Margherita Cogo (born 2 October 1951) was the first woman to be President of the Italian autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol and also the region's first Vice President.
Margherita Cogo | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President of Trentino-Alto Adige | |
| In office 11 March 1999 – 14 March 2002 | |
| Preceded by | Tarcisio Grandi |
| Succeeded by | Carlo Andreotti |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 October 1951 Tione di Trento, Italy |
| Political party | Democrats of the Left |
| Alma mater | University of Padua |
| Profession | Politician |
Biography
editMargherita Cogo was born in 1951 in Tione di Trento, Italy. She graduated from the University of Padua with a degree in philosophy and then married and had two children. Cogo began her career as a humanities teacher in a local middle school[1] and later taught literature.[2]
In 1985 she was elected to serve on the City Council of Tione,[2] as a candidate from the Italian Socialist Party. She was re-elected in 1990[1] and then in 1993 was appointed as Mayor. Two years later, when mayoral races became elected positions, Cogo ran for the position and was elected.[2] That same year, she became President of the Valli Giudicarie District Health Committee and in 1997 joined the Executive Council of the Consortium of Trentino Communes, dealing with culture and health issues of the area.[1] During her terms as Mayor, she was particularly interested in infrastructure development.[2]
In 1998, she was elected to the Regional Council of Trentino-Alto Adige and in 1999 became the first woman President of the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol Region. Her term was faced with ethnic conflicts and she worked for their resolution,[1] through initiatives to ensure the autonomy of the region and reform the electoral codes.[2] In 2002, she resigned her presidency and returned to her seat in the assembly. There, she focused on education, equality initiatives, and state welfare programs and health policies.[1] In 2003, she was re-elected and became the first female Vice President of the region and the Councillor of Culture. In that capacity, she worked to create the Museo della scienza (Museum of Science) (MUSE) and spearheaded a major multi-year project, focused on researching and recovering cultural heritage centered on the Great War. The project aimed at restoration of monuments and buildings in the region, such as Fort Cadine, the Loggia del Romanino at Buonconsiglio Castle, the Malga Palazzo Nature Reserve at Scanuppia, the Ruatti Mill at Rabbi, the Torre Vanga in Trent and the Venetian Bastion Monument in the Bondo cemetery in Riva del Garda, as well as establishing museums throughout the area.[2]
In 2008, she was re-elected to the post,[3] but did not stand for renomination in 2013.[4] In 2014, she became the President of the Scuola Musicale Giudicarie (Giudicarie Music School).[5]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e "Margherita Cogo". Trentino Cultura. Trent, Trentino, Italy: Ministry of Culture. 28 November 2005. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "Cogo Margherita" (in Italian). Trent, Trentino, Italy: Consiglio regionale del Trentino Alto Adige. 21 November 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ^ "Analisi di un voto" (in Italian). Trent, Italy: La Voce del Trentino. 28 October 2013. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ^ de Mozzi, G. (7 November 2013). "Alle ore 11.30 di sabato 9 novembre Ugo Rossi verrà proclamato presidente della Provincia" (in Italian). Trent, Italy: L'adigetto. Retrieved 20 September 2015.
- ^ "Musica e arte per lo sviluppo dei nostri figli. Le borse di studio per frequentare la Scuola Musicale Giudicarie. Iniziativa della Comunità a favore delle famiglie giudicariesi" (in Italian). Giudicarie, Italy: Giudicarie. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2015.