Arturo Bocchini
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Arturo Bocchini | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chief of the Italian Police | |
| In office 13 September 1926 – 20 November 1940 | |
| Monarch | Victor Emmanuel III |
| Prime Minister | Benito Mussolini |
| Preceded by | Francesco Crispo Moncada |
| Succeeded by | Carmine Senise |
| Member of the Senate of the Kingdom | |
| In office 16 November 1933 – 20 November 1940 | |
| Appointed by | Victor Emmanuel III |
| Personal details | |
| Born | February 12, 1880 |
| Died | November 20, 1940 (aged 60) |
| Party | National Fascist Party |
| Occupation | Civil servant |
Arturo Bocchini (Italian pronunciation: [arˈturo bokˈkini]; 12 February 1880 – 20 November 1940) was an Italian civil servant, who was appointed Chief of the Police under the Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini.[1] Bocchini held the office from September 1926 until his death in November 1940, becoming a key figure in the Italian regime.
He was the head of both the regular police (State Police) and the secret police (OVRA) which was a pervasive national security agency that operated at all levels of Italian society. Bocchini only reported directly to the Duce and operated autonomously without interference from the National Fascist Party and the state prefects. His power within the government led to him being called the "Vice Duce".
Bocchini was the last of the seven children born in San Giorgio La Montagna, near Benevento to Ciriaco Bocchini, a wealthy landowner, and his mother was Concetta Padiglione, a member of the aristocratic but liberal Padiglione family. After Bocchini graduated with a Law degree from the Federico II University in Naples in 1902, he joined the prefectural civil service. After Mussolini took power in 1922, Bocchini was appointed by Deputy Minister Aldo Finzi as the Prefect of Brescia (1922–1923), then Bologna (1923–1925), and finally Genoa (1925–1926).
