Giuseppe Pasquale Ricci
Encyclopedia
Giuseppe Pasquale Ricci was a leading figure in late-18th-century Trieste
, at the time a free port
within the Habsburg Empire.
Ricci came from a merchant family from Livorno
, and probably came to Trieste initially as a merchant, in the early 1750s. He married Marianna Grossel, daughter of a merchant from Ljubljana
, in 1754. He quickly developed a network of contacts and forsook business for a career as a government official.
By 1761, Ricci was Commerce Councilor of the Intendancy (Trieste's de facto government), in which capacity he recommended in a report to Vienna
that Greeks
and Jews should be invited to the city to develop its commerce, on the strength of those groups' reputations as merchants. In 1763 he proposed a commission to study manufacturing and factories on the Habsburg littoral
; he was appointed head of the commission, serving from 1763 to 1776. He held a number of other posts in the Trieste administration as well, among them: government delegate to the non-Uniate Greek community, president of the tribunal of the mercantile exchange, president of the police commission, provisional health magistrate, and interim governor.
He was ennobled in 1776, and made patrician by the Trieste city council in 1779. He died in Trieste in 1791.
Trieste
Trieste is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is situated towards the end of a narrow strip of land lying between the Adriatic Sea and Italy's border with Slovenia, which lies almost immediately south and east of the city...
, at the time a free port
Free port
A free port or free zone , sometimes also called a bonded area is a port, port area or other area with relaxed jurisdiction with respect to the country of location...
within the Habsburg Empire.
Ricci came from a merchant family from Livorno
Livorno
Livorno , traditionally Leghorn , is a port city on the Tyrrhenian Sea on the western edge of Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Livorno, having a population of approximately 160,000 residents in 2009.- History :...
, and probably came to Trieste initially as a merchant, in the early 1750s. He married Marianna Grossel, daughter of a merchant from Ljubljana
Ljubljana
Ljubljana is the capital of Slovenia and its largest city. It is the centre of the City Municipality of Ljubljana. It is located in the centre of the country in the Ljubljana Basin, and is a mid-sized city of some 270,000 inhabitants...
, in 1754. He quickly developed a network of contacts and forsook business for a career as a government official.
By 1761, Ricci was Commerce Councilor of the Intendancy (Trieste's de facto government), in which capacity he recommended in a report to Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
that Greeks
Greeks
The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world....
and Jews should be invited to the city to develop its commerce, on the strength of those groups' reputations as merchants. In 1763 he proposed a commission to study manufacturing and factories on the Habsburg littoral
Austrian Littoral
The Austrian Littoral was established as a crown land of the Austrian Empire in 1849. In 1861 it was divided into the three crown lands of the Imperial Free City of Trieste and its suburbs, the Margraviate of Istria, and the Princely County of Gorizia and Gradisca, which each had separate...
; he was appointed head of the commission, serving from 1763 to 1776. He held a number of other posts in the Trieste administration as well, among them: government delegate to the non-Uniate Greek community, president of the tribunal of the mercantile exchange, president of the police commission, provisional health magistrate, and interim governor.
He was ennobled in 1776, and made patrician by the Trieste city council in 1779. He died in Trieste in 1791.