SCIALOJA, VITTORIO

SCIALOJA, VITTORIO. – Jurist, born in Turin on 24 April 1856, died in Rome on 19 November 1933. Having graduated from the University of Rome in 1877, after a brief period at the presidency of the Court of Cassation of Rome, he taught Roman law at the University of Camerino and subsequently, as a full professor, at Siena (1881) and Rome (1881), the university which he was to honor through his teaching until 1931.

He was a national member and for some time president of the Accademia dei Lincei, promoter and president of the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law, senator of the Kingdom from 1904, Minister of State

Rome, which had been established through his efforts. As a statesman, he maintained the exceptionally high level of the debates in the Senate and was Minister of Grace and Justice in the Sonnino ministry (1909–10), Minister without portfolio in the Boselli ministry (1916–17), and Minister of Foreign Affairs in the Nitti cabinets (1919–20). A delegate to the Peace Conference (1919–20) and to the League of Nations (1921–32), in difficult moments he upheld Italy’s prestige through the sole authority of his name and expertise. As a lawyer, through his opinions and arguments, he provided an unparalleled example of learning and refinement that has remained unsurpassed to this day. As an editor of texts, he actively collaborated on the edition of the Digesta (Milano 1908–31).

Of his legal works, the most important are, in addition to numerous courses on Roman law: I negozi giuridici, Roma 1892–93 (2nd ed., there 1933); Teoria della proprietà in diritto romano, 2 vols., there 1928; Diritto ereditario romano, there 1933; Procedura civile romana (supplemented by V. Arangio-Ruiz), there 1936. The very numerous articles and speeches were largely collected by L. Trompeo: Studi giuridici e scritti e discorsi politici, 7 vols., Roma 1932–36.