Stefano Siglienti (1898 – 1971) was an Italian banker and politician who served as the

minister of finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...

from 18 June until 12 December 1944. He held several banking posts until his death.

Early life and education

Hailed from intellectual bourgeois family Siglienti was born in Sassari on 17 January 1898 to Alberto Siglienti, a lawyer, and Francesca Conti. He received a law degree in 1921.

Career and activities

Following graduation from high school Siglienti began to work at a local bank in Sassari. He took part in

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 ...

as a second lieutenant and was decorated by the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

in July 1918 due to his activities in the war. He was one of the founders of the Action Party in Sardinia. From 1923 he began to work at the Sardinian Land Bank of which he would become deputy director general in 1945. In 1925 he moved to Rome and contributed to the publications, including '' Il Mondo'' and '' Il Becco Giallo''. In 1929 he involved in the formation of

Giustizia e Libertà Giustizia e Libertà (; en, Justice and Freedom) was an Italian anti-fascist resistance movement, active from 1929 to 1945.James D. Wilkinson (1981). ''The Intellectual Resistance Movement in Europe''. Harvard University Press. p. 224. The mov ...

(GL), an anti-fascist resistance movement, together with

Riccardo Bauer Riccardo Bauer (1896–1982) was an Italian anti-fascist journalist and political figure. He was one of the early Italians who fought against Benito Mussolini's rule. Due to his activities Bauer was imprisoned for a long time and was freed only a ...

Ugo La Malfa Ugo La Malfa (16 May 1903 – 26 March 1979) was an Italian politician and an important leader of the Italian Republican Party (''Partito Repubblicano Italiano''; PRI). Early years and anti-fascist resistance La Malfa was born in Palermo, Sic ...

and Raffaele Mattioli. On 19 November 1943 Siglienti was arrested by the

Schutzstaffel The ''Schutzstaffel'' (SS; also stylized as ''ᛋᛋ'' with Armanen runes; ; "Protection Squadron") was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party in Nazi Germany, and later throughout German-occupied Europe d ...

and was kept in the

Regina Coeli prison Regina Coeli (; it, Carcere di Regina Coeli ) is the best known prison in the city of Rome. Previously a Catholic convent (hence the name), it was built in 1654 in the rione of Trastevere. It started to serve as a prison in 1881. The constructi ...

. He managed to escape from the prison through the assistance of his wife, Ines, who had also been involved in the clandestine struggle against Fascist rule. Therefore, Siglienti was saved from being one of the victims of the

massacre A massacre is the killing of a large number of people or animals, especially those who are not involved in any fighting or have no way of defending themselves. A massacre is generally considered to be morally unacceptable, especially when per ...

which would take place a few days later on 24 March 1944. He was appointed minister of finance in June 1944 to the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

led by

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

Ivanoe Bonomi Ivanoe Bonomi (18 October 1873 – 20 April 1951) was an Italian politician and journalist who served as Prime Minister of Italy from 1921 to 1922 and again from 1944 to 1945. Background and earlier career Ivanoe Bonomi was born in Mantua, I ...

and was in office until December 1944. From 1 March to 10 December 1945 he worked as the commissioner of the

Banca IMI Banca IMI is a subsidiary of Intesa Sanpaolo which is specialized in investment banking and capital markets. The bank can trace its origins to the Istituto Mobiliare Italiano. IMI merged with Istituto Bancario San Paolo di Torino to form Sanpaolo ...

and then became its president in December 1945. The same year he was also named a member of the Consulta Nazionale. In September 1945 he was appointed president of the Italian Banking Association which he held until 1971.

Personal life and death

Siglienti married Ines Berlinguer, sister of politician

Mario Berlinguer Mario Berlinguer (; Sassari, 29 August 1891 – Rome, 5 September 1969) was an Italian lawyer and politician. He descended from a noble Sardinians, Sardinian family of Catalans, Catalan origins. As many of his ancestors, he belonged to the Freema ...

, in September 1924. They had a son and three daughters: Sergio (1926–2020), Lina, Laura and Francesca. Siglienti died in Rome on 5 April 1971.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Siglienti, Stefano 20th-century Italian journalists 1898 births 1971 deaths Action Party (Italy) politicians Finance ministers of Italy Italian anti-fascists Italian bankers Italian military personnel of World War I Italian political party founders Italian prisoners and detainees Members of Giustizia e Libertà Members of the National Council (Italy) People from Sassari Politicians of Sardinia