Federico Pescetto

Federico Giovanni Battista Pescetto (born November 13, 1817 in Savona ; † September 15, 1882 ibid) was an Italian lieutenant general and politician who was a member of the Sardinian and then the Italian parliament and later a senator for life. From April to October 1867 he was (1st) and (2nd) Minister of the Navy in the governments of Rattazzi, and for a few days in April ad interim also Foreign Minister of his country.

Life and military career

Federico was the eldest son of his parents Niccolò and Benedetta, nee Colla. The mother's family belonged to the "better society" of Liguria , from which numerous higher administrative officials came from. His father left the family and emigrated to South America , so a maternal uncle became his guardian. As a ten-year-old Pescetto entered the Turin Military Academy as a cadet in April 1827 , which he left in 1837 as a lieutenant in genius. In 1840 he was transferred to Novara , where he met his cousin Annetta, b. Biale, married. Nine of their 13 children reached adulthood, three sons later became officers like the father. Pescetto was an active Freemason and campaigned for the government to recognize Freemasonry as a “moral entity”. In 1871 he became Grand Master of the Lodge "Great Orient of Italy".

In addition to the fortress and barracks building , u. a. in Genoa , Cuneo and Vercelli , the expansion of the transport infrastructure was the main focus of his early career. From 1857 Pescetto was part of the planning and construction management team for the new naval port and arsenal in La Spezia . In June 1860 Pescetto was appointed chief genius of the then important fortress Alessandria and in November of the same year he was promoted to colonel . In 1862 he was appointed major general and appointed to the staff of genius , in 1873 he was promoted to lieutenant general and appointed to the joint staff of artillery and geniuses . In 1866, 1867 to 1870 and 1873 to 1881 Pescetto was also a judge at the Supreme Military Court . In 1881 he was retired.

Political career

On March 25, 1860, Pescetto was elected to the transitional parliament for the constituency of Varazze , which is still counted as the Chamber of Deputies of the Kingdom of Sardinia-Piedmont, but which also included representatives of the regions Lombardy , Tuscany , Parma , Modena and Romagna that were affiliated in 1859/60 . There he initially adhered to the left-wing liberals, but in the course of his parliamentary activity, which lasted until 1867, moved more into the political center. From 1861 he represented the constituency of Savona. In addition to regional political concerns (e.g. the connection of Savona to the emerging railway network ), he was primarily interested in military and naval policy. After being appointed minister, Pescetto resigned his parliamentary mandate, but was re-elected in May 1867. His resignation as minister was the result of what was then perceived as a scandal: Pescetto had been commissioned, according to a request by Napoleon III. arrested Giuseppe Garibaldi to dissuade his planned move of the thousand , but released him unconditionally. In the regular elections in November 1870, Pescetto was defeated by the opposing candidate Paolo Boselli .

On March 16, 1879, Pescetto was appointed senator for life without becoming active in the Senate.

He has received several awards for his services, including the Grand Commander of the Knightly Order of St. Mauritius and Lazarus as well as the commemorative medal for the unity of Italy .

Web links

• Entry on the Senate homepage

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Entry “PESCETTO, Federico Giovanni Battista” in the online encyclopedia of the Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana , accessed on November 30, 2017.
2. ↑ "Pescetto Federico" entry on the website of the Italian Senate, accessed on 30 November 2017th
3. ^ Entry "Federico Giovanni Pescetto" on the website of the Italian Chamber of Deputies , accessed on April 19, 2018.