Alcide Amedeo Francesco De Gasperi was an Italian statesman who founded the Christian Democracy party and served as the 30th prime minister of Italy in eight successive coalition governments from 1945 to 1953.
De Gasperi was the last prime minister of the Kingdom of Italy, serving under both Victor Emmanuel III and Umberto II. He was also the first prime minister of the Italian Republic, and also briefly served as provisional head of state after the Italian people voted to end the monarchy and establish a republic. His eight-year term in office remains a landmark of political longevity for a leader in modern Italian politics. De Gasperi is the fifth longest-serving prime minister since the Italian Unification.
A devout Catholic, he was one of the founding fathers of the European Union along with fellow Italian Altiero Spinelli.