Enrico Pessina (

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

, 17 October 1828 – Naples, 24 September 1916) was an Italian jurist, philosopher and politician. He was senator of the Kingdom of Italy in the XIII legislature.

Biography

He completed both legal and philosophical studies at the

University of Naples The University of Naples Federico II (; , ) is a public university, public research university in Naples, Campania, Italy. Established in 1224 and named after its founder, Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, it is the oldest public, s ...

. He was a student of the Calabrian philosopher

Pasquale Galluppi Pasquale Galluppi (2 April 1770 – 13 December 1846) was an Italian philosopher. Biography and philosophy Galluppi was born at Tropea, Calabria, into the patrician Galluppi family. From 1831 he was a professor at the University of Naples, where ...

, for whom he edited the posthumous edition of the "History of Philosophy", a year after his death. A man of liberal ideas, he was an opponent of the

Bourbons The House of Bourbon (, also ; ) is a dynasty that originated in the Kingdom of France as a branch of the Capetian dynasty, the royal House of France. Bourbon kings first ruled France and Navarre in the 16th century. A branch descended from ...

, taking part in the riots of 1848. The following year he published his Manual of Constitutional Law which earned him police persecution and then prison. In 1856 he married Giulia Settembrini, daughter of

Luigi Settembrini Luigi Settembrini (17 April 1813, Naples – 3 November 1877, Florence) was an Italian man of letters and politician. Biography Born in Naples, his paternal grandfather was an immigrant from Bollita (the actual Nova Siri), in the province o ...

, at the time of the marriage secluded on

Santo Stefano Island Santo Stefano () is an island in the Tyrrhenian Sea off the west coast of Italy, and part of the Pontine Islands. It is roughly circular, with a diameter of less than , and it is located east of the nearby island of Ventotene. Overview Like ...

. In 1860 Pessina fled the Kingdom and resided in

Livorno Livorno () is a port city on the Ligurian Sea on the western coast of the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of 152,916 residents as of 2025. It is traditionally known in English as Leghorn ...

, only to be appointed professor of law at the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna (, abbreviated Unibo) is a Public university, public research university in Bologna, Italy. Teaching began around 1088, with the university becoming organised as guilds of students () by the late 12th century. It is the ...

the following year. With the fall of the Bourbons, he returned to Naples where he was deputy general prosecutor. Deputy from 1861 and then

Senator of the Kingdom of Italy The Senate of the Kingdom of Italy () was the upper house of the bicameral parliament of the Kingdom of Italy, officially created on 4 March 1848, acting as an evolution of the original Subalpine Senate. It was replaced on 1 January 1948 by the ...

from 1876, he was minister of Agriculture, Industry and Commerce in the first Cairoli government (1878) and

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

in the

sixth Depretis government The Depretis VI government of Italy held office from 30 March 1884 until 29 June 1885, a total of 310 days, or 1 year, 2 months and 30 days. Government parties The government was composed by the following parties: Composition References { ...

(1884-1885). he also served as Vice-President of the Senate on a number of occasions (13 November 1887 – 3 August 1890) (7 December 1890 – 27 September 1892) (21 November 1892 – 13 January 1895) (2 June 1895 – 2 March 1897) (10 November 1898 – 17 May 1900). In 1875 he founded the legal magazine ''Il Filangieri'' with :it:Federico Persico. In 1899 he became a member of the

Accademia dei Lincei The (; literally the "Academy of the Lynx-Eyed"), anglicised as the Lincean Academy, is one of the oldest and most prestigious European scientific institutions, located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rome, Italy. Founded in ...

and in 1914 he became President of the

Royal Society for the Promotion of the Natural Sciences of Naples The Royal Society of Encouragement to Natural Sciences of Naples (, ''Società d'Incoraggiamento per le Scienze e le Arti Utili'' or ''Reale Istituto d'Incoraggiamento di Napoli'') was a 19th-century learned society, established in the Kingdom of ...

. He died in 1916 in his home in via del Museo Nazionale, a street that later took his name: via Enrico Pessina. Even the palace where he lived and died has since been remembered with his name. One of the 229 busts of illustrious Italians that adorn the Pincio promenade in Rome is dedicated to him.

Honours

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pessina, Enrico 1828 births 1916 deaths People from Naples Ministers of justice of Italy Kingdom of the Two Sicilies people