Biography

Coppino was born in Alba, Piedmont into a poor family. He was professor of Italian literature at the University of Turin

University of Turin

The University of Turin is a university in the city of Turin in the Piedmont region of north-western Italy...

 and rector of the same from 1868 to 1870, when he moved to Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

 (which had been declared capital of the Kingdom of Italy) to follow his political roles.

He participated to the elections for the Chamber of Deputies of the Kingdom of Sardinia

Kingdom of Sardinia

The Kingdom of Sardinia consisted of the island of Sardinia first as a part of the Crown of Aragon and subsequently the Spanish Empire , and second as a part of the composite state of the House of Savoy . Its capital was originally Cagliari, in the south of the island, and later Turin, on the...

 for the first time in 1857, but was defeated at the ballot. He was elected in 1860 and re-elected to the first legislature of the Italian Chamber of Deputies

Italian Chamber of Deputies

The Italian Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Parliament of Italy. It has 630 seats, a plurality of which is controlled presently by liberal-conservative party People of Freedom. Twelve deputies represent Italian citizens outside of Italy. Deputies meet in the Palazzo Montecitorio. A...

 one year later. Coppino subsequently was a member of the Italian Parliament for some forty years, with a few interruptions, and was two times President of the Chamber (both times succeeding Domenico Farini

Domenico Farini

Domenico Farini was an Italian soldier and statesman, who was President of the Italian Senate from 1887 to 1898. He was the son of politician Luigi Carlo Farini.-Biography:...

).

Coppino was Minister of Education in the two first Depretis

Agostino Depretis

Agostino Depretis was an Italian statesman.-Biography:Depretis was born at Mezzana Corte, near Stradella, in the province of Pavia ....

 cabinets (1876-1878). He introduced the so-called Legge Coppino ("Coppino Law"), which made elementary schools mandatory and free of charge, with, in particular, no religious teaching. He was again Minister of Education under Depretis and Crispi

Francesco Crispi

Francesco Crispi was a 19th-century Italian politician of Arbëreshë ancestry. He was instrumental in the unification of Italy and was its 17th and 20th Prime Minister from 1887 until 1891 and again from 1893 until 1896.-Sicily:Crispi’s paternal family came originally from the small agricultural...

 between 1884 and 1888. Laws issued during his tenure include one for economical support for teachers, reorganization of kindergartens and of classic instructions.

He died at Alba in 1901.

Sources

• Page at Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani by Enciclopedia Italiana
  Enciclopedia Italiana
  The Enciclopedia Italiana di scienze, lettere ed arti , is an Italian encyclopedia, generally regarded as the most authoritative of that language...
  
  , biography by G. Talamo