HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Cristoforo Negri (1809-1896) was an
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
geographer, economist and diplomat.


Biography

Cristoforo Negri was born in
Padua Padua ( ) is a city and ''comune'' (municipality) in Veneto, northern Italy, and the capital of the province of Padua. The city lies on the banks of the river Bacchiglione, west of Venice and southeast of Vicenza, and has a population of 20 ...
in 1809. He became a professor of constitutional law at the
University of Padua The University of Padua (, UNIPD) is an Italian public research university in Padua, Italy. It was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from the University of Bologna, who previously settled in Vicenza; thus, it is the second-oldest ...
. Following the upheavals of 1848 he fled to
Piedmont Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
, where he was appointed to the consular division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by
Vincenzo Gioberti Vincenzo Gioberti (; 5 April 180126 October 1852) was an Italian Catholic priest, philosopher, publicist and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Sardinia from 1848 to 1849. He was a prominent spokesman for liberal Catholicism. Biogr ...
. He was confirmed in this position by Massimo d'Azeglio. From 1859 he held various government posts in the course of which he visited many cities in the Mediterranean to develop Italian political and economic relationships. In 1867 Negri was one of the founders of the , and was the President of this society for its first four years. Commenting on the 1867 expedition of the corvette ''Magenta'' to the Pacific, Negri pointed out that it was far too heavily loaded with arms and far too short of maps, books and scientific instruments to truly be meant as a voyage of exploration. He was the Italian consul general in
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
from 1874 to 1875. After retiring, he continued to represent his country. He participated in the 1876 conference held by King
Leopold II of Belgium Leopold II (9 April 1835 – 17 December 1909) was the second king of the Belgians from 1865 to 1909, and the founder and sole owner of the Congo Free State from 1885 to 1908. Born in Brussels as the second but eldest-surviving son of King Leo ...
on founding the
International African Association The International African Association (in full, "International Association for the Exploration and Civilization of Central Africa"; in French ''Association Internationale Africaine,'' and in full ''Association Internationale pour l'Exploration et ...
, in a conference on the construction of the
Panama Canal The Panama Canal () is an artificial waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, and is a Channel (geography), conduit for maritime trade between th ...
, and in the
Berlin Conference The Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 was a meeting of colonial powers that concluded with the signing of the General Act of Berlin,
of 1884-1885 in which Africa was carved up among the European colonial powers. In 1880 Negri was again President of the Geographical Society. He endorsed a plan by the explorer
Giacomo Bove Giacomo Bove (23 April 1852 – 9 August 1887) was an Italian explorer. He sailed with Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld on the first voyage through the north-east passage, and later explored Tierra del Fuego and the Congo River. Early years Giacomo Bove ...
to undertake a circumnavigation of Antarctica. However, the newly formed Italian state was not able to afford the cost. In 1890 he was made a senator. He died in
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
in 1896.


Writings

* *''Memorie storico-politiche dei Greci e dei Romani'' (Historical and political memories of the Greeks and Romans), Turin, 1842. * * * * * * * * * *''I passati viaggi antartici e l'ideata spedizione italiana: Riflessi'' (Past Antarctic travel and concept of an Italian expedition: Reflections), Genova, Istituto de' Sordo-Muti, 1880. * * *


Notes and references

Citations Sources * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Negri, Cristoforo 1809 births 1896 deaths 19th-century Italian diplomats 19th-century Italian writers Academic staff of the University of Padua 19th-century Italian geographers 19th-century Italian economists