De Bono, Emilio

(1866–1944)

   Born in the province of Milan (Lombardy), De Bono was a monarchist and conservative who acted as a conduit between Benito Mussolini and the monarchy. In 1912, he had been chief of the General Staff in Libya. In World War I, he served in Albania and on the Austrian front. After the war, he joined the Partito Nazionale Fascista/National Fascist Party (PNF) and helped organize the Fascist militia. Once in power, Mussolini made him chief of police in Rome, but when the murder of Giacomo Matteotti by Fascist thugs led to a public outcry, De Bono resigned from the post. In 1929, he became minister for colonial affairs and, in 1935, high commissioner for East Africa. In 1936, De Bono was put in command of ground forces in the war in Ethiopia despite his age (he was nearly 70). He was subsequently promoted to the rank of marshal in order to clear the way for Pietro Badoglio, who concluded operations in six months. De Bono was among those who voted to deprive Mussolini of his powers at the fateful meeting of the Fascist Grand Council on 24–25 July 1943, and was thus among those executed by firing squad on the Duce’s orders in January 1944 at Verona.

   See also Grandi, Dino; March on Rome; Quadrumvirate; Squadrismo.