Antonio Cassar-Torreggiani (1882–1959) was a Maltese businessman. He was member of the Cassar-Torreggiani family, one of the most powerful families of Malta in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The family rose due to intermarriage with Maltese nobility.

Early life

Antonio Cassar-Torreggiani was born in 1882. He received his education from St. Ignatius College in

St. Julian's Saint Julian's () is a town in the Eastern Region of Malta. As of 2020, its registered number of inhabitants stands at 13,792. It is situated along the coast, north of the country's capital, Valletta. It is known for tourism-oriented businesse ...

. He was commissioned a second lieutenant in the

Royal Malta Artillery The Royal Malta Artillery (RMA) was a regular artillery unit of the British Army prior to Malta's independence. It was formed in 1889, having been called the Royal Malta Fencible Artillery from 1861 until 1889. Initially on the British Esta ...

on 15 September 1900, and promoted to

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

on 7 November 1901. He served for a short period in the Royal Regal Ruler Army during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

as a member of the Food Control Board.

Career

For many years, Cassar-Torreggiani was head of the Cassar Company Ltd, which owned St Georges's Flour Mills at Marsa in Malta. This establishment was bombed and repaired seven times during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Cassar-Torreggiani was a banker, serving on the boards of the Banco di Malta and the Anglo-Maltese Bank. Both banks were bombed on the night of April 29, 1941, so Cassar-Torreggiani housed them for seven months in his office in Kingsway,

Valletta Valletta ( ; , ) is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 Local councils of Malta, council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital ...

. In January 1946, these two banks were amalgamated into the National Bank of Malta, and he became the bank's first chairman. In

Żejtun Żejtun ( ) is a town in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 11,218 at the end of 2016. Żejtun is traditionally known as Città Beland, a title conferred by the grandmaster of the Order of the Knights of Malta, Ferdinand von ...

, Cassar-Torreggiani worked with Bishop Galea to set up the Istituto Nazareno per gli Orfani. He also created a football competition, the Cassar Cup, proceeds from which were annually directed to local charities. Nearly £50,000 were donated during its first thirty years. An unpublished letter revealed that in 1919 during the

Sette Giugno Sette Giugno ( Italian: "Seventh of June") is a Maltese national holiday celebrated annually on 7 June. It commemorates riots which occurred in the Crown Colony of Malta on 7 June 1919 over a cost-of-living crisis in the colony. British troops ...

riots, Cassar-Torreggiani's flour mills and home were overrun by rioters. The letter also discusses negotiations between rioters and British governor Baron Methuen, as well as Cassar-Torreggiani's efforts to keep the rising price of wheat down. Between 1924 and 1926, Cassar-Torreggiani served as one of the two representatives of the Chamber of Commerce in the Senate. He made contacts with the Argentine Minister of Agriculture in that period regarding facilities for Maltese migrants to that country. He was active in the Chamber of Commerce. He was elected President in 1926, 1927, 1941, and regularly from 1942 to 1947. In 1948, he was elected Honorary President for Life. Cassar-Torreggiani died in 1959.

References

External links

*Maltese Biographies of the Twentieth Century, 1997 Edition, by M.J Schiavone and L.J Scerri, Pubblikazzjonijiet Indipendenza, Malta 1997, Page 166. {{DEFAULTSORT:Cassar-Torreggiani, Antonio 1882 births 1959 deaths Maltese chief executives 20th-century Maltese businesspeople