Francesco Saverio Nitti

Born in 1868 in Melfi, in southern Italy, Francesco Saverio Nitti built his early reputation as an economist and writer. He taught and published on finance and social questions, and his work helped bring him into national politics.

Nitti served in the Italian parliament and held ministerial office before becoming prime minister in 1919. He led the country during a difficult postwar period marked by economic strain and political unrest, and he was known for approaching public life with the eye of a scholar as well as a reformer.

After the rise of Fascism, he went into exile and continued to write and speak against authoritarian rule. He later returned to Italy, where he remained an important public voice until his death in 1953.