{{Short description|Italian soldier, colonial administrator and politician}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2024}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Attilio Teruzzi | image = Attilio teruzzi.jpg | caption =
| office = Minister of Italian Africa | constituency = | predecessor = Benito Mussolini (interim) | prime_minister = Benito Mussolini | successor = Melchiade Gabba | term_start = 31 October 1939 | term_end = 25 July 1943
| office2 = Governor of Cyrenaica | predecessor2 = Ernesto Mombelli | successor2 = Pietro Badoglio | term_start2 = 2 December 1926 | term_end2 = 31 December 1928
| office3 = Member of the Chamber of Deputies | term_start3 = 24 March 1924 | term_end3 = 2 August 1943
| party = PNF (1920-1943)<br>PFR (1943-1945) | birth_date = 5 May 1882 | birth_place = Milan, Kingdom of Italy | death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1950|4|26|1882|5|5}} | death_place = Procida, Italy | spouse = Liliana Weinmann }} '''Attilio Teruzzi''' (5 May 1882 – 26 April 1950) was an Italian soldier, colonial administrator, and Fascist politician.
Born in Milan, Teruzzi completed military studies and was promoted colonel in the Italian Army at the unusual age of 28. In 1911, he served in Libya during the Italo-Turkish War – taking part in the victory at Misrata (''Misrata''). He later captured Nalut, and was wounded in the battle over Fezzan – being awarded the Silver Medal of Military Valor.
After service in World War I (when he was again decorated), Teruzzi took leave from the army in 1920, in order to engage in Fascist politics. He was an enthusiastic adherent to Benito Mussolini's National Fascist Party, and the party's deputy-secretary in 1921 – the year he also took part in the March on Rome, as a commander of Blackshirt squads from Emilia-Romagna. After the Fascist takeover, Teruzzi was elected to the Italian Chamber of Deputies in 1924 and gained successive terms.
An undersecretary in the Ministry of the Interior in 1925–26, Teruzzi was governor of Cyrenaica in 1926–28, before returning to the military. He was Chief of Staff for the MVSN (the ''Milizia'' formed by the Blackshirts) from 1935; from 1937 to 1939, he was undersecretary in the Ministry for Italian Africa (Libya and Italian East Africa), and titular Minister from 1939 to 1943. During the Spanish Civil War, Teruzzi was promoted to Lieutenant General and appointed Inspector General of the Blackshirts.
After Mussolini's ousting and Italy's exit from the World War II Axis powers – through the armistice in Cassibile at the end of July 1943, Teruzzi followed ''Il Duce'' in his Nazi-backed refuge in Northern Italy, and helped found the Fascist Italian Social Republic. He was also one of its most prestigious military leaders. In 1945, as the regime crumbled, rumours circulated that he died, instead he was kept prisoner in Procida, after receiving a 30-year sentence. He died only 20 days after his release in 1950.<ref>{{cite news|access-date=31 July 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520062023/http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/1996/dicembre/16/SALO_Storie_sommersi_salvati_co_0_96121615436.shtml|author=Silvio Bertoldi|author-link=Silvio Bertoldi|date=16 December 1996|magazine=Corriere della Sera|page=27|title=SALO' Storie di sommersi e salvati|url=http://archiviostorico.corriere.it/1996/dicembre/16/SALO_Storie_sommersi_salvati_co_0_96121615436.shtml|archive-date=20 May 2011 }}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref><ref>{{cite news|access-date=1 February 2018|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413075716/http://www.ilprocidano.it/04/05/2012/procida-muore-mariceli-la-figlia-di-attilio-teruzzi/|author=Guglielmo Taliercio|date=4 May 2012|periodical=Il Procidano|title=Procida: Muore Mariceli la figlia di Attilio Teruzzi|url=https://www.ilprocidano.it/procida-muore-mariceli-la-figlia-di-attilio-teruzzi/|archive-date=13 April 2013 }}<!-- auto-translated by Module:CS1 translator --></ref>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{PM20|FID=pe/032748}}
{{Italian Governors of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica}} {{Ministers of Italian Colonies}} {{Mussolini Cabinet}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Teruzzi, Attilio}} Category:1882 births Category:1950 deaths Category:Politicians from Milan Category:Government ministers of Italy Category:Mussolini Cabinet Category:Deputies of Legislature XXVII of the Kingdom of Italy Category:Deputies of Legislature XXVIII of the Kingdom of Italy Category:Deputies of Legislature XXIX of the Kingdom of Italy Category:Members of the Chamber of Fasces and Corporations Category:People of the Italian Social Republic Category:People of former Italian colonies Category:Italian Army officers Category:Italian military personnel of the Italo-Turkish War Category:Italian military personnel of World War I Category:Italian people of World War II Category:Corpo Truppe Volontarie personnel Category:Italian prisoners and detainees Category:Recipients of the Silver Medal of Military Valor Category:Military personnel from Milan Category:People convicted of treason against Italy