Former Finance Minister Delfim Netto dies at 96

Former Minister of Finance, Agriculture and Planning, Antônio Delfim Netto, died in the early hours of Monday (12), at the age of 96. The cause of death has not yet been announced by Delfim's office. In a statement, it was said that he died “due to complications in his health”. The former minister had been hospitalized at the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein, in the South Zone of São Paulo, since the 5th.

Who was Delfim Netto

Born in 1928, Antônio Delfim Netto was the grandson of Italian immigrants and grew up in Cambuci, a neighborhood in the central region of São Paulo. He graduated in the third class of the economics course at the University of São Paulo in 1951, where he was an assistant professor and became a specialist in the field in 1963. At USP, he received the title of professor emeritus of the courses of Economics, Administration and Accounting.

Passage through the Government

Delfim was the youngest person to take on the role of Finance Minister in 1967, at the age of 38. He commanded the economy during the military governments of Costa e Silva and Médici, being one of the main people responsible for the so-called “economic miracle” and one of the signatories of Institutional Act Number 5 (AI-5), the most repressive act of the military dictatorship.

Netto left for France after leaving his post as Finance Minister, taking on the role of Brazilian ambassador to the City of Light during the government of Ernesto Geisel, in 1975. Upon his return, he took on the role of Minister of Agriculture during the government of João Figueiredo and, later, that of Minister of Planning.

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_{Delfim Netto in 1970 (Reproduction/ Keystone/Getty Images Embed)}

During the presidency of Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Netto praised privatizations and economic liberalization, becoming president of the Finance and Taxation Committee of the Chamber of Deputies. Delfim Netto was also one of the main economic advisors in the first governments of Lula and Dilma Rousseff.

Featured photo: Former Finance Minister Delfim Netto dies at 96 (Reproduction/Bloomberg/ Getty Images Embed)