Luigi Facta (16 November 1861 – 5 November 1930) was an Italian politician, lawyer and journalist and the last
Prime Minister of Italy
The Prime Minister of Italy, officially the President of the Council of Ministers ( it, link=no, Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri), is the head of government of the Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is ...
before the leadership of
Benito Mussolini.
Background and earlier career
Facta was born in
Pinerolo
Pinerolo (; pms, Pinareul ; french: Pignerol; oc, Pineròl) is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont, northwestern Italy, southwest of Turin on the river Chisone. The Lemina torrent has its source at the boundary b ...
,
Piedmont
it, Piemontese
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, Italy. He studied law and later became a lawyer and journalist. He entered politics in 1892 when he was elected to the
chamber of deputies for Pinerolo, a seat which he held for 30 years. Facta, a member of the Liberal Party, served as undersecretary of the justice and interior departments in the coalition cabinet for much of his time in Parliament. He was also the
Italian Minister of Finance
This is a list of Italian Ministers of Finance, from 1861 to present.
List of Ministers of Finance Kingdom of Italy (1861–1946)
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*1922–1943:
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from 1910 until 1914 and 1920 until 1921. At the outbreak of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Facta supported
neutrality for Italy, but then supported the war when Italy entered it. His son was killed in the war, and he said that he was proud to give a son to his country.
Prime Minister of Italy
Facta was appointed Prime Minister in February 1922. At the time, Italy was in political turmoil and was dealing with Mussolini's fascist insurgency. When Mussolini decided to march on Rome, Facta reacted and wanted to declare martial law and send the army to stop Mussolini. Such a declaration needed to bear the monarch's signature before it could take effect. Facta always refused to explain the secret reasons that brought King
Victor Emmanuel III
The name Victor or Viktor may refer to:
* Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname
Arts and entertainment
Film
* ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film
* ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...
not to sign the declaration of emergency. The following day, Facta and his government resigned to demonstrate they did not approve of the King's decision. The King then requested that Mussolini come to Rome to form a new government.
Later life; death and legacy
In 1924, King Victor Emmanuel III named Facta senator in
Italian Senate.
Facta died in Pinerolo, Italy, in 1930 with the general population believing him to have been too feeble and faithful to the King to take a more active role in stopping Mussolini and the rise of Fascism.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Facta, Luigi
1861 births
1930 deaths
People from Pinerolo
Italian Ministers of the Interior
Prime Ministers of Italy
Finance ministers of Italy
Italian journalists
Italian male journalists
Members of the Senate of the Kingdom of Italy