Alfred (known as Freddie ) Micallef ( Mosta , 18 March 1939 - 7 April 2011) was a Minister in Labour governments of the 1970s and 1980s.
The son of Karmenu and Karmena, Freddie Micallef received his education at the Government Primary School, the Seminary and Stella Maris College. Micallef successfully completed a course in engineering where he was awarded a certificate as a telemechanic .
He entered politics in 1959 and between 1963-66 was President of the Labor Youth Union. At the same time he served in various positions within the Labor Party and in the National Executive since 1960. He contested the general elections held between 1962 and 1996. Micallef recounts the first time he ran for election: "The first time I ran for politics was in 1962 during the worst of times. The ringing of the bells still affects me badly to this day. Those loud notes stay in your ears. They would ring the church bells to disrupt our meetings. It was a difficult time because in our area of Mellieħa , Mosta and San Pawl the people were not like in Cottonera."
It was between 1966 and 1996 that Freddie Micallef served as a member of parliament and during these years he served in various ministerial positions. Between 1971 and 1974 he was Parliamentary Secretary with the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Tourism, Agriculture and Fisheries before being appointed Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries in 1974. In 1976 he was appointed Minister for Parastatals and People's Industries. In 1978 he was again appointed Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries and from 1983 to 1987 he held the position of Minister for Labor and Social Services.
In 1997 he was appointed Chairman of the Medigrain company and on 13 December 1997 he was awarded the honor of National Officer of the Order of Merit.
Freddie Micallef was married to Maria Concetta and had three children: Carlo, Dino and Maria. His hobby was racing pigeons.
In December 2007, he was diagnosed with breast cancer, at the same time that Alfred Sant underwent surgery for bowel cancer. They were very supportive of each other. In Micallef's words: "Alfred and I fell ill at the same time. We would call each other. And he would check if I was taking the medicine and treatment I needed. And I did the same. We would both console and encourage each other. Alfred is a genuine person." In an interview that Micallef gave in 2008 he stated: "I come from a family where my father was a contractor. At that time he had taken on the job of building the Mosta civic center. They had passed it on with great passion since I entered politics. 50 years have passed and this building is still there... I will tell you the truth, I come from a religious family and we still say the rosary. I forgave everyone and when I became a Minister I had not made up for it with anyone. And I am proud of this. People who were in the PN Council at that time worked with me. I believe that the most important elements are the respect and genuineness of the individual and not their political colour.