The Italian-Brazilian died this Monday (12) Antonio Delfim Netto, former Minister of Finance, Agriculture and Planning, aged 96.
Delfim Netto had been hospitalized since August 5th at Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, in São Paulo.
The hospital's press office reported that the former minister died due to complications in his health.
Italian origin of Delfim Netto
Married to Mercedes Saporski, Delfim Netto was the grandson of Antonio De Fina, born in Montesano sulla Marcellana, in the province of Salerno, in southern Italy.
In Brazil, Antonio married Filomena Dell'Aquila on June 7, 1895, in Consolação, São Paulo.
From this union, José Delfim was born, who married Maria Batini. They had three children: Antonio Delfim Netto, Filomena and Teresinha.
In Brazil, the surname From Fina it was adapted to Delfim, a common practice among immigrants at the time.
With help from the genealogy team at Blessed Citizenship, we located the birth record of Delfim Netto's ancestor, Antonio De Fina.
Career and legacy
Antônio Delfim Netto was a prominent Brazilian economist, professor, politician and diplomat. He held the Ministry of Finance during much of Brazil's military dictatorship, and his policies were responsible for the so-called “economic miracle” — a period of accelerated economic growth, focused on attracting foreign capital and expanding GDP.
However, Delfim Netto was also notable for being one of the signatories of Institutional Act No. 5 (AI-5), of December 1968, which intensified the political repression of the military regime.
After the end of the dictatorship, he served as a federal deputy for São Paulo for 20 years.
Although he was affiliated with the Progressive Party (PP) and the Brazilian Democratic Movement (MDB), he maintained a close relationship with the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
In the 1970s, Delfim also served as Brazil's ambassador to France for three years.
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