Giuseppe Palumbo (

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 ...

, 31 December 1840 – Naples, 16 February 1913) was an Italian admiral and politician. As a career member of the

Regia Marina The , ) (RM) or Royal Italian Navy was the navy of the Kingdom of Italy () from 1861 to 1946. In 1946, with the birth of the Italian Republic (''Repubblica Italiana''), the changed its name to '' Marina Militare'' ("Military Navy"). Origin ...

, he took part in the

First First most commonly refers to: * First, the ordinal form of the number 1 First or 1st may also refer to: Acronyms * Faint Images of the Radio Sky at Twenty-Centimeters, an astronomical survey carried out by the Very Large Array * Far Infrared a ...

and Second Italian Wars of Independence. He was later elected to the

Chamber of Deputies of the Kingdom of Italy The Chamber of Deputies of the Kingdom of Italy () was the main legislative body of the Kingdom of Italy descended from the Chamber of Deputies (Kingdom of Sardinia), lower house of the Kingdom of Sardinia, but supplemented with deputies from te ...

, then appointed to the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

, and served as Minister of the Navy from 1898-99.

Early life and career

Giuseppe Palumbo was admitted to the :it: Real accademia di marina in 1851, from which he graduated in 1856 with the rank of ensign. He began his career in the navy of the

Kingdom of the Two Sicilies The Kingdom of the Two Sicilies () was a kingdom in Southern Italy from 1816 to 1861 under the control of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, a cadet branch of the House of Bourbon, Bourbons. The kingdom was the largest sovereign state by popula ...

, first on the ''

Tancredi ''Tancredi'' is a ''melodramma eroico'' (''opera seria'' or heroic opera) in two acts by composer Gioachino Rossini and librettist Gaetano Rossi (who was also to write ''Semiramide'' ten years later), based on Voltaire's play ''Tancrède (traged ...

'', and later on other Neapolitan ships. He entered the Royal Navy and in December 1860 was promoted to the rank of lieutenant, taking part in the campaign in southern Italy of 1860-1861 and distinguishing himself in the sieges of Gaeta and

Messina Messina ( , ; ; ; ) is a harbour city and the capital city, capital of the Italian Metropolitan City of Messina. It is the third largest city on the island of Sicily, and the 13th largest city in Italy, with a population of 216,918 inhabitants ...

, earning a silver medal for military valor. He then participated in an educational cruise for

officer candidate Officer candidate or officer aspirant (OA) is a rank in some militaries of the world that is an appointed position while a person is in training to become an Officer (armed forces), officer. More often than not, an officer candidate was a civilia ...

s to South America, under the command of Admiral

Simone Antonio Saint-Bon Simone Antonio Pacoret de Saint-Bon (March 20, 1828 – November 26, 1892) was an admiral of the Italian ''Regia Marina'' ("Royal Navy"). Saint-Bon was born at Chambéry, now in France, then part of the Kingdom of Sardinia. Leaving the Naval Aca ...

, aboard the frigate '' Principe Umberto'' in 1865-1866. They returned to Italy in time to take part in the battle of Lissa, where Palumbo distinguished himself in the rescue of the shipwrecked sailors from the '' Re d'Italia''. The following September, on board the same ship, he was sent to

Palermo Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...

to suppress the local anti-unity movement. Promoted to frigate captain in 1878, he obtained command of the gunboat '' Cariddi'' and in 1880 of the ''

Agostino Barbarigo Agostino Barbarigo (3 June 1419 – 20 September 1501) was Doge of Venice from 1486 until his death in 1501. While he was Doge, the imposing Clock Tower in the Piazza San Marco with its archway through which the street known as the Merceria le ...

''. In 1882 he obtained command of the propeller-driven corvette ''

Vettor Pisani Vettor Pisani (132413 August 1380) was a Venetian admiral. Career He was in command of the Venetian fleet in 1378 during the war against the Genoese, whom he defeated off Capo d'Anzio; subsequently he recaptured Cattaro, Sebenico and Arbe ...

'' with which he undertook a voyage to circumnavigate the globe lasting three years, being promoted to captain in 1883. The voyage was an important source of new scientific discoveries in the fields of hydrography, marine zoology and botany.

Later naval career

Palumbo served as Chief of Staff of the Permanent Squadron from 17 December 1885 to 10 May 1886 and was awarded the rank of Rear Admiral on 28 December 1890. He was then Senior Commander of the Royal Crew Corps between 11 February 1891 and 22 January 1893 and was Commander of the Naval Academy from 1 December 1893 to 11 January 1895. The following year, on 9 April, he reached the rank of Vice Admiral, and was appointed Commander in Chief of the Mediterranean Naval Force on 1 May 1901, followed by the position of President of the Superior Naval Council which he held from 2 July 1903 to July 16, 1904. In 1903 he made a diplomatic voyage to

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

on board the ''

Agordat Agordat (also spelled Akordat or Ak'ordat) is a city in Gash-Barka, Eritrea. It was the capital of the former Barka Province, which was situated between the present-day Gash-Barka and Anseba regions. History Agordat was historically a key ce ...

'', together with eight other officials, to present gifts from king

Victor Emmanuel III Victor Emmanuel III (; 11 November 1869 – 28 December 1947) was King of Italy from 29 July 1900 until his abdication on 9 May 1946. A member of the House of Savoy, he also reigned as Emperor of Ethiopia from 1936 to 1941 and King of the Albani ...

to sultan

Abdul Hamid II Abdulhamid II or Abdul Hamid II (; ; 21 September 184210 February 1918) was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1876 to 1909, and the last sultan to exert effective control over the fracturing state. He oversaw a Decline and modernizati ...

Political career

Palumbo was elected as a deputy from the constituency of

Castellammare di Stabia Castellammare di Stabia (; ) is a (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania region, in southern Italy. It is situated on the Bay of Naples about southeast of Naples, on the route to Sorrento. History Castellammare di Stabia ...

, serving from 1897 to 1902. He was then appointed a senator in 1904. He served for a while as

undersecretary of state Undersecretary (or under secretary) is a title for a person who works for and has a lower rank than a secretary (person in charge). It is used in the executive branch of government, with different meanings in different political systems, and is a ...

and was then Minister of the Navy in the first Pelloux government from 29 June 1898 to 14 May 1899. On 1 January 1906 he retired due to age and was placed on the reserve list. He died in Naples in 1913.

Honours

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Palumbo, Giuseppe 1840 births 1913 deaths Military personnel from Naples Politicians from Naples Italian admirals Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Kingdom of Italy) Members of the Senate of the Kingdom of Italy Ministers of the navy of Italy