Vittorio Valletta
Encyclopedia
Vittorio Valletta was an Italian
industrialist and President of Fiat
from 1946 to 1966.
Born at Sampierdarena
, near Genoa
, Valletta was a lecturer in economics before he joined Fiat in April 1921: as a result of his academic qualifications and background he was often known to colleagues and in the trade as "Il Professore". He became director and director in 1928 and CEO in 1939.
In the upheavals that followed the collapse of the Mussolini regime
, Valletta found himself expelled from the company by the powerful unions which considered that he had been sympathetic to the Fascist regime. However, in 1946 he was recalled and nominated as Company President. He presided during two decades of rapid expansion as small Fiats proliferated on Italian streets, and he lived out the injunction of the company's founder
to "make Fiat greater, giving more working opportunities to the people, and producing better and cheaper cars". Valletta continued as Chairman of Fiat until, at the age of 83, he retired in April 1966 to be succeeded in that post by the founder's grandson, Dr. Giovanni Agnelli
.
He was appointed senator for life
in December 1966. The Italian president's
citation described Valletta as "the first Fiat worker, and one of the great men who most contributed to the Italian economic miracle and to the welfare of the country".
Valletta died at his villa near Pietrasanta
in 1967.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
industrialist and President of Fiat
Fiat
FIAT, an acronym for Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino , is an Italian automobile manufacturer, engine manufacturer, financial, and industrial group based in Turin in the Italian region of Piedmont. Fiat was founded in 1899 by a group of investors including Giovanni Agnelli...
from 1946 to 1966.
Born at Sampierdarena
Sampierdarena
Sampierdarena is a major port and industrial area of Genoa, in northwest Italy. With San Teodoro it forms the West Central municipio.-Geography:...
, near Genoa
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
, Valletta was a lecturer in economics before he joined Fiat in April 1921: as a result of his academic qualifications and background he was often known to colleagues and in the trade as "Il Professore". He became director and director in 1928 and CEO in 1939.
In the upheavals that followed the collapse of the Mussolini regime
Italian Fascism
Italian Fascism also known as Fascism with a capital "F" refers to the original fascist ideology in Italy. This ideology is associated with the National Fascist Party which under Benito Mussolini ruled the Kingdom of Italy from 1922 until 1943, the Republican Fascist Party which ruled the Italian...
, Valletta found himself expelled from the company by the powerful unions which considered that he had been sympathetic to the Fascist regime. However, in 1946 he was recalled and nominated as Company President. He presided during two decades of rapid expansion as small Fiats proliferated on Italian streets, and he lived out the injunction of the company's founder
Giovanni Agnelli
Giovanni Agnelli was an Italian entrepreneur, who founded Fiat car manufacturing in 1899.-Early life:The son of Edoardo Agnelli and Aniceta Frisetti, he was born in Villar Perosa, a small town near Pinerolo, Piedmont, still the main home and burial place of the Agnelli family...
to "make Fiat greater, giving more working opportunities to the people, and producing better and cheaper cars". Valletta continued as Chairman of Fiat until, at the age of 83, he retired in April 1966 to be succeeded in that post by the founder's grandson, Dr. Giovanni Agnelli
Gianni Agnelli
Giovanni Agnelli , better known as Gianni Agnelli , was an Italian industrialist and principal shareholder of Fiat. As the head of Fiat, he controlled 4.4% of Italy's GDP, 3.1% of its industrial workforce, and 16.5% of its industrial investment in research...
.
He was appointed senator for life
Senator for life
A senator for life is a member of the senate or equivalent upper chamber of a legislature who has life tenure. , 7 Italian Senators out of 322, 4 out of the 47 Burundian Senators and all members of the British House of Lords have lifetime tenure...
in December 1966. The Italian president's
Giuseppe Saragat
Giuseppe Saragat was an Italian politician who was the fifth President of the Italian Republic from 1964 to 1971.Saragat was born in Turin, from Sardinian parents....
citation described Valletta as "the first Fiat worker, and one of the great men who most contributed to the Italian economic miracle and to the welfare of the country".
Valletta died at his villa near Pietrasanta
Pietrasanta
Pietrasanta is a town and comune on the coast of northern Tuscany in Italy, in the province of Lucca. Pietrasanta is part of Versilia, on the last foothills of the Apuan Alps, about 32 km north of Pisa...
in 1967.