19 , Lahren announced that she had completed her last show with OANN . She moved to Texas and began a new show with The Blaze in November 2015 . She became known for ending her program with three-minute segments called final thoughts , in which she spoke extremely quickly . These segments became widely popular on social media . In January 2016 , Lahren endorsed Marco Rubio for president in the Republican Party presidential primary . On November 30 , Lahren appeared on The Daily Show with Trevor Noah for a 26-minute interview . Many critics compared her appearance to former host Jon Stewarts friendly rivalry with Bill OReilly . On March 17 , 2017 , Lahren made a guest appearance on The View in which she said that women should have access to abortion and that she would be a hypocrite if she supported both limited government and also government restrictions on abortion . TheBlazes owner , Glenn Beck , who is anti-abortion , criticized Lahren for her comments and suspended her with pay , leading Lahren to file a wrongful termination suit . The suit was settled under an agreement in which Lahren kept her Facebook page but removed videos she had made with TheBlaze . In May 2017 , Lahren began working in communications at Great America Alliance , an offshoot of Great America PAC , a large pro-Donald Trump super PAC chaired by Newt Gingrich and Rudy Giuliani . Lahren described her role there as a side gig and said she would return to television as a commentator . In August 2017 , Lahren joined Fox News as a contributor . Political views . Lahren describes herself as a constitutional conservative . She has said that she is a commentator , not a journalist , and that her shows are not about presenting news neutrally , but about commentary and mak [ ing ] the news . The Daily Beast described her as a right-wing provocateur . Lahren has been described as an anti-feminist who admires strong women . Lahren has said that while she does not consider herself a feminist , she believes in womens empowerment and looks up to various women from both the political left and the political right . In March 2017 , Lahren said she was pro-abortion rights , sparking criticism from a number of anti-abortion writers . TheBlaze owner Glenn Beck , among others , noted that Lahren had previously publicly said she was anti-abortion , in addition to numerous other inconsistencies on other issues . Soon thereafter , Lahren told Playboy that she had always supported abortion rights as a matter of national law but was personally against abortion . While in college , Lahren wrote a feature for the Las Vegas Review-Journal about a classmate who had turned to stripping to support herself . Lahren is in favor of same-sex marriage . In June 2020 she supported Supreme Court justice Neil Gorsuchs vote and majority opinion in the combined cases of Bostock v . Clayton County , Altitude Express Inc . v . Zarda , and R.G . & G.R . Harris Funeral Homes Inc . v . Equal Employment Opportunity Commission , ruling that businesses cannot fire LGBTQ people for their sexuality or gender identity . Lahren stated , You can be Christian , conservative , and a proud Trump supporter and believe people should not be fired for who they love . Conservative doesnt come in one flavor , one race , one religion , one gender or one sexuality .. . and I wont sit by quietly and allow certain self-righteous and self-appointed and anointed conservative thought policemen make that decree . Lahrens commentaries have been described by critics as racist or race-baiting , which she disputes . In July 2016 , Lahren posted a tweet comparing the Black Lives Matter movement to the Ku Klux Klan . Tens of thousands of people signed a Change.org petition in response asking for her to be fired from TheBlaze . The petition was unsuccessful . In August 2016 , she released a video criticizing NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick , who had been protesting police brutality by kneeling during the playing of the national anthem before football games . In August 2018 , at a political rally for Kelli Ward , Lahren warned against voters electing RINOs ( Republicans in name only ) into Congress ; the term was applied to Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake . Lahren was criticized as cruel and disrespectful as McCain was in very poor health ; that day he discontinued medical treatment for brain cancer , and he died the next day . Many people have criticized Lahren for her behavior including former Fox News anchor Greta Van Susteren . In November 2018 , Lahren said that the highlight of her Thanksgiving had been watching United States Border Patrol fire teargas at migrants trying to illegally cross over the Mexico–United States border . In December 2018 , she ran a Fox Nation segment focusing on how members of a Central American migrant caravan that had been stopped in Mexico that year were carrying diseases ; she listed several unconfirmed cases of HIV/AIDS and Chickenpox to support the claim . That same month , she urged President Trump to shut down the government to force Congress to fund the construction of a wall on the Mexico–United States border . Personal life . In June 2019 , Lahren announced on Instagram that she was engaged to her boyfriend , Brandon Fricke . The engagement was called off in 2020 . In April 2020 , Lahren moved from Los Angeles to Nashville . External links . - Fox News Insider : Tomi Lahrens Final Thoughts
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[
"Democratic Progressive Party"
] |
easy
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Which political party did Lin Cheng-chieh belong to from 1988 to 1991?
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/wiki/Lin_Cheng-chieh#P102#0
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Lin Cheng-chieh Lin Cheng-chieh ( ; born 8 November 1952 ) is a Taiwanese politician . A tangwai activist for Taiwans democratization , he helped found the Democratic Progressive Party . After leaving the DPP in 1991 , he began supporting Pan-Blue Coalition political endeavors . Early life and education . Lins father Lin Kwun-rung was a Kuomintang spy . The government sent him to China in 1956 , where he was jailed until 1980 . Following his release , Lin Kwan-rung spent three years at his ancestral home in Fujian until , with the help of his wife , he returned to Taiwan in 1983 . Lin Cheng-chieh studied political science at Tunghai University , and attended graduate school at National Chengchi University . Political career . Lin was known as one of three musketeers of the tangwai movement , alongside Chen Shui-bian and Frank Hsieh . He ran as a tangwai candidate and won a seat on the Taipei City Council in 1981 . Lin won reelection in 1985 . The next year , the defendants involved in the Kaohsiung Incident began serving their prison sentences . Lin was credited with leading a protest calling for democratization , an action that became a catalyst for the establishment of the Democratic Progressive Party , of which Lin is a founding member . Months after the protest , Lin was stripped of his office upon being imprisoned in September on charges of libel . Lin accused Hu Yi-shou of financial impropriety . Alongside libel charges , Hu filed a second lawsuit against Lin , claiming that Lin had violated election law in his 1985 campaign . In February 1987 , Lins sentence was extended by eight months . Within the DPP , he led the Progress faction , a collective opposed to Taiwan independence . Lin left the DPP in June 1991 , shortly after Fei Hsi-ping and Ju Gau-jeng , leading the party to radicalize and openly support Taiwan independence . After leaving the DPP , Lin told Alan M . Wachman in July 1991 that [ I ] t is not necessarily the case that those who identify themselves as Taiwanese support Taiwan independence.. . I know a lot of socialists who support reunification . But they speak Taiwanese . They are not willing to speak Mandarin . Lin , who had been elected to the Legislative Yuan in 1989 under the DPP banner , served most of his first term and all of his second term as an independent , stepping down in 1996 . In September 1993 Lin founded the New Parliament Magazine , a newsletter-like publication with a Pan-Blue editorial line . Despite having left the Democratic Progressive Party , Lin served as deputy mayor of Hsinchu under fellow DPP founder James Tsai . Lin later became the chairman of the Chinese Unity Promotion Party . In August 2006 , Lin slapped and kicked Chin Heng-wei , editor of the magazine Contemporary Monthly , during a joint appearance on Formosa TV . He was widely criticized by Pan-Blue and Pan-Green political leaders . The Million Voices Against Corruption , President Chen Must Go campaign , a movement he had supported , forbid Lin from participating in a sit-in protest against Chen Shui-bian . However , Lin was permitted to attend a protest outside the Presidential Office led by the group in September . The Taipei District Prosecutors Office charged Lin with inflicting bodily harm on Chin Heng-wei in October 2006 , and Lin was eventually sentenced to a 50-day prison term . In August 2007 , Lin and others were indicted for their actions during the Presidential Office protest . Despite the indictment , Lin continued small protests against Chen by founding the Nine Nine Association . In December , he led a gathering of thirty people to protest the renaming of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall . When Chen stepped down from the presidency in 2008 , Lin petitioned Chens successor , Ma Ying-jeou , to bring corruption charges against Chen . During the 2016 presidential election , Lin supported Hung Hsiu-chus campaign . Personal . Lin was married to musician T . C . Yang .
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[
""
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easy
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Which political party did Lin Cheng-chieh belong to from 2006 to 2011?
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/wiki/Lin_Cheng-chieh#P102#1
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Lin Cheng-chieh Lin Cheng-chieh ( ; born 8 November 1952 ) is a Taiwanese politician . A tangwai activist for Taiwans democratization , he helped found the Democratic Progressive Party . After leaving the DPP in 1991 , he began supporting Pan-Blue Coalition political endeavors . Early life and education . Lins father Lin Kwun-rung was a Kuomintang spy . The government sent him to China in 1956 , where he was jailed until 1980 . Following his release , Lin Kwan-rung spent three years at his ancestral home in Fujian until , with the help of his wife , he returned to Taiwan in 1983 . Lin Cheng-chieh studied political science at Tunghai University , and attended graduate school at National Chengchi University . Political career . Lin was known as one of three musketeers of the tangwai movement , alongside Chen Shui-bian and Frank Hsieh . He ran as a tangwai candidate and won a seat on the Taipei City Council in 1981 . Lin won reelection in 1985 . The next year , the defendants involved in the Kaohsiung Incident began serving their prison sentences . Lin was credited with leading a protest calling for democratization , an action that became a catalyst for the establishment of the Democratic Progressive Party , of which Lin is a founding member . Months after the protest , Lin was stripped of his office upon being imprisoned in September on charges of libel . Lin accused Hu Yi-shou of financial impropriety . Alongside libel charges , Hu filed a second lawsuit against Lin , claiming that Lin had violated election law in his 1985 campaign . In February 1987 , Lins sentence was extended by eight months . Within the DPP , he led the Progress faction , a collective opposed to Taiwan independence . Lin left the DPP in June 1991 , shortly after Fei Hsi-ping and Ju Gau-jeng , leading the party to radicalize and openly support Taiwan independence . After leaving the DPP , Lin told Alan M . Wachman in July 1991 that [ I ] t is not necessarily the case that those who identify themselves as Taiwanese support Taiwan independence.. . I know a lot of socialists who support reunification . But they speak Taiwanese . They are not willing to speak Mandarin . Lin , who had been elected to the Legislative Yuan in 1989 under the DPP banner , served most of his first term and all of his second term as an independent , stepping down in 1996 . In September 1993 Lin founded the New Parliament Magazine , a newsletter-like publication with a Pan-Blue editorial line . Despite having left the Democratic Progressive Party , Lin served as deputy mayor of Hsinchu under fellow DPP founder James Tsai . Lin later became the chairman of the Chinese Unity Promotion Party . In August 2006 , Lin slapped and kicked Chin Heng-wei , editor of the magazine Contemporary Monthly , during a joint appearance on Formosa TV . He was widely criticized by Pan-Blue and Pan-Green political leaders . The Million Voices Against Corruption , President Chen Must Go campaign , a movement he had supported , forbid Lin from participating in a sit-in protest against Chen Shui-bian . However , Lin was permitted to attend a protest outside the Presidential Office led by the group in September . The Taipei District Prosecutors Office charged Lin with inflicting bodily harm on Chin Heng-wei in October 2006 , and Lin was eventually sentenced to a 50-day prison term . In August 2007 , Lin and others were indicted for their actions during the Presidential Office protest . Despite the indictment , Lin continued small protests against Chen by founding the Nine Nine Association . In December , he led a gathering of thirty people to protest the renaming of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall . When Chen stepped down from the presidency in 2008 , Lin petitioned Chens successor , Ma Ying-jeou , to bring corruption charges against Chen . During the 2016 presidential election , Lin supported Hung Hsiu-chus campaign . Personal . Lin was married to musician T . C . Yang .
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[
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easy
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Which party was Lin Cheng-chieh a member of from 2016 to Jul 2019?
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/wiki/Lin_Cheng-chieh#P102#2
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Lin Cheng-chieh Lin Cheng-chieh ( ; born 8 November 1952 ) is a Taiwanese politician . A tangwai activist for Taiwans democratization , he helped found the Democratic Progressive Party . After leaving the DPP in 1991 , he began supporting Pan-Blue Coalition political endeavors . Early life and education . Lins father Lin Kwun-rung was a Kuomintang spy . The government sent him to China in 1956 , where he was jailed until 1980 . Following his release , Lin Kwan-rung spent three years at his ancestral home in Fujian until , with the help of his wife , he returned to Taiwan in 1983 . Lin Cheng-chieh studied political science at Tunghai University , and attended graduate school at National Chengchi University . Political career . Lin was known as one of three musketeers of the tangwai movement , alongside Chen Shui-bian and Frank Hsieh . He ran as a tangwai candidate and won a seat on the Taipei City Council in 1981 . Lin won reelection in 1985 . The next year , the defendants involved in the Kaohsiung Incident began serving their prison sentences . Lin was credited with leading a protest calling for democratization , an action that became a catalyst for the establishment of the Democratic Progressive Party , of which Lin is a founding member . Months after the protest , Lin was stripped of his office upon being imprisoned in September on charges of libel . Lin accused Hu Yi-shou of financial impropriety . Alongside libel charges , Hu filed a second lawsuit against Lin , claiming that Lin had violated election law in his 1985 campaign . In February 1987 , Lins sentence was extended by eight months . Within the DPP , he led the Progress faction , a collective opposed to Taiwan independence . Lin left the DPP in June 1991 , shortly after Fei Hsi-ping and Ju Gau-jeng , leading the party to radicalize and openly support Taiwan independence . After leaving the DPP , Lin told Alan M . Wachman in July 1991 that [ I ] t is not necessarily the case that those who identify themselves as Taiwanese support Taiwan independence.. . I know a lot of socialists who support reunification . But they speak Taiwanese . They are not willing to speak Mandarin . Lin , who had been elected to the Legislative Yuan in 1989 under the DPP banner , served most of his first term and all of his second term as an independent , stepping down in 1996 . In September 1993 Lin founded the New Parliament Magazine , a newsletter-like publication with a Pan-Blue editorial line . Despite having left the Democratic Progressive Party , Lin served as deputy mayor of Hsinchu under fellow DPP founder James Tsai . Lin later became the chairman of the Chinese Unity Promotion Party . In August 2006 , Lin slapped and kicked Chin Heng-wei , editor of the magazine Contemporary Monthly , during a joint appearance on Formosa TV . He was widely criticized by Pan-Blue and Pan-Green political leaders . The Million Voices Against Corruption , President Chen Must Go campaign , a movement he had supported , forbid Lin from participating in a sit-in protest against Chen Shui-bian . However , Lin was permitted to attend a protest outside the Presidential Office led by the group in September . The Taipei District Prosecutors Office charged Lin with inflicting bodily harm on Chin Heng-wei in October 2006 , and Lin was eventually sentenced to a 50-day prison term . In August 2007 , Lin and others were indicted for their actions during the Presidential Office protest . Despite the indictment , Lin continued small protests against Chen by founding the Nine Nine Association . In December , he led a gathering of thirty people to protest the renaming of Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall . When Chen stepped down from the presidency in 2008 , Lin petitioned Chens successor , Ma Ying-jeou , to bring corruption charges against Chen . During the 2016 presidential election , Lin supported Hung Hsiu-chus campaign . Personal . Lin was married to musician T . C . Yang .
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[
"Disston A.A"
] |
easy
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Dick Spalding played for which team from 1915 to 1916?
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/wiki/Dick_Spalding#P54#0
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Dick Spalding Charles Harry Spalding ( October 13 , 1893 – February 3 , 1950 ) was an American soccer and baseball player . C.H. , as he also was nicknamed , played the first two games in the history of the U.S . national soccer team and competed in professional soccer for nearly fifteen years , primarily with teams based in Pennsylvania . Besides , Spalding spent two seasons in Major League baseball and later served as a first base coach . A lifelong resident of Philadelphia , he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1951 . Soccer . Club career . Spalding attended the Northeast Manual Training School in Philadelphia , where he was a multi-sport athlete . He then went on to play soccer with the Lighthouse Boys Club as well as several other local Philadelphia clubs . In 1916 , when called into the U.S . national team , he was with the Disston A.A . In the fall of 1916 , he signed with Bethlehem Steel F.C . of the National Association Football League ( NAFBL ) . However , he injured his knee and did not play consistently until January 1917 . In November 1919 , he signed with Philadelphia Merchant Ship of the NAFBL . In 1921 , he joined the Harrison S.C . of the American Soccer League ( ASL ) . He then spent the 1924–1925 ASL season with Fleisher Yarn . National team . In 1916 , the United States Football Association ( USFA ) recruited a team , called the All-American Soccer Football Team , to represent the U.S . on a tour of Scandinavian countries . At the time , these countries and the U.S . were all neutral during the ongoing World War I . During the six game tour , the U.S . played two recognized international games , one on August 21 , 1916 against Sweden and another on September 3 , 1916 against Norway . There are disagreements about who scored the first national team goals . While the National Soccer Hall of Fame lists Spalding , other sources state that Thomas Swords scored an unassisted goal against Sweden . After this tour , Spalding never played for the U.S . again . He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1950 . Baseball . Player . In addition to his soccer career , Spalding was also a successful baseball player . In 1916 , while a member of the U.S . national soccer team , he played in a baseball game against a Swedish baseball team from Västerås . In 1927 , he signed as an outfielder the National League Philadelphia Phillies . In 1928 , he moved to the Washington Senators of the American League . Spalding also spent time in the International League where he played for the Rochester Red Wings and the Buffalo Bisons . First Base Coach . Spaldings friendship with Jimmie Wilson led to two stints as a first base coach . In 1934 , Wilson hired Spalding as the first base coach for the Philadelphia Phillies . In 1941 , he was brought into the Chicago Cubs , again by Wilson , to become the Cubs’ first base coach . Spalding died after a long illness in Philadelphia at the age of 56 . External links . - National Soccer Hall of Fame profile - Baseball stats
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[
"Bethlehem Steel F.C"
] |
easy
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Which team did the player Dick Spalding belong to from 1916 to 1917?
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/wiki/Dick_Spalding#P54#1
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Dick Spalding Charles Harry Spalding ( October 13 , 1893 – February 3 , 1950 ) was an American soccer and baseball player . C.H. , as he also was nicknamed , played the first two games in the history of the U.S . national soccer team and competed in professional soccer for nearly fifteen years , primarily with teams based in Pennsylvania . Besides , Spalding spent two seasons in Major League baseball and later served as a first base coach . A lifelong resident of Philadelphia , he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1951 . Soccer . Club career . Spalding attended the Northeast Manual Training School in Philadelphia , where he was a multi-sport athlete . He then went on to play soccer with the Lighthouse Boys Club as well as several other local Philadelphia clubs . In 1916 , when called into the U.S . national team , he was with the Disston A.A . In the fall of 1916 , he signed with Bethlehem Steel F.C . of the National Association Football League ( NAFBL ) . However , he injured his knee and did not play consistently until January 1917 . In November 1919 , he signed with Philadelphia Merchant Ship of the NAFBL . In 1921 , he joined the Harrison S.C . of the American Soccer League ( ASL ) . He then spent the 1924–1925 ASL season with Fleisher Yarn . National team . In 1916 , the United States Football Association ( USFA ) recruited a team , called the All-American Soccer Football Team , to represent the U.S . on a tour of Scandinavian countries . At the time , these countries and the U.S . were all neutral during the ongoing World War I . During the six game tour , the U.S . played two recognized international games , one on August 21 , 1916 against Sweden and another on September 3 , 1916 against Norway . There are disagreements about who scored the first national team goals . While the National Soccer Hall of Fame lists Spalding , other sources state that Thomas Swords scored an unassisted goal against Sweden . After this tour , Spalding never played for the U.S . again . He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1950 . Baseball . Player . In addition to his soccer career , Spalding was also a successful baseball player . In 1916 , while a member of the U.S . national soccer team , he played in a baseball game against a Swedish baseball team from Västerås . In 1927 , he signed as an outfielder the National League Philadelphia Phillies . In 1928 , he moved to the Washington Senators of the American League . Spalding also spent time in the International League where he played for the Rochester Red Wings and the Buffalo Bisons . First Base Coach . Spaldings friendship with Jimmie Wilson led to two stints as a first base coach . In 1934 , Wilson hired Spalding as the first base coach for the Philadelphia Phillies . In 1941 , he was brought into the Chicago Cubs , again by Wilson , to become the Cubs’ first base coach . Spalding died after a long illness in Philadelphia at the age of 56 . External links . - National Soccer Hall of Fame profile - Baseball stats
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[
"Philadelphia Merchant Ship"
] |
easy
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Dick Spalding played for which team from 1919 to 1921?
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/wiki/Dick_Spalding#P54#2
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Dick Spalding Charles Harry Spalding ( October 13 , 1893 – February 3 , 1950 ) was an American soccer and baseball player . C.H. , as he also was nicknamed , played the first two games in the history of the U.S . national soccer team and competed in professional soccer for nearly fifteen years , primarily with teams based in Pennsylvania . Besides , Spalding spent two seasons in Major League baseball and later served as a first base coach . A lifelong resident of Philadelphia , he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1951 . Soccer . Club career . Spalding attended the Northeast Manual Training School in Philadelphia , where he was a multi-sport athlete . He then went on to play soccer with the Lighthouse Boys Club as well as several other local Philadelphia clubs . In 1916 , when called into the U.S . national team , he was with the Disston A.A . In the fall of 1916 , he signed with Bethlehem Steel F.C . of the National Association Football League ( NAFBL ) . However , he injured his knee and did not play consistently until January 1917 . In November 1919 , he signed with Philadelphia Merchant Ship of the NAFBL . In 1921 , he joined the Harrison S.C . of the American Soccer League ( ASL ) . He then spent the 1924–1925 ASL season with Fleisher Yarn . National team . In 1916 , the United States Football Association ( USFA ) recruited a team , called the All-American Soccer Football Team , to represent the U.S . on a tour of Scandinavian countries . At the time , these countries and the U.S . were all neutral during the ongoing World War I . During the six game tour , the U.S . played two recognized international games , one on August 21 , 1916 against Sweden and another on September 3 , 1916 against Norway . There are disagreements about who scored the first national team goals . While the National Soccer Hall of Fame lists Spalding , other sources state that Thomas Swords scored an unassisted goal against Sweden . After this tour , Spalding never played for the U.S . again . He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1950 . Baseball . Player . In addition to his soccer career , Spalding was also a successful baseball player . In 1916 , while a member of the U.S . national soccer team , he played in a baseball game against a Swedish baseball team from Västerås . In 1927 , he signed as an outfielder the National League Philadelphia Phillies . In 1928 , he moved to the Washington Senators of the American League . Spalding also spent time in the International League where he played for the Rochester Red Wings and the Buffalo Bisons . First Base Coach . Spaldings friendship with Jimmie Wilson led to two stints as a first base coach . In 1934 , Wilson hired Spalding as the first base coach for the Philadelphia Phillies . In 1941 , he was brought into the Chicago Cubs , again by Wilson , to become the Cubs’ first base coach . Spalding died after a long illness in Philadelphia at the age of 56 . External links . - National Soccer Hall of Fame profile - Baseball stats
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[
"Harrison S.C"
] |
easy
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Dick Spalding played for which team from 1921 to 1922?
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/wiki/Dick_Spalding#P54#3
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Dick Spalding Charles Harry Spalding ( October 13 , 1893 – February 3 , 1950 ) was an American soccer and baseball player . C.H. , as he also was nicknamed , played the first two games in the history of the U.S . national soccer team and competed in professional soccer for nearly fifteen years , primarily with teams based in Pennsylvania . Besides , Spalding spent two seasons in Major League baseball and later served as a first base coach . A lifelong resident of Philadelphia , he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1951 . Soccer . Club career . Spalding attended the Northeast Manual Training School in Philadelphia , where he was a multi-sport athlete . He then went on to play soccer with the Lighthouse Boys Club as well as several other local Philadelphia clubs . In 1916 , when called into the U.S . national team , he was with the Disston A.A . In the fall of 1916 , he signed with Bethlehem Steel F.C . of the National Association Football League ( NAFBL ) . However , he injured his knee and did not play consistently until January 1917 . In November 1919 , he signed with Philadelphia Merchant Ship of the NAFBL . In 1921 , he joined the Harrison S.C . of the American Soccer League ( ASL ) . He then spent the 1924–1925 ASL season with Fleisher Yarn . National team . In 1916 , the United States Football Association ( USFA ) recruited a team , called the All-American Soccer Football Team , to represent the U.S . on a tour of Scandinavian countries . At the time , these countries and the U.S . were all neutral during the ongoing World War I . During the six game tour , the U.S . played two recognized international games , one on August 21 , 1916 against Sweden and another on September 3 , 1916 against Norway . There are disagreements about who scored the first national team goals . While the National Soccer Hall of Fame lists Spalding , other sources state that Thomas Swords scored an unassisted goal against Sweden . After this tour , Spalding never played for the U.S . again . He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1950 . Baseball . Player . In addition to his soccer career , Spalding was also a successful baseball player . In 1916 , while a member of the U.S . national soccer team , he played in a baseball game against a Swedish baseball team from Västerås . In 1927 , he signed as an outfielder the National League Philadelphia Phillies . In 1928 , he moved to the Washington Senators of the American League . Spalding also spent time in the International League where he played for the Rochester Red Wings and the Buffalo Bisons . First Base Coach . Spaldings friendship with Jimmie Wilson led to two stints as a first base coach . In 1934 , Wilson hired Spalding as the first base coach for the Philadelphia Phillies . In 1941 , he was brought into the Chicago Cubs , again by Wilson , to become the Cubs’ first base coach . Spalding died after a long illness in Philadelphia at the age of 56 . External links . - National Soccer Hall of Fame profile - Baseball stats
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[
"Fleisher Yarn"
] |
easy
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Which team did Dick Spalding play for from 1924 to 1925?
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/wiki/Dick_Spalding#P54#4
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Dick Spalding Charles Harry Spalding ( October 13 , 1893 – February 3 , 1950 ) was an American soccer and baseball player . C.H. , as he also was nicknamed , played the first two games in the history of the U.S . national soccer team and competed in professional soccer for nearly fifteen years , primarily with teams based in Pennsylvania . Besides , Spalding spent two seasons in Major League baseball and later served as a first base coach . A lifelong resident of Philadelphia , he was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1951 . Soccer . Club career . Spalding attended the Northeast Manual Training School in Philadelphia , where he was a multi-sport athlete . He then went on to play soccer with the Lighthouse Boys Club as well as several other local Philadelphia clubs . In 1916 , when called into the U.S . national team , he was with the Disston A.A . In the fall of 1916 , he signed with Bethlehem Steel F.C . of the National Association Football League ( NAFBL ) . However , he injured his knee and did not play consistently until January 1917 . In November 1919 , he signed with Philadelphia Merchant Ship of the NAFBL . In 1921 , he joined the Harrison S.C . of the American Soccer League ( ASL ) . He then spent the 1924–1925 ASL season with Fleisher Yarn . National team . In 1916 , the United States Football Association ( USFA ) recruited a team , called the All-American Soccer Football Team , to represent the U.S . on a tour of Scandinavian countries . At the time , these countries and the U.S . were all neutral during the ongoing World War I . During the six game tour , the U.S . played two recognized international games , one on August 21 , 1916 against Sweden and another on September 3 , 1916 against Norway . There are disagreements about who scored the first national team goals . While the National Soccer Hall of Fame lists Spalding , other sources state that Thomas Swords scored an unassisted goal against Sweden . After this tour , Spalding never played for the U.S . again . He was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1950 . Baseball . Player . In addition to his soccer career , Spalding was also a successful baseball player . In 1916 , while a member of the U.S . national soccer team , he played in a baseball game against a Swedish baseball team from Västerås . In 1927 , he signed as an outfielder the National League Philadelphia Phillies . In 1928 , he moved to the Washington Senators of the American League . Spalding also spent time in the International League where he played for the Rochester Red Wings and the Buffalo Bisons . First Base Coach . Spaldings friendship with Jimmie Wilson led to two stints as a first base coach . In 1934 , Wilson hired Spalding as the first base coach for the Philadelphia Phillies . In 1941 , he was brought into the Chicago Cubs , again by Wilson , to become the Cubs’ first base coach . Spalding died after a long illness in Philadelphia at the age of 56 . External links . - National Soccer Hall of Fame profile - Baseball stats
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[
"Saint Augusta Township"
] |
easy
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St. Augusta, Minnesota was officially named what from May 1999 to May 2000?
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/wiki/St._Augusta,_Minnesota#P1448#0
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St . Augusta , Minnesota Saint Augusta , formerly named Ventura , is a city in Stearns County , Minnesota , United States , directly south of the city of St . Cloud . The population was 3,317 at the 2010 census and has increased to 3,835 according to 2019 estimates . St . Augusta is part of the Saint Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area . History . Originally Saint Augusta Township , it incorporated as a city on May 2 , 2000 in order to avoid annexation by the city of Saint Cloud . St . Augusta was named in the 1850s after a local church . The city contains one property listed on the National Register of Historic Places : the 1873 St . Mary Help of Christians Church and its 1890 rectory . For a short time Saint Augusta was officially named Ventura in honor of then Governor Jesse Ventura , but voters decided on its current name months after incorporation , and the name was officially changed to Saint Augusta on November 7 , 2000 . Geography . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of ; is land and is water . Minnesota State Highway 15 and County Route 7 are two of the main routes in Saint Augusta . Interstate 94/U.S . Highway 52 and County Route 75 skirt the northeastern border of St . Augusta . The city of Saint Cloud is to the immediate north and northeast of Saint Augusta . Demographics . 2010 census . As of the census of 2010 , there were 3,317 people , 1,154 households , and 937 families living in the city . The population density was . There were 1,184 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.4% White , 0.5% African American , 0.1% Native American , 0.7% Asian , 0.3% from other races , and 0.9% from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population . There were 1,154 households , of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them , 71.9% were married couples living together , 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present , 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present , and 18.8% were non-families . 13.2% of all households were made up of individuals , and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older . The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.13 . The median age in the city was 36.6 years . 27.1% of residents were under the age of 18 ; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24 ; 28.2% were from 25 to 44 ; 29.4% were from 45 to 64 ; and 8.3% were 65 years of age or older . The gender makeup of the city was 50.5% male and 49.5% female . 2000 census . As of the census of 2000 , there were 3,065 people , 987 households , and 838 families living in the township . The population density was 81.4 people per square mile ( 31.4/km ) . There were 1,000 housing units at an average density of 26.6 per square mile ( 10.3/km ) . The racial makeup of the township was 98.79% White , 0.07% African American , 0.03% Native American , 0.52% Asian , 0.03% from other races , and 0.55% from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.39% of the population . There were 987 households , out of which 47.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them , 76.5% were married couples living together , 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present , and 15.0% were non-families . 11.2% of all households were made up of individuals , and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older . The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.38 . In the township the population was spread out , with 31.6% under the age of 18 , 8.5% from 18 to 24 , 30.8% from 25 to 44 , 22.9% from 45 to 64 , and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older . The median age was 34 years . For every 100 females , there were 102.4 males . For every 100 females age 18 and over , there were 103.9 males . The median income for a household in the township was $57,292 , and the median income for a family was $60,000 . Males had a median income of $36,148 versus $24,554 for females . The per capita income for the township was $21,712 . About 2.1% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including none of those under age 18 and 22.6% of those age 65 or over . External links . - City Website
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easy
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What was the official name of St. Augusta, Minnesota from May 2000 to Nov 2000?
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/wiki/St._Augusta,_Minnesota#P1448#1
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St . Augusta , Minnesota Saint Augusta , formerly named Ventura , is a city in Stearns County , Minnesota , United States , directly south of the city of St . Cloud . The population was 3,317 at the 2010 census and has increased to 3,835 according to 2019 estimates . St . Augusta is part of the Saint Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area . History . Originally Saint Augusta Township , it incorporated as a city on May 2 , 2000 in order to avoid annexation by the city of Saint Cloud . St . Augusta was named in the 1850s after a local church . The city contains one property listed on the National Register of Historic Places : the 1873 St . Mary Help of Christians Church and its 1890 rectory . For a short time Saint Augusta was officially named Ventura in honor of then Governor Jesse Ventura , but voters decided on its current name months after incorporation , and the name was officially changed to Saint Augusta on November 7 , 2000 . Geography . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of ; is land and is water . Minnesota State Highway 15 and County Route 7 are two of the main routes in Saint Augusta . Interstate 94/U.S . Highway 52 and County Route 75 skirt the northeastern border of St . Augusta . The city of Saint Cloud is to the immediate north and northeast of Saint Augusta . Demographics . 2010 census . As of the census of 2010 , there were 3,317 people , 1,154 households , and 937 families living in the city . The population density was . There were 1,184 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.4% White , 0.5% African American , 0.1% Native American , 0.7% Asian , 0.3% from other races , and 0.9% from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population . There were 1,154 households , of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them , 71.9% were married couples living together , 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present , 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present , and 18.8% were non-families . 13.2% of all households were made up of individuals , and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older . The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.13 . The median age in the city was 36.6 years . 27.1% of residents were under the age of 18 ; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24 ; 28.2% were from 25 to 44 ; 29.4% were from 45 to 64 ; and 8.3% were 65 years of age or older . The gender makeup of the city was 50.5% male and 49.5% female . 2000 census . As of the census of 2000 , there were 3,065 people , 987 households , and 838 families living in the township . The population density was 81.4 people per square mile ( 31.4/km ) . There were 1,000 housing units at an average density of 26.6 per square mile ( 10.3/km ) . The racial makeup of the township was 98.79% White , 0.07% African American , 0.03% Native American , 0.52% Asian , 0.03% from other races , and 0.55% from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.39% of the population . There were 987 households , out of which 47.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them , 76.5% were married couples living together , 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present , and 15.0% were non-families . 11.2% of all households were made up of individuals , and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older . The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.38 . In the township the population was spread out , with 31.6% under the age of 18 , 8.5% from 18 to 24 , 30.8% from 25 to 44 , 22.9% from 45 to 64 , and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older . The median age was 34 years . For every 100 females , there were 102.4 males . For every 100 females age 18 and over , there were 103.9 males . The median income for a household in the township was $57,292 , and the median income for a family was $60,000 . Males had a median income of $36,148 versus $24,554 for females . The per capita income for the township was $21,712 . About 2.1% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including none of those under age 18 and 22.6% of those age 65 or over . External links . - City Website
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[
"Saint Augusta"
] |
easy
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St. Augusta, Minnesota was officially named what from Nov 2000 to Nov 2001?
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/wiki/St._Augusta,_Minnesota#P1448#2
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St . Augusta , Minnesota Saint Augusta , formerly named Ventura , is a city in Stearns County , Minnesota , United States , directly south of the city of St . Cloud . The population was 3,317 at the 2010 census and has increased to 3,835 according to 2019 estimates . St . Augusta is part of the Saint Cloud Metropolitan Statistical Area . History . Originally Saint Augusta Township , it incorporated as a city on May 2 , 2000 in order to avoid annexation by the city of Saint Cloud . St . Augusta was named in the 1850s after a local church . The city contains one property listed on the National Register of Historic Places : the 1873 St . Mary Help of Christians Church and its 1890 rectory . For a short time Saint Augusta was officially named Ventura in honor of then Governor Jesse Ventura , but voters decided on its current name months after incorporation , and the name was officially changed to Saint Augusta on November 7 , 2000 . Geography . According to the United States Census Bureau , the city has a total area of ; is land and is water . Minnesota State Highway 15 and County Route 7 are two of the main routes in Saint Augusta . Interstate 94/U.S . Highway 52 and County Route 75 skirt the northeastern border of St . Augusta . The city of Saint Cloud is to the immediate north and northeast of Saint Augusta . Demographics . 2010 census . As of the census of 2010 , there were 3,317 people , 1,154 households , and 937 families living in the city . The population density was . There were 1,184 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.4% White , 0.5% African American , 0.1% Native American , 0.7% Asian , 0.3% from other races , and 0.9% from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population . There were 1,154 households , of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them , 71.9% were married couples living together , 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present , 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present , and 18.8% were non-families . 13.2% of all households were made up of individuals , and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older . The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.13 . The median age in the city was 36.6 years . 27.1% of residents were under the age of 18 ; 7% were between the ages of 18 and 24 ; 28.2% were from 25 to 44 ; 29.4% were from 45 to 64 ; and 8.3% were 65 years of age or older . The gender makeup of the city was 50.5% male and 49.5% female . 2000 census . As of the census of 2000 , there were 3,065 people , 987 households , and 838 families living in the township . The population density was 81.4 people per square mile ( 31.4/km ) . There were 1,000 housing units at an average density of 26.6 per square mile ( 10.3/km ) . The racial makeup of the township was 98.79% White , 0.07% African American , 0.03% Native American , 0.52% Asian , 0.03% from other races , and 0.55% from two or more races . Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.39% of the population . There were 987 households , out of which 47.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them , 76.5% were married couples living together , 5.5% had a female householder with no husband present , and 15.0% were non-families . 11.2% of all households were made up of individuals , and 3.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older . The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.38 . In the township the population was spread out , with 31.6% under the age of 18 , 8.5% from 18 to 24 , 30.8% from 25 to 44 , 22.9% from 45 to 64 , and 6.2% who were 65 years of age or older . The median age was 34 years . For every 100 females , there were 102.4 males . For every 100 females age 18 and over , there were 103.9 males . The median income for a household in the township was $57,292 , and the median income for a family was $60,000 . Males had a median income of $36,148 versus $24,554 for females . The per capita income for the township was $21,712 . About 2.1% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line , including none of those under age 18 and 22.6% of those age 65 or over . External links . - City Website
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[
"Radio Nacional de España"
] |
easy
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What was the subsidiary of RTVE from 1937 to 1979?
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/wiki/RTVE#P355#0
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RTVE The Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española , S.A . ( Spanish Radio and Television Corporation ; RTVE ) is the state-owned public corporation that assumed the indirect management of the Spanish public radio and television service formerly called Ente Público Radiotelevisión Española in 2007 . RTVE is the largest audiovisual group in Spain broadcasting in the Spanish language . Since January 2010 it is financed exclusively by public subsidies . History . RTVE throughout its history has undergone numerous restructurings and reorganisations , and has assumed numerous identities . The history of RTVE begins in 1937 with the first broadcasts by Radio Nacional de España ( RNE—Spanish National Radio ) from the city of Salamanca . In these early years , RNE served as a propaganda tool for the Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War ; it would later be used by Francisco Franco to inform the Spanish public . The national radio service depended successively on the FET y de las JONSs , on the ( since 1945 ) and on the Ministry of Information and Tourism , since the creation of the latter in 1951 . It was in July 1945 , as competencies over Press and Propaganda were transferred to the Ministry of National Education when radio broadcasting became a standalone directorate general : the Dirección General de Radiodifusión ( Directorate General for Radio Broadcasting ) . Television was officially introduced in Spain in October 1956 , and in October 1973 the two broadcasting networks , RNE and Televisión Española ( TVE—Spanish Television ) were consolidated into the Servicio Público Centralizado RadioTelevisión Española ( RTVE Centralised Public Service ) . Further consolidations followed in 1977 , at which time RTVE became an . In 1979 , TVE and RNE were joined by Radiocadena Española ( RCE ) , an old radio service that , unlike RNE , could broadcast commercials . In 1980 , RTVE was configured , by statute , as a legal public entity with its own jurisdiction . According to RTVEs annual report ( 2003 ) : This law arose from the Spanish Constitution and the political pluralism which the constitution asserts as a fundamental value of the rule of law ; and in this spirit granted RTVE the right to function as a democratic organisation . The former cinema newsreels service NO-DO was merged into RTVE to be dismantled in 1981 . Since then , the NO-DO archives are property of RTVE and its conservation is on their hands and Filmoteca Nacionals . In 1989 , RCE was dismantled and its radio service was merged into RNE . In accordance with the Law of State Radio and Television of 5 June 2006 , and in the face of an enormous deficit , the RTVE Public Body and the companies TVE , S.A . and RNE , S.A were dissolved , and on 1 January 2007 , Corporación RTVE came into existence . This change in the law put Corporación RTVE in control of Spains public radio and television service . As part of the 2007 restructuring , a controversial plan was put into action to reduce the workforce by 4,855 through attrition and retirement incentives , in spite of the fact that RTVE was the major European public broadcasting service with the smallest workforce . In 2012 political tensions associated with the austerity program of the conservative ruling party , Partido Popular ( PP ) resulted in personnel changes which displaced journalists interviewed by the centre-left The Guardian , interpreted as an effort to remove critical political comment from RTVEs content . In 2012 the PP began staffing RTVE with party veterans . Considerable controversy was caused when Ana Pastor was fired . On 11 June 2013 , RTVE was one of the few known European broadcasters to condemn and criticise the closure of Greeces state broadcaster ERT . In December 2018 , RTVE launched a web with Filmoteca Española , which is available via Internet with more than 4000 videos of Spanish films and documentaries . Amid the inability to reach a parliamentary agreement for the renovation of the administration board of RTVE , Rosa María Mateo was appointed as Provisional Sole Administrator in July 2018 . In February 2021 , the renovation was unblocked and José Manuel Pérez Tornero was shortlisted as the future chairman of the corporation . Thus , the new board was constituted on 26 March 2021 , with José Manuel Pérez Tornero as chairman and Elena Sánchez Caballero , José Manuel Martín Medem , Carmen Sastre , Jenaro Castro , Juan José Baños , Roberto Lakidain , Ramón Colom , Consuelo Aparicio and Concepción Cascajosa as board members . Television channels . RTVEs own television service comes under the Televisión Española ( TVE ) division of RTVE . All of TVEs channels broadcast in Spanish , with the exception of the broadcast of Catalan-language segments in La 1 and La 2 in the territory of Catalonia produced by . Radio stations . RTVEs radio stations come under the Radio Nacional de España ( RNE ) division of RTVE . RTVE is also responsible for the Instituto Oficial de Radio y Televisión ( IORTV , Official Institute of Radio and TV ) and the Orquesta Sinfónica y Coro de RTVE ( RTVE Symphony Orchestra and Choir ) . RTVE ( as RNE ) was admitted to full active membership of the European Broadcasting Union in 1955 . TVE joined the Eurovision Network in 1960 . The corporation has contributed to the production of more than 300 films , many of which have received awards at international film festivals around the world . From 1979 to 1987 , a second radio network known as Radiocadena Española was also a part of RTVE . RCE stations , unlike RNE , showed advertising . RCE was merged into RNE between 1987 and 1989 . NO-DO was also merged into RTVE in 1980 . Since NO-DOs closure in 1982 , RTVE and Filmoteca Española are responsible for maintaining NO-DOs archives . Internet . RTVE offers an online portal at rtve.es . The website is managed by RTVEs Interactive Media department ( ) and allows users to listen and watch live feeds of the networks radio and television stations . The portal also features blogs , news stories and offers an online catch-up service called . RTVE also offers a streaming platform aimed towards young people , Playz . Management . Pursuant to the 2006 Law of State Radio and Television , management of the national public service is entrusted to . The Board ( ) of the RTVE is the main body of RTVE , and appoints the executive officers of RTVE and its companies , approves its organisation , and approves most major activities . The Board is composed of 12 members ; 8 members are chosen by Congress and 4 by the Senate , each by two-thirds majority and each for a non-renewable mandate of 6 years , and 2 members appointed by Congress must be proposed by the 2 main trade unions at RTVE . The Chair has operational control of day-to-day operations , in order to execute the decisions and guidance of the Board . The Chair is appointed by , and may be dismissed by , Congress . Before the 2006 Act , this position was filled by the role of the Director General , which had a de facto total control of RTVE . In practice , the Director General had been chosen by the Government for their political profile . Corporación RTVE is described as a state mercantile society ( sociedad mercantil estatal ) with special autonomy and independence from the government and the general state administration , and it performs its functions through TVE and RNE . Most staff are civil servants . The News Council is an internal supervisory body composed of RTVE journalists with the aim of safeguarding RTVEs independence . Director Generals of Radiodifusión y Televisión . - ( 1957–1962 ) - ( 1962–1964 ) - Jesús Aparicio-Bernal Sánchez ( 1964–1969 ) - Adolfo Suárez González ( 1969–1973 ) - ( 1973–1974 ) - Juan José Rosón Pérez ( 1974 ) - Jesús Sancho Rof ( 1974–1975 ) - ( 1975–1976 ) - ( 1976–1977 ) Director General of Organismo Autónomo RTVE . - ( 1977–1981 ) Director Generals of Ente Público RTVE . - ( 1981 ) - Carlos Robles Piquer ( 1981–1982 ) - Eugenio Nasarre Goicoechea ( 1982 ) - ( 1982–1986 ) - Pilar Miró Romero ( 1986–1989 ) - Luis Solana Madariaga ( 1989–1990 ) - ( 1990–1996 ) - ( 1996–1997 ) - ( 1997–1998 ) - Pío Cabanillas Alonso ( 1998–2000 ) - ( 2000–2002 ) - ( 2002–2004 ) - ( 2004–2007 ) President of Corporación RTVE . - ( 2007–2009 ) - Alberto Oliart Saussol ( 2009–2011 ) - ( 2011–2014 ) - ( 2014–2018 ) - Rosa María Mateo Isasi ( 2018–2021 ) - José Manuel Pérez Tornero ( 2021– ) Correspondents . Televisión Española . - Carlos Franganillo – ( Washington , D.C. ) . - Almudena Ariza – ( New York City ) . - Iñigo Herráiz – ( Mexico City ) . - Nuria Ramos – ( Bogotá ) . - Marcos López – ( Rio de Janeiro ) . - José Ramón Patterson – ( Brussels ) . - Miguel Ángel Idígoras – ( London ) . - Marisa Rodríguez Palop – ( Paris ) . - Lorenzo Milá Mencos – ( Rome ) . - Aurora Mínguez – ( Berlin ) . - Miguel Ángel García – ( Lisbon ) . - Luis Pérez – ( Rabat ) . - Óscar Mijallo – ( Jerusalem ) . - Érika Reija – ( Moscow ) . - Mavi Doñate – ( Beijing ) . Radio Nacional de España . - Fran Sevilla – ( Washington , D.C. ) . - Antonio Delgado – ( Brussels ) . - Jodri Barcia – ( London ) . - Paco Forjas – ( Paris ) . - Sagrario Ruiz de Apodaca – ( Rome ) . - Fernando Martínez Chacón – ( Berlin ) . - Cristina Sánchez – ( Jerusalem ) .
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[
"Televisión Española"
] |
easy
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What was the subsidiary of RTVE from 1979 to 1989?
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/wiki/RTVE#P355#1
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RTVE The Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española , S.A . ( Spanish Radio and Television Corporation ; RTVE ) is the state-owned public corporation that assumed the indirect management of the Spanish public radio and television service formerly called Ente Público Radiotelevisión Española in 2007 . RTVE is the largest audiovisual group in Spain broadcasting in the Spanish language . Since January 2010 it is financed exclusively by public subsidies . History . RTVE throughout its history has undergone numerous restructurings and reorganisations , and has assumed numerous identities . The history of RTVE begins in 1937 with the first broadcasts by Radio Nacional de España ( RNE—Spanish National Radio ) from the city of Salamanca . In these early years , RNE served as a propaganda tool for the Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War ; it would later be used by Francisco Franco to inform the Spanish public . The national radio service depended successively on the FET y de las JONSs , on the ( since 1945 ) and on the Ministry of Information and Tourism , since the creation of the latter in 1951 . It was in July 1945 , as competencies over Press and Propaganda were transferred to the Ministry of National Education when radio broadcasting became a standalone directorate general : the Dirección General de Radiodifusión ( Directorate General for Radio Broadcasting ) . Television was officially introduced in Spain in October 1956 , and in October 1973 the two broadcasting networks , RNE and Televisión Española ( TVE—Spanish Television ) were consolidated into the Servicio Público Centralizado RadioTelevisión Española ( RTVE Centralised Public Service ) . Further consolidations followed in 1977 , at which time RTVE became an . In 1979 , TVE and RNE were joined by Radiocadena Española ( RCE ) , an old radio service that , unlike RNE , could broadcast commercials . In 1980 , RTVE was configured , by statute , as a legal public entity with its own jurisdiction . According to RTVEs annual report ( 2003 ) : This law arose from the Spanish Constitution and the political pluralism which the constitution asserts as a fundamental value of the rule of law ; and in this spirit granted RTVE the right to function as a democratic organisation . The former cinema newsreels service NO-DO was merged into RTVE to be dismantled in 1981 . Since then , the NO-DO archives are property of RTVE and its conservation is on their hands and Filmoteca Nacionals . In 1989 , RCE was dismantled and its radio service was merged into RNE . In accordance with the Law of State Radio and Television of 5 June 2006 , and in the face of an enormous deficit , the RTVE Public Body and the companies TVE , S.A . and RNE , S.A were dissolved , and on 1 January 2007 , Corporación RTVE came into existence . This change in the law put Corporación RTVE in control of Spains public radio and television service . As part of the 2007 restructuring , a controversial plan was put into action to reduce the workforce by 4,855 through attrition and retirement incentives , in spite of the fact that RTVE was the major European public broadcasting service with the smallest workforce . In 2012 political tensions associated with the austerity program of the conservative ruling party , Partido Popular ( PP ) resulted in personnel changes which displaced journalists interviewed by the centre-left The Guardian , interpreted as an effort to remove critical political comment from RTVEs content . In 2012 the PP began staffing RTVE with party veterans . Considerable controversy was caused when Ana Pastor was fired . On 11 June 2013 , RTVE was one of the few known European broadcasters to condemn and criticise the closure of Greeces state broadcaster ERT . In December 2018 , RTVE launched a web with Filmoteca Española , which is available via Internet with more than 4000 videos of Spanish films and documentaries . Amid the inability to reach a parliamentary agreement for the renovation of the administration board of RTVE , Rosa María Mateo was appointed as Provisional Sole Administrator in July 2018 . In February 2021 , the renovation was unblocked and José Manuel Pérez Tornero was shortlisted as the future chairman of the corporation . Thus , the new board was constituted on 26 March 2021 , with José Manuel Pérez Tornero as chairman and Elena Sánchez Caballero , José Manuel Martín Medem , Carmen Sastre , Jenaro Castro , Juan José Baños , Roberto Lakidain , Ramón Colom , Consuelo Aparicio and Concepción Cascajosa as board members . Television channels . RTVEs own television service comes under the Televisión Española ( TVE ) division of RTVE . All of TVEs channels broadcast in Spanish , with the exception of the broadcast of Catalan-language segments in La 1 and La 2 in the territory of Catalonia produced by . Radio stations . RTVEs radio stations come under the Radio Nacional de España ( RNE ) division of RTVE . RTVE is also responsible for the Instituto Oficial de Radio y Televisión ( IORTV , Official Institute of Radio and TV ) and the Orquesta Sinfónica y Coro de RTVE ( RTVE Symphony Orchestra and Choir ) . RTVE ( as RNE ) was admitted to full active membership of the European Broadcasting Union in 1955 . TVE joined the Eurovision Network in 1960 . The corporation has contributed to the production of more than 300 films , many of which have received awards at international film festivals around the world . From 1979 to 1987 , a second radio network known as Radiocadena Española was also a part of RTVE . RCE stations , unlike RNE , showed advertising . RCE was merged into RNE between 1987 and 1989 . NO-DO was also merged into RTVE in 1980 . Since NO-DOs closure in 1982 , RTVE and Filmoteca Española are responsible for maintaining NO-DOs archives . Internet . RTVE offers an online portal at rtve.es . The website is managed by RTVEs Interactive Media department ( ) and allows users to listen and watch live feeds of the networks radio and television stations . The portal also features blogs , news stories and offers an online catch-up service called . RTVE also offers a streaming platform aimed towards young people , Playz . Management . Pursuant to the 2006 Law of State Radio and Television , management of the national public service is entrusted to . The Board ( ) of the RTVE is the main body of RTVE , and appoints the executive officers of RTVE and its companies , approves its organisation , and approves most major activities . The Board is composed of 12 members ; 8 members are chosen by Congress and 4 by the Senate , each by two-thirds majority and each for a non-renewable mandate of 6 years , and 2 members appointed by Congress must be proposed by the 2 main trade unions at RTVE . The Chair has operational control of day-to-day operations , in order to execute the decisions and guidance of the Board . The Chair is appointed by , and may be dismissed by , Congress . Before the 2006 Act , this position was filled by the role of the Director General , which had a de facto total control of RTVE . In practice , the Director General had been chosen by the Government for their political profile . Corporación RTVE is described as a state mercantile society ( sociedad mercantil estatal ) with special autonomy and independence from the government and the general state administration , and it performs its functions through TVE and RNE . Most staff are civil servants . The News Council is an internal supervisory body composed of RTVE journalists with the aim of safeguarding RTVEs independence . Director Generals of Radiodifusión y Televisión . - ( 1957–1962 ) - ( 1962–1964 ) - Jesús Aparicio-Bernal Sánchez ( 1964–1969 ) - Adolfo Suárez González ( 1969–1973 ) - ( 1973–1974 ) - Juan José Rosón Pérez ( 1974 ) - Jesús Sancho Rof ( 1974–1975 ) - ( 1975–1976 ) - ( 1976–1977 ) Director General of Organismo Autónomo RTVE . - ( 1977–1981 ) Director Generals of Ente Público RTVE . - ( 1981 ) - Carlos Robles Piquer ( 1981–1982 ) - Eugenio Nasarre Goicoechea ( 1982 ) - ( 1982–1986 ) - Pilar Miró Romero ( 1986–1989 ) - Luis Solana Madariaga ( 1989–1990 ) - ( 1990–1996 ) - ( 1996–1997 ) - ( 1997–1998 ) - Pío Cabanillas Alonso ( 1998–2000 ) - ( 2000–2002 ) - ( 2002–2004 ) - ( 2004–2007 ) President of Corporación RTVE . - ( 2007–2009 ) - Alberto Oliart Saussol ( 2009–2011 ) - ( 2011–2014 ) - ( 2014–2018 ) - Rosa María Mateo Isasi ( 2018–2021 ) - José Manuel Pérez Tornero ( 2021– ) Correspondents . Televisión Española . - Carlos Franganillo – ( Washington , D.C. ) . - Almudena Ariza – ( New York City ) . - Iñigo Herráiz – ( Mexico City ) . - Nuria Ramos – ( Bogotá ) . - Marcos López – ( Rio de Janeiro ) . - José Ramón Patterson – ( Brussels ) . - Miguel Ángel Idígoras – ( London ) . - Marisa Rodríguez Palop – ( Paris ) . - Lorenzo Milá Mencos – ( Rome ) . - Aurora Mínguez – ( Berlin ) . - Miguel Ángel García – ( Lisbon ) . - Luis Pérez – ( Rabat ) . - Óscar Mijallo – ( Jerusalem ) . - Érika Reija – ( Moscow ) . - Mavi Doñate – ( Beijing ) . Radio Nacional de España . - Fran Sevilla – ( Washington , D.C. ) . - Antonio Delgado – ( Brussels ) . - Jodri Barcia – ( London ) . - Paco Forjas – ( Paris ) . - Sagrario Ruiz de Apodaca – ( Rome ) . - Fernando Martínez Chacón – ( Berlin ) . - Cristina Sánchez – ( Jerusalem ) .
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[
"Arvid Flory"
] |
easy
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Who commanded Swedish Air Force Flying School from 1931 to 1932?
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/wiki/Swedish_Air_Force_Flying_School#P4791#0
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Swedish Air Force Flying School Swedish Air Force Flying School ( ) , also F 5 Ljungbyhed , or simply F 5 , is a former Swedish Air Force training wing with the main base located in Ljungbyhed in southern Sweden . History . The moor at Ljungby was adopted for military use in 1658 by the Scanian Hussar Regiment as a training ground . In 1910 , the first flights were commenced from the grounds . Enoch Thulin set up a public flying school on June 16 , 1915 . In 1926 , the newly formed Swedish Air Force set up their flying school at Ljungbyhed . Between 1983 and 1996 the Air Force school of meteorology was also located at Ljungbyhed . In 1996 , F 5 Ljungbyhed was decommissioned and the pilot training was taken over by the Scania Air Force Wing ( F 10 ) . Currently , Lund University School of Aviation has commercial flying training at Ljungbyhed Airport ( ICAO : ESTL ) . Heraldry and traditions . Coat of arms . The units first coat of arms was used until 1994 . Blazon : Azure , under three open crowns or placed two and one , an eagle wings elevated and displayed , on its breast a smaller sinister turned eagle , all or . Its second coat of arms was used from 1994 to 1998 and by the Flying School at F 10 from 1998 to 2002 , and by the Flying School at F 16 from 2002 to 2003 and by the Flying School at F 17 from 2003 . Blazon : Or , an eagle azure wings elevated and displayed , on its breast a shield or with a smaller sinister turned eagle azure . On a chief azure a winged two-bladed propeller or . Colours , standards and guidons . The units first colour was presented at F 8 at Barkarby on 6 June 1939 by His Majesty the King Gustaf V . Blazon : On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force ; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper , all or . In the first corner , three yellow open crowns , arranged two and one . The units second colour was presented at F 5 Ljungbyhed on 25 August 1996 by His Majesty the King Carl XVI Gustaf . The colour was used as school colour at the Scania Air Force Wing ( F 10 ) from 1 July 1998 to 31 December 2002 and at the Uppland Air Force Wing ( F 16 ) from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003 . The colour was drawn by Kristina Åkerberg and embroidered by machine in insertion technique by Engelbrektsson flag factory . Blazon : On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force ; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper . In the first corner an eagle , wings elevated and displayed , on its breast an escutcheon with a sinister-turned eagle . All décor in yellow . March . ”Krigsflygskolans marsch” composed by the headmaster of the municipal music school in Nynäshamn , Sverker Hållander . The march was adopted and established on 20 August 1984 . Commanding officers . Commanding officers from 1926 to 1998 . The commanding officer was referred to as skolchef ( chief of school ) and had the rank of colonel . - 1926–1932 : Arvid Flory - 1932–1943 : Åge Lundström - 1943–1952 : Ingemar Nygren - 1952–1957 : Knut Lindahl - 1957–1965 : Åke Rehnberg - 1965–1971 : Bengt Bellander - 1971–1975 : Åke Lönnberg - 1975–1987 : Per Widmark - 1987–1998 : Sven Sjöling
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[
"Åge Lundström"
] |
easy
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Who was the commander of Swedish Air Force Flying School from 1932 to 1943?
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/wiki/Swedish_Air_Force_Flying_School#P4791#1
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Swedish Air Force Flying School Swedish Air Force Flying School ( ) , also F 5 Ljungbyhed , or simply F 5 , is a former Swedish Air Force training wing with the main base located in Ljungbyhed in southern Sweden . History . The moor at Ljungby was adopted for military use in 1658 by the Scanian Hussar Regiment as a training ground . In 1910 , the first flights were commenced from the grounds . Enoch Thulin set up a public flying school on June 16 , 1915 . In 1926 , the newly formed Swedish Air Force set up their flying school at Ljungbyhed . Between 1983 and 1996 the Air Force school of meteorology was also located at Ljungbyhed . In 1996 , F 5 Ljungbyhed was decommissioned and the pilot training was taken over by the Scania Air Force Wing ( F 10 ) . Currently , Lund University School of Aviation has commercial flying training at Ljungbyhed Airport ( ICAO : ESTL ) . Heraldry and traditions . Coat of arms . The units first coat of arms was used until 1994 . Blazon : Azure , under three open crowns or placed two and one , an eagle wings elevated and displayed , on its breast a smaller sinister turned eagle , all or . Its second coat of arms was used from 1994 to 1998 and by the Flying School at F 10 from 1998 to 2002 , and by the Flying School at F 16 from 2002 to 2003 and by the Flying School at F 17 from 2003 . Blazon : Or , an eagle azure wings elevated and displayed , on its breast a shield or with a smaller sinister turned eagle azure . On a chief azure a winged two-bladed propeller or . Colours , standards and guidons . The units first colour was presented at F 8 at Barkarby on 6 June 1939 by His Majesty the King Gustaf V . Blazon : On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force ; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper , all or . In the first corner , three yellow open crowns , arranged two and one . The units second colour was presented at F 5 Ljungbyhed on 25 August 1996 by His Majesty the King Carl XVI Gustaf . The colour was used as school colour at the Scania Air Force Wing ( F 10 ) from 1 July 1998 to 31 December 2002 and at the Uppland Air Force Wing ( F 16 ) from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003 . The colour was drawn by Kristina Åkerberg and embroidered by machine in insertion technique by Engelbrektsson flag factory . Blazon : On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force ; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper . In the first corner an eagle , wings elevated and displayed , on its breast an escutcheon with a sinister-turned eagle . All décor in yellow . March . ”Krigsflygskolans marsch” composed by the headmaster of the municipal music school in Nynäshamn , Sverker Hållander . The march was adopted and established on 20 August 1984 . Commanding officers . Commanding officers from 1926 to 1998 . The commanding officer was referred to as skolchef ( chief of school ) and had the rank of colonel . - 1926–1932 : Arvid Flory - 1932–1943 : Åge Lundström - 1943–1952 : Ingemar Nygren - 1952–1957 : Knut Lindahl - 1957–1965 : Åke Rehnberg - 1965–1971 : Bengt Bellander - 1971–1975 : Åke Lönnberg - 1975–1987 : Per Widmark - 1987–1998 : Sven Sjöling
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[
"Ingemar Nygren"
] |
easy
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Who commanded Swedish Air Force Flying School from 1943 to 1952?
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/wiki/Swedish_Air_Force_Flying_School#P4791#2
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Swedish Air Force Flying School Swedish Air Force Flying School ( ) , also F 5 Ljungbyhed , or simply F 5 , is a former Swedish Air Force training wing with the main base located in Ljungbyhed in southern Sweden . History . The moor at Ljungby was adopted for military use in 1658 by the Scanian Hussar Regiment as a training ground . In 1910 , the first flights were commenced from the grounds . Enoch Thulin set up a public flying school on June 16 , 1915 . In 1926 , the newly formed Swedish Air Force set up their flying school at Ljungbyhed . Between 1983 and 1996 the Air Force school of meteorology was also located at Ljungbyhed . In 1996 , F 5 Ljungbyhed was decommissioned and the pilot training was taken over by the Scania Air Force Wing ( F 10 ) . Currently , Lund University School of Aviation has commercial flying training at Ljungbyhed Airport ( ICAO : ESTL ) . Heraldry and traditions . Coat of arms . The units first coat of arms was used until 1994 . Blazon : Azure , under three open crowns or placed two and one , an eagle wings elevated and displayed , on its breast a smaller sinister turned eagle , all or . Its second coat of arms was used from 1994 to 1998 and by the Flying School at F 10 from 1998 to 2002 , and by the Flying School at F 16 from 2002 to 2003 and by the Flying School at F 17 from 2003 . Blazon : Or , an eagle azure wings elevated and displayed , on its breast a shield or with a smaller sinister turned eagle azure . On a chief azure a winged two-bladed propeller or . Colours , standards and guidons . The units first colour was presented at F 8 at Barkarby on 6 June 1939 by His Majesty the King Gustaf V . Blazon : On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force ; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper , all or . In the first corner , three yellow open crowns , arranged two and one . The units second colour was presented at F 5 Ljungbyhed on 25 August 1996 by His Majesty the King Carl XVI Gustaf . The colour was used as school colour at the Scania Air Force Wing ( F 10 ) from 1 July 1998 to 31 December 2002 and at the Uppland Air Force Wing ( F 16 ) from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003 . The colour was drawn by Kristina Åkerberg and embroidered by machine in insertion technique by Engelbrektsson flag factory . Blazon : On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force ; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper . In the first corner an eagle , wings elevated and displayed , on its breast an escutcheon with a sinister-turned eagle . All décor in yellow . March . ”Krigsflygskolans marsch” composed by the headmaster of the municipal music school in Nynäshamn , Sverker Hållander . The march was adopted and established on 20 August 1984 . Commanding officers . Commanding officers from 1926 to 1998 . The commanding officer was referred to as skolchef ( chief of school ) and had the rank of colonel . - 1926–1932 : Arvid Flory - 1932–1943 : Åge Lundström - 1943–1952 : Ingemar Nygren - 1952–1957 : Knut Lindahl - 1957–1965 : Åke Rehnberg - 1965–1971 : Bengt Bellander - 1971–1975 : Åke Lönnberg - 1975–1987 : Per Widmark - 1987–1998 : Sven Sjöling
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[
"Knut Lindahl"
] |
easy
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Who commanded Swedish Air Force Flying School from 1952 to 1957?
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/wiki/Swedish_Air_Force_Flying_School#P4791#3
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Swedish Air Force Flying School Swedish Air Force Flying School ( ) , also F 5 Ljungbyhed , or simply F 5 , is a former Swedish Air Force training wing with the main base located in Ljungbyhed in southern Sweden . History . The moor at Ljungby was adopted for military use in 1658 by the Scanian Hussar Regiment as a training ground . In 1910 , the first flights were commenced from the grounds . Enoch Thulin set up a public flying school on June 16 , 1915 . In 1926 , the newly formed Swedish Air Force set up their flying school at Ljungbyhed . Between 1983 and 1996 the Air Force school of meteorology was also located at Ljungbyhed . In 1996 , F 5 Ljungbyhed was decommissioned and the pilot training was taken over by the Scania Air Force Wing ( F 10 ) . Currently , Lund University School of Aviation has commercial flying training at Ljungbyhed Airport ( ICAO : ESTL ) . Heraldry and traditions . Coat of arms . The units first coat of arms was used until 1994 . Blazon : Azure , under three open crowns or placed two and one , an eagle wings elevated and displayed , on its breast a smaller sinister turned eagle , all or . Its second coat of arms was used from 1994 to 1998 and by the Flying School at F 10 from 1998 to 2002 , and by the Flying School at F 16 from 2002 to 2003 and by the Flying School at F 17 from 2003 . Blazon : Or , an eagle azure wings elevated and displayed , on its breast a shield or with a smaller sinister turned eagle azure . On a chief azure a winged two-bladed propeller or . Colours , standards and guidons . The units first colour was presented at F 8 at Barkarby on 6 June 1939 by His Majesty the King Gustaf V . Blazon : On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force ; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper , all or . In the first corner , three yellow open crowns , arranged two and one . The units second colour was presented at F 5 Ljungbyhed on 25 August 1996 by His Majesty the King Carl XVI Gustaf . The colour was used as school colour at the Scania Air Force Wing ( F 10 ) from 1 July 1998 to 31 December 2002 and at the Uppland Air Force Wing ( F 16 ) from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003 . The colour was drawn by Kristina Åkerberg and embroidered by machine in insertion technique by Engelbrektsson flag factory . Blazon : On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force ; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper . In the first corner an eagle , wings elevated and displayed , on its breast an escutcheon with a sinister-turned eagle . All décor in yellow . March . ”Krigsflygskolans marsch” composed by the headmaster of the municipal music school in Nynäshamn , Sverker Hållander . The march was adopted and established on 20 August 1984 . Commanding officers . Commanding officers from 1926 to 1998 . The commanding officer was referred to as skolchef ( chief of school ) and had the rank of colonel . - 1926–1932 : Arvid Flory - 1932–1943 : Åge Lundström - 1943–1952 : Ingemar Nygren - 1952–1957 : Knut Lindahl - 1957–1965 : Åke Rehnberg - 1965–1971 : Bengt Bellander - 1971–1975 : Åke Lönnberg - 1975–1987 : Per Widmark - 1987–1998 : Sven Sjöling
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[
"Åke Rehnberg"
] |
easy
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Who was the commander of Swedish Air Force Flying School from 1957 to 1965?
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/wiki/Swedish_Air_Force_Flying_School#P4791#4
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Swedish Air Force Flying School Swedish Air Force Flying School ( ) , also F 5 Ljungbyhed , or simply F 5 , is a former Swedish Air Force training wing with the main base located in Ljungbyhed in southern Sweden . History . The moor at Ljungby was adopted for military use in 1658 by the Scanian Hussar Regiment as a training ground . In 1910 , the first flights were commenced from the grounds . Enoch Thulin set up a public flying school on June 16 , 1915 . In 1926 , the newly formed Swedish Air Force set up their flying school at Ljungbyhed . Between 1983 and 1996 the Air Force school of meteorology was also located at Ljungbyhed . In 1996 , F 5 Ljungbyhed was decommissioned and the pilot training was taken over by the Scania Air Force Wing ( F 10 ) . Currently , Lund University School of Aviation has commercial flying training at Ljungbyhed Airport ( ICAO : ESTL ) . Heraldry and traditions . Coat of arms . The units first coat of arms was used until 1994 . Blazon : Azure , under three open crowns or placed two and one , an eagle wings elevated and displayed , on its breast a smaller sinister turned eagle , all or . Its second coat of arms was used from 1994 to 1998 and by the Flying School at F 10 from 1998 to 2002 , and by the Flying School at F 16 from 2002 to 2003 and by the Flying School at F 17 from 2003 . Blazon : Or , an eagle azure wings elevated and displayed , on its breast a shield or with a smaller sinister turned eagle azure . On a chief azure a winged two-bladed propeller or . Colours , standards and guidons . The units first colour was presented at F 8 at Barkarby on 6 June 1939 by His Majesty the King Gustaf V . Blazon : On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force ; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper , all or . In the first corner , three yellow open crowns , arranged two and one . The units second colour was presented at F 5 Ljungbyhed on 25 August 1996 by His Majesty the King Carl XVI Gustaf . The colour was used as school colour at the Scania Air Force Wing ( F 10 ) from 1 July 1998 to 31 December 2002 and at the Uppland Air Force Wing ( F 16 ) from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003 . The colour was drawn by Kristina Åkerberg and embroidered by machine in insertion technique by Engelbrektsson flag factory . Blazon : On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force ; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper . In the first corner an eagle , wings elevated and displayed , on its breast an escutcheon with a sinister-turned eagle . All décor in yellow . March . ”Krigsflygskolans marsch” composed by the headmaster of the municipal music school in Nynäshamn , Sverker Hållander . The march was adopted and established on 20 August 1984 . Commanding officers . Commanding officers from 1926 to 1998 . The commanding officer was referred to as skolchef ( chief of school ) and had the rank of colonel . - 1926–1932 : Arvid Flory - 1932–1943 : Åge Lundström - 1943–1952 : Ingemar Nygren - 1952–1957 : Knut Lindahl - 1957–1965 : Åke Rehnberg - 1965–1971 : Bengt Bellander - 1971–1975 : Åke Lönnberg - 1975–1987 : Per Widmark - 1987–1998 : Sven Sjöling
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[
"Bengt Bellander"
] |
easy
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Who was the commander of Swedish Air Force Flying School from 1965 to 1971?
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/wiki/Swedish_Air_Force_Flying_School#P4791#5
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Swedish Air Force Flying School Swedish Air Force Flying School ( ) , also F 5 Ljungbyhed , or simply F 5 , is a former Swedish Air Force training wing with the main base located in Ljungbyhed in southern Sweden . History . The moor at Ljungby was adopted for military use in 1658 by the Scanian Hussar Regiment as a training ground . In 1910 , the first flights were commenced from the grounds . Enoch Thulin set up a public flying school on June 16 , 1915 . In 1926 , the newly formed Swedish Air Force set up their flying school at Ljungbyhed . Between 1983 and 1996 the Air Force school of meteorology was also located at Ljungbyhed . In 1996 , F 5 Ljungbyhed was decommissioned and the pilot training was taken over by the Scania Air Force Wing ( F 10 ) . Currently , Lund University School of Aviation has commercial flying training at Ljungbyhed Airport ( ICAO : ESTL ) . Heraldry and traditions . Coat of arms . The units first coat of arms was used until 1994 . Blazon : Azure , under three open crowns or placed two and one , an eagle wings elevated and displayed , on its breast a smaller sinister turned eagle , all or . Its second coat of arms was used from 1994 to 1998 and by the Flying School at F 10 from 1998 to 2002 , and by the Flying School at F 16 from 2002 to 2003 and by the Flying School at F 17 from 2003 . Blazon : Or , an eagle azure wings elevated and displayed , on its breast a shield or with a smaller sinister turned eagle azure . On a chief azure a winged two-bladed propeller or . Colours , standards and guidons . The units first colour was presented at F 8 at Barkarby on 6 June 1939 by His Majesty the King Gustaf V . Blazon : On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force ; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper , all or . In the first corner , three yellow open crowns , arranged two and one . The units second colour was presented at F 5 Ljungbyhed on 25 August 1996 by His Majesty the King Carl XVI Gustaf . The colour was used as school colour at the Scania Air Force Wing ( F 10 ) from 1 July 1998 to 31 December 2002 and at the Uppland Air Force Wing ( F 16 ) from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003 . The colour was drawn by Kristina Åkerberg and embroidered by machine in insertion technique by Engelbrektsson flag factory . Blazon : On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force ; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper . In the first corner an eagle , wings elevated and displayed , on its breast an escutcheon with a sinister-turned eagle . All décor in yellow . March . ”Krigsflygskolans marsch” composed by the headmaster of the municipal music school in Nynäshamn , Sverker Hållander . The march was adopted and established on 20 August 1984 . Commanding officers . Commanding officers from 1926 to 1998 . The commanding officer was referred to as skolchef ( chief of school ) and had the rank of colonel . - 1926–1932 : Arvid Flory - 1932–1943 : Åge Lundström - 1943–1952 : Ingemar Nygren - 1952–1957 : Knut Lindahl - 1957–1965 : Åke Rehnberg - 1965–1971 : Bengt Bellander - 1971–1975 : Åke Lönnberg - 1975–1987 : Per Widmark - 1987–1998 : Sven Sjöling
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[
"Åke Lönnberg"
] |
easy
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Who was the commander of Swedish Air Force Flying School from 1971 to 1975?
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/wiki/Swedish_Air_Force_Flying_School#P4791#6
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Swedish Air Force Flying School Swedish Air Force Flying School ( ) , also F 5 Ljungbyhed , or simply F 5 , is a former Swedish Air Force training wing with the main base located in Ljungbyhed in southern Sweden . History . The moor at Ljungby was adopted for military use in 1658 by the Scanian Hussar Regiment as a training ground . In 1910 , the first flights were commenced from the grounds . Enoch Thulin set up a public flying school on June 16 , 1915 . In 1926 , the newly formed Swedish Air Force set up their flying school at Ljungbyhed . Between 1983 and 1996 the Air Force school of meteorology was also located at Ljungbyhed . In 1996 , F 5 Ljungbyhed was decommissioned and the pilot training was taken over by the Scania Air Force Wing ( F 10 ) . Currently , Lund University School of Aviation has commercial flying training at Ljungbyhed Airport ( ICAO : ESTL ) . Heraldry and traditions . Coat of arms . The units first coat of arms was used until 1994 . Blazon : Azure , under three open crowns or placed two and one , an eagle wings elevated and displayed , on its breast a smaller sinister turned eagle , all or . Its second coat of arms was used from 1994 to 1998 and by the Flying School at F 10 from 1998 to 2002 , and by the Flying School at F 16 from 2002 to 2003 and by the Flying School at F 17 from 2003 . Blazon : Or , an eagle azure wings elevated and displayed , on its breast a shield or with a smaller sinister turned eagle azure . On a chief azure a winged two-bladed propeller or . Colours , standards and guidons . The units first colour was presented at F 8 at Barkarby on 6 June 1939 by His Majesty the King Gustaf V . Blazon : On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force ; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper , all or . In the first corner , three yellow open crowns , arranged two and one . The units second colour was presented at F 5 Ljungbyhed on 25 August 1996 by His Majesty the King Carl XVI Gustaf . The colour was used as school colour at the Scania Air Force Wing ( F 10 ) from 1 July 1998 to 31 December 2002 and at the Uppland Air Force Wing ( F 16 ) from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003 . The colour was drawn by Kristina Åkerberg and embroidered by machine in insertion technique by Engelbrektsson flag factory . Blazon : On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force ; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper . In the first corner an eagle , wings elevated and displayed , on its breast an escutcheon with a sinister-turned eagle . All décor in yellow . March . ”Krigsflygskolans marsch” composed by the headmaster of the municipal music school in Nynäshamn , Sverker Hållander . The march was adopted and established on 20 August 1984 . Commanding officers . Commanding officers from 1926 to 1998 . The commanding officer was referred to as skolchef ( chief of school ) and had the rank of colonel . - 1926–1932 : Arvid Flory - 1932–1943 : Åge Lundström - 1943–1952 : Ingemar Nygren - 1952–1957 : Knut Lindahl - 1957–1965 : Åke Rehnberg - 1965–1971 : Bengt Bellander - 1971–1975 : Åke Lönnberg - 1975–1987 : Per Widmark - 1987–1998 : Sven Sjöling
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[
"Per Widmark"
] |
easy
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Who was the commander of Swedish Air Force Flying School from 1975 to 1987?
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/wiki/Swedish_Air_Force_Flying_School#P4791#7
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Swedish Air Force Flying School Swedish Air Force Flying School ( ) , also F 5 Ljungbyhed , or simply F 5 , is a former Swedish Air Force training wing with the main base located in Ljungbyhed in southern Sweden . History . The moor at Ljungby was adopted for military use in 1658 by the Scanian Hussar Regiment as a training ground . In 1910 , the first flights were commenced from the grounds . Enoch Thulin set up a public flying school on June 16 , 1915 . In 1926 , the newly formed Swedish Air Force set up their flying school at Ljungbyhed . Between 1983 and 1996 the Air Force school of meteorology was also located at Ljungbyhed . In 1996 , F 5 Ljungbyhed was decommissioned and the pilot training was taken over by the Scania Air Force Wing ( F 10 ) . Currently , Lund University School of Aviation has commercial flying training at Ljungbyhed Airport ( ICAO : ESTL ) . Heraldry and traditions . Coat of arms . The units first coat of arms was used until 1994 . Blazon : Azure , under three open crowns or placed two and one , an eagle wings elevated and displayed , on its breast a smaller sinister turned eagle , all or . Its second coat of arms was used from 1994 to 1998 and by the Flying School at F 10 from 1998 to 2002 , and by the Flying School at F 16 from 2002 to 2003 and by the Flying School at F 17 from 2003 . Blazon : Or , an eagle azure wings elevated and displayed , on its breast a shield or with a smaller sinister turned eagle azure . On a chief azure a winged two-bladed propeller or . Colours , standards and guidons . The units first colour was presented at F 8 at Barkarby on 6 June 1939 by His Majesty the King Gustaf V . Blazon : On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force ; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper , all or . In the first corner , three yellow open crowns , arranged two and one . The units second colour was presented at F 5 Ljungbyhed on 25 August 1996 by His Majesty the King Carl XVI Gustaf . The colour was used as school colour at the Scania Air Force Wing ( F 10 ) from 1 July 1998 to 31 December 2002 and at the Uppland Air Force Wing ( F 16 ) from 1 January 2003 to 31 December 2003 . The colour was drawn by Kristina Åkerberg and embroidered by machine in insertion technique by Engelbrektsson flag factory . Blazon : On blue cloth in the centre the badge of the Air Force ; a winged two-bladed propeller under a royal crown proper . In the first corner an eagle , wings elevated and displayed , on its breast an escutcheon with a sinister-turned eagle . All décor in yellow . March . ”Krigsflygskolans marsch” composed by the headmaster of the municipal music school in Nynäshamn , Sverker Hållander . The march was adopted and established on 20 August 1984 . Commanding officers . Commanding officers from 1926 to 1998 . The commanding officer was referred to as skolchef ( chief of school ) and had the rank of colonel . - 1926–1932 : Arvid Flory - 1932–1943 : Åge Lundström - 1943–1952 : Ingemar Nygren - 1952–1957 : Knut Lindahl - 1957–1965 : Åke Rehnberg - 1965–1971 : Bengt Bellander - 1971–1975 : Åke Lönnberg - 1975–1987 : Per Widmark - 1987–1998 : Sven Sjöling
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[
"Hans Peter Bull"
] |
easy
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Who was the office holder of Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information from Feb 1978 to May 1983?
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/wiki/Federal_Commissioner_for_Data_Protection_and_Freedom_of_Information#P1308#0
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Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information ( BfDI , ) , referring to either a person or the agency they lead , is tasked with supervising data protection as well as acting in an Ombudsman function in freedom of information . The latter was introduced with the German Freedom of Information Act on 1 January 2006 . In 2016 , it became an independent federal agency in accordance with EU regulations . Organization . Before the commencement of the German Freedom of Information Act , the title was Federal Commissioner for Data Protection ( BfD ) . The German Federal Government nominates him and the German Bundestag elects him . During his time in office , he receives remuneration in the amount commensurate with a federal official in salary group B 11 . In this regard , his status is that of a public law official , but not however , that of a civil servant . The term of office is five years . He can be reelected once . The Federal Commissioners budget is accounted for in its own budgetary section . The necessary personnel and facilities are to be made available to him pursuant to legal regulations . Given his independent status positions at the Federal Commissioner are filled by himself exclusively . Responsibilities . The Federal Commissioner is the German Federal supervisory authority in the meaning of Art . 51 of the General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ) . According to Art . 52 GDPR the Federal Commissioner is a completely independent supervisory authority . His tasks and powers are mainly based on Art . 57 and 58 GDPR and the Federal Data Protection Act ( Bundesdatenschutzgesetz ) . His legal position and the procedure of his establishment are subject to the provisions of the Federal Data Protection Act . His competence is limited to supervision of the entire public sector at federal level and of telecommunications and postal services providers . The public sector of the Laender as well as the remaining private sector is supervised by the Data Protection Supervisory Authorities of the Laender . The Federal Commissioner publishes an annual activity report ( Art . 59 GDPR ) . A right to refuse to give evidence is available to the Federal Commissioner in regard to persons and facts with which comes into contact in his capacity as Federal Commissioner ( FDPA sec 13 , para 5 ) . He is also authorized to decide about his employees refusal to give evidence . List of commissioners . - Hans Peter Bull ( 14 February 1978 to 16 May 1983 ) - Reinhold Baumann ( 16 May 1983 to 9 June 1988 ) - Alfred Einwag ( 9 June 1988 to 30 June 1993 ) - Joachim Jacob ( 1 July 1993 to 17 December 2003 ) - ( 17 December 2003 to 16 December 2013 ) - Andrea Voßhoff ( 19 December 2013 to 5 January 2019 ) - Ulrich Kelber ( 7 January 2019 to present )
|
[
"Reinhold Baumann"
] |
easy
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Who was the office holder of Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information from May 1983 to Jun 1988?
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/wiki/Federal_Commissioner_for_Data_Protection_and_Freedom_of_Information#P1308#1
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Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information ( BfDI , ) , referring to either a person or the agency they lead , is tasked with supervising data protection as well as acting in an Ombudsman function in freedom of information . The latter was introduced with the German Freedom of Information Act on 1 January 2006 . In 2016 , it became an independent federal agency in accordance with EU regulations . Organization . Before the commencement of the German Freedom of Information Act , the title was Federal Commissioner for Data Protection ( BfD ) . The German Federal Government nominates him and the German Bundestag elects him . During his time in office , he receives remuneration in the amount commensurate with a federal official in salary group B 11 . In this regard , his status is that of a public law official , but not however , that of a civil servant . The term of office is five years . He can be reelected once . The Federal Commissioners budget is accounted for in its own budgetary section . The necessary personnel and facilities are to be made available to him pursuant to legal regulations . Given his independent status positions at the Federal Commissioner are filled by himself exclusively . Responsibilities . The Federal Commissioner is the German Federal supervisory authority in the meaning of Art . 51 of the General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ) . According to Art . 52 GDPR the Federal Commissioner is a completely independent supervisory authority . His tasks and powers are mainly based on Art . 57 and 58 GDPR and the Federal Data Protection Act ( Bundesdatenschutzgesetz ) . His legal position and the procedure of his establishment are subject to the provisions of the Federal Data Protection Act . His competence is limited to supervision of the entire public sector at federal level and of telecommunications and postal services providers . The public sector of the Laender as well as the remaining private sector is supervised by the Data Protection Supervisory Authorities of the Laender . The Federal Commissioner publishes an annual activity report ( Art . 59 GDPR ) . A right to refuse to give evidence is available to the Federal Commissioner in regard to persons and facts with which comes into contact in his capacity as Federal Commissioner ( FDPA sec 13 , para 5 ) . He is also authorized to decide about his employees refusal to give evidence . List of commissioners . - Hans Peter Bull ( 14 February 1978 to 16 May 1983 ) - Reinhold Baumann ( 16 May 1983 to 9 June 1988 ) - Alfred Einwag ( 9 June 1988 to 30 June 1993 ) - Joachim Jacob ( 1 July 1993 to 17 December 2003 ) - ( 17 December 2003 to 16 December 2013 ) - Andrea Voßhoff ( 19 December 2013 to 5 January 2019 ) - Ulrich Kelber ( 7 January 2019 to present )
|
[
"Alfred Einwag"
] |
easy
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Who was the office holder of Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information from Jun 1988 to Jun 1993?
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/wiki/Federal_Commissioner_for_Data_Protection_and_Freedom_of_Information#P1308#2
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Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information ( BfDI , ) , referring to either a person or the agency they lead , is tasked with supervising data protection as well as acting in an Ombudsman function in freedom of information . The latter was introduced with the German Freedom of Information Act on 1 January 2006 . In 2016 , it became an independent federal agency in accordance with EU regulations . Organization . Before the commencement of the German Freedom of Information Act , the title was Federal Commissioner for Data Protection ( BfD ) . The German Federal Government nominates him and the German Bundestag elects him . During his time in office , he receives remuneration in the amount commensurate with a federal official in salary group B 11 . In this regard , his status is that of a public law official , but not however , that of a civil servant . The term of office is five years . He can be reelected once . The Federal Commissioners budget is accounted for in its own budgetary section . The necessary personnel and facilities are to be made available to him pursuant to legal regulations . Given his independent status positions at the Federal Commissioner are filled by himself exclusively . Responsibilities . The Federal Commissioner is the German Federal supervisory authority in the meaning of Art . 51 of the General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ) . According to Art . 52 GDPR the Federal Commissioner is a completely independent supervisory authority . His tasks and powers are mainly based on Art . 57 and 58 GDPR and the Federal Data Protection Act ( Bundesdatenschutzgesetz ) . His legal position and the procedure of his establishment are subject to the provisions of the Federal Data Protection Act . His competence is limited to supervision of the entire public sector at federal level and of telecommunications and postal services providers . The public sector of the Laender as well as the remaining private sector is supervised by the Data Protection Supervisory Authorities of the Laender . The Federal Commissioner publishes an annual activity report ( Art . 59 GDPR ) . A right to refuse to give evidence is available to the Federal Commissioner in regard to persons and facts with which comes into contact in his capacity as Federal Commissioner ( FDPA sec 13 , para 5 ) . He is also authorized to decide about his employees refusal to give evidence . List of commissioners . - Hans Peter Bull ( 14 February 1978 to 16 May 1983 ) - Reinhold Baumann ( 16 May 1983 to 9 June 1988 ) - Alfred Einwag ( 9 June 1988 to 30 June 1993 ) - Joachim Jacob ( 1 July 1993 to 17 December 2003 ) - ( 17 December 2003 to 16 December 2013 ) - Andrea Voßhoff ( 19 December 2013 to 5 January 2019 ) - Ulrich Kelber ( 7 January 2019 to present )
|
[
"Joachim Jacob"
] |
easy
|
Who was the office holder of Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information from Jul 1993 to Dec 2003?
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/wiki/Federal_Commissioner_for_Data_Protection_and_Freedom_of_Information#P1308#3
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Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information ( BfDI , ) , referring to either a person or the agency they lead , is tasked with supervising data protection as well as acting in an Ombudsman function in freedom of information . The latter was introduced with the German Freedom of Information Act on 1 January 2006 . In 2016 , it became an independent federal agency in accordance with EU regulations . Organization . Before the commencement of the German Freedom of Information Act , the title was Federal Commissioner for Data Protection ( BfD ) . The German Federal Government nominates him and the German Bundestag elects him . During his time in office , he receives remuneration in the amount commensurate with a federal official in salary group B 11 . In this regard , his status is that of a public law official , but not however , that of a civil servant . The term of office is five years . He can be reelected once . The Federal Commissioners budget is accounted for in its own budgetary section . The necessary personnel and facilities are to be made available to him pursuant to legal regulations . Given his independent status positions at the Federal Commissioner are filled by himself exclusively . Responsibilities . The Federal Commissioner is the German Federal supervisory authority in the meaning of Art . 51 of the General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ) . According to Art . 52 GDPR the Federal Commissioner is a completely independent supervisory authority . His tasks and powers are mainly based on Art . 57 and 58 GDPR and the Federal Data Protection Act ( Bundesdatenschutzgesetz ) . His legal position and the procedure of his establishment are subject to the provisions of the Federal Data Protection Act . His competence is limited to supervision of the entire public sector at federal level and of telecommunications and postal services providers . The public sector of the Laender as well as the remaining private sector is supervised by the Data Protection Supervisory Authorities of the Laender . The Federal Commissioner publishes an annual activity report ( Art . 59 GDPR ) . A right to refuse to give evidence is available to the Federal Commissioner in regard to persons and facts with which comes into contact in his capacity as Federal Commissioner ( FDPA sec 13 , para 5 ) . He is also authorized to decide about his employees refusal to give evidence . List of commissioners . - Hans Peter Bull ( 14 February 1978 to 16 May 1983 ) - Reinhold Baumann ( 16 May 1983 to 9 June 1988 ) - Alfred Einwag ( 9 June 1988 to 30 June 1993 ) - Joachim Jacob ( 1 July 1993 to 17 December 2003 ) - ( 17 December 2003 to 16 December 2013 ) - Andrea Voßhoff ( 19 December 2013 to 5 January 2019 ) - Ulrich Kelber ( 7 January 2019 to present )
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[
"Andrea Voßhoff"
] |
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Who was the office holder of Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information from 2014 to 2019?
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/wiki/Federal_Commissioner_for_Data_Protection_and_Freedom_of_Information#P1308#4
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Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information ( BfDI , ) , referring to either a person or the agency they lead , is tasked with supervising data protection as well as acting in an Ombudsman function in freedom of information . The latter was introduced with the German Freedom of Information Act on 1 January 2006 . In 2016 , it became an independent federal agency in accordance with EU regulations . Organization . Before the commencement of the German Freedom of Information Act , the title was Federal Commissioner for Data Protection ( BfD ) . The German Federal Government nominates him and the German Bundestag elects him . During his time in office , he receives remuneration in the amount commensurate with a federal official in salary group B 11 . In this regard , his status is that of a public law official , but not however , that of a civil servant . The term of office is five years . He can be reelected once . The Federal Commissioners budget is accounted for in its own budgetary section . The necessary personnel and facilities are to be made available to him pursuant to legal regulations . Given his independent status positions at the Federal Commissioner are filled by himself exclusively . Responsibilities . The Federal Commissioner is the German Federal supervisory authority in the meaning of Art . 51 of the General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ) . According to Art . 52 GDPR the Federal Commissioner is a completely independent supervisory authority . His tasks and powers are mainly based on Art . 57 and 58 GDPR and the Federal Data Protection Act ( Bundesdatenschutzgesetz ) . His legal position and the procedure of his establishment are subject to the provisions of the Federal Data Protection Act . His competence is limited to supervision of the entire public sector at federal level and of telecommunications and postal services providers . The public sector of the Laender as well as the remaining private sector is supervised by the Data Protection Supervisory Authorities of the Laender . The Federal Commissioner publishes an annual activity report ( Art . 59 GDPR ) . A right to refuse to give evidence is available to the Federal Commissioner in regard to persons and facts with which comes into contact in his capacity as Federal Commissioner ( FDPA sec 13 , para 5 ) . He is also authorized to decide about his employees refusal to give evidence . List of commissioners . - Hans Peter Bull ( 14 February 1978 to 16 May 1983 ) - Reinhold Baumann ( 16 May 1983 to 9 June 1988 ) - Alfred Einwag ( 9 June 1988 to 30 June 1993 ) - Joachim Jacob ( 1 July 1993 to 17 December 2003 ) - ( 17 December 2003 to 16 December 2013 ) - Andrea Voßhoff ( 19 December 2013 to 5 January 2019 ) - Ulrich Kelber ( 7 January 2019 to present )
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[
"Ulrich Kelber"
] |
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Who was the office holder of Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information from 2019 to 2020?
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/wiki/Federal_Commissioner_for_Data_Protection_and_Freedom_of_Information#P1308#5
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Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information The Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information ( BfDI , ) , referring to either a person or the agency they lead , is tasked with supervising data protection as well as acting in an Ombudsman function in freedom of information . The latter was introduced with the German Freedom of Information Act on 1 January 2006 . In 2016 , it became an independent federal agency in accordance with EU regulations . Organization . Before the commencement of the German Freedom of Information Act , the title was Federal Commissioner for Data Protection ( BfD ) . The German Federal Government nominates him and the German Bundestag elects him . During his time in office , he receives remuneration in the amount commensurate with a federal official in salary group B 11 . In this regard , his status is that of a public law official , but not however , that of a civil servant . The term of office is five years . He can be reelected once . The Federal Commissioners budget is accounted for in its own budgetary section . The necessary personnel and facilities are to be made available to him pursuant to legal regulations . Given his independent status positions at the Federal Commissioner are filled by himself exclusively . Responsibilities . The Federal Commissioner is the German Federal supervisory authority in the meaning of Art . 51 of the General Data Protection Regulation ( GDPR ) . According to Art . 52 GDPR the Federal Commissioner is a completely independent supervisory authority . His tasks and powers are mainly based on Art . 57 and 58 GDPR and the Federal Data Protection Act ( Bundesdatenschutzgesetz ) . His legal position and the procedure of his establishment are subject to the provisions of the Federal Data Protection Act . His competence is limited to supervision of the entire public sector at federal level and of telecommunications and postal services providers . The public sector of the Laender as well as the remaining private sector is supervised by the Data Protection Supervisory Authorities of the Laender . The Federal Commissioner publishes an annual activity report ( Art . 59 GDPR ) . A right to refuse to give evidence is available to the Federal Commissioner in regard to persons and facts with which comes into contact in his capacity as Federal Commissioner ( FDPA sec 13 , para 5 ) . He is also authorized to decide about his employees refusal to give evidence . List of commissioners . - Hans Peter Bull ( 14 February 1978 to 16 May 1983 ) - Reinhold Baumann ( 16 May 1983 to 9 June 1988 ) - Alfred Einwag ( 9 June 1988 to 30 June 1993 ) - Joachim Jacob ( 1 July 1993 to 17 December 2003 ) - ( 17 December 2003 to 16 December 2013 ) - Andrea Voßhoff ( 19 December 2013 to 5 January 2019 ) - Ulrich Kelber ( 7 January 2019 to present )
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