ANTONIO SALANDRA — Statesman, b. at Troia (Foggia) 13 July 1853, d. at Rome 9 Dec. 1931. A lawyer and scholar of the philosophy of law and of economics, in 1890 he obtained the chair of administrative science at the University of Rome, later moving to that of administrative law, which he held until his death.
He wrote *La giustizia amministrativa nei governi liberi* (Administrative Justice in Liberal Governments), published in 1904, which is regarded as a classic in the field. Salandra also engaged in active politics and from 1886 was continuously deputy for Foggia in the Italian Parliament, sitting on the right-centre. Several times under-secretary and then minister, successively of Finance, the Treasury and Agriculture, he fell out with Giolitti and was accused by the left of being a “reactionary.” He became Prime Minister in March 1914 and, owing to the rapid unfolding of international events, found himself at the head of Italy’s government of neutrality, the denunciation of the Triple Alliance, the London Pact and the armed intervention; he vigorously supported his foreign ministers—first the Marquis San Giuliano and then Sonnino—in the difficult negotiations with the Central Powers and the Entente powers, while simultaneously preparing the country for war.
Resigning in 1916 after the Austrian offensive on the highlands, he was later the Italian delegate to the Peace Confederation and at the League of Nations. Initially he adhered to Fascism, but when he realised that it increasingly shunned insertion within the constitutional order, he decisively took part in what was called “the opposition in the chamber” (in contrast to the Aventine secession) and eventually withdrew into private life, not even participating in the work of the Senate, to which he had been appointed in 1928. His final years were devoted to drafting his memoirs, of which two volumes have appeared: *La neutralità italiana* and *L’intervento*, both extremely rich in information and highly objective.