Agnelli, Umberto

1934-2004

Italian industrialist and politician

Agnelli was the youngest of seven children of the third generation of the greatItalian Fiat automobile manufacturing dynasty. The children's father died in 1935 ina plane crash and their mother died in an automobile crash ten years later, whenUmberto was eleven.

His eldest brother, Giovanni, became head of the company, andUmberto spent most of his life in his shadow. His own interest was in the Milansoccer team, Juventus, of which we became chairman when he was 22.

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Umberto alsoserved as a senator in the Italian Parliament from 1976 to 1979 for the ChristianDemocratic party.

Giovanni intended that Umberto's son, Giovannino, succeed him ashead of the company, but Giovannino died in 1997, and when Giovanni died in 2003Umberto became head of the business empire (which includes the newspaper La Stampa,insurance, aviation and energy companies), which was in the doldrums.

During hisshort tenure as head, he started to turn the company's finances around for thebetter.
[Last updated: 31 MAY 2004]

References:

Associated Press. "Fiat Chairman Umberto Agnelli Dies." Available at:http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5083872/ [Last visited: 31 May 2004]Montani, Gianni. "End of an Era at Fiat as Umberto Agnelli Dies." Available at:http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=businessNews&storyID=519354&section=news[Last visited: 31 May 2004]
Hooper, John. [Obituary]. The Guardian [London], 29 May 2004, p. 25