Pietro Martinelli

Born on 6th February 1934 in Lugano from Maria Busti and Felice Martinelli, Pietro Martinelli married in 1963 Nora Crivelli, who gave him two children, Nicola (1964) and Raffaella (1965). He studied in Lugano, Milan and Zurich, where graduated in 1960 as a civil engineer at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH). From 1962 to 1967 he has been co-owner of an engineer firm in Lugano, working in Ticino, Italy and Guinea Conacry.
He has been among the founders of the magazine “Politica Nuova” and, after having been expelled from the Partito Socialista Ticinese, of the Partito Socialista Autonomo. From 1967 to 1987 he has been deputy to the Gran Consiglio (Cantonal Parliament) and from 1987 to 1999 Consigliere di Stato (Minister of the Cantonal Government), heading the Department of the Interior and Justice (1987-1991) and the Department of the Welfare (1991-1999). After leaving the government, he took over the chairmanship of several public interest organizations.