Italian President’s Grandson Interviewed at Casa Italiana
Pictured after the recording of the Marconi Project interview are (left to right): Francesco Isgro, Luigi Einaudi, Ciro DeFalco, Maria Marigliano, Nancy DeSanti, Tom Sweeney and Willy Meaux.
On March 1, 2020, Luigi Einaudi, the grandson of Italy’s first post-World War II president, was interviewed by the Marconi Project team at Casa Italiana. As it happened, Einaudi, who is named after his grandfather, was celebrating his birthday that day, so that called for a champagne toast and the singing of the birthday song (Italian and English versions) by Maria Marigliano, our Holy Rosary music director and AMHS member who, it turned out due to her own career, was very familiar with Einaudi’s work as a diplomat at the U.S. State Department. Einaudi was interviewed by Ciro DeFalco, who was executive vice president of the Inter-American Development Bank and who knew him through his diplomatic work in Latin America. Interestingly, the two men ran into each other at the 2018 Bella Italia Market at Casa Italiana; Ciro was later able to arrange the interview.
Luigi Einaudi, the grandfather, was an Italian economist, university professor and statesman, and the first president of the Republic of Italy (1948-1955). In 1936-1943, he was the editor of Rivista di storia economica (“Review of Economic History”), which was suppressed by the Fascists, against whom he was an unwavering opponent. In 1943, he fled to Switzerland. Returning to Italy in 1945, Einaudi was appointed governor of the Bank of Italy (1945-1948). He was a member of the Constituent Assembly, becoming deputy prime minister and minister of the budget, a new post in which he successfully curbed inflation and stabilized the currency. In 1948, Einaudi became a member of the Senate of the Italian Republic and then in the same year became its first president. His term lasted until 1955. His grandson describes him as “the thinking man’s president and a man of the greatest integrity.” His grandson, Luigi R. Einaudi, was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, graduated from Harvard University, was drafted into the United Sates Army, then returned to Harvard, earning his Ph.D. in 1967.
He spent a decade at the RAND Corporation in Santa Monica, Cal. Einaudi has taught government at Harvard, Wesleyan, UCLA and Georgetown Universities and has lectured widely in the United States and abroad. In 2000, Einaudi was elected Assistant Secretary General of the Organization of American States, and served also as Acting Secretary General in 2004-2005. At the OAS, Einaudi supported both the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights and the Inter-American Defense Board, and brokered negotiations to reduce border problems in Central America. During his 23-year career at the State Department, he helped articulate policy and conducted consultations with most Western European nations, NATO and Japan as well as with Brazil, Latin America and nations in the Caribbean. Three U.S. Presidents and the Presidents of Ecuador, Italy and Peru and the King of Spain have also decorated Einaudi for his achievements. Now retired, Einaudi and his wife divide their time between their homes in Washington, D.C. and Italy.
It is worth noting that Luigi Einaudi was honored by AMHS at its 2008 Gala “for outstanding service and contribution to world peace.” Then-AMHS President Omero Sabatini stated “Mr. Einaudi’s many accomplishments are an inspiration to all Americans, not just those of Italian descent. And, as we hear him talk and break bread with him, let us reflect on how fortunate we are to have the grandson of the first President of the Italian Republic and the progeny of the downtrodden (which most of us members are) sit together at this banquet of celebration and joy.” The Marconi Project is a facet of the new Immigration Museum, which AMHS members Anna Isgrò and Liz DiGregorio have been working on for the past year. The Marconi Project interviews are generally conducted by AMHS member Tom Sweeney and the audio recording is handled by AMHS member Willy Meaux. The project is collecting oral histories to capture the memories and experiences of local Italian immigrants and their Italian American descendants. A number of AMHS members have already been interviewed for the Marconi Project, including William Sansalone, Omero Sabatini, Lucio and Edvige D’Andrea, Joe Novello, Roberto Severino, Maddalena Borea and the late Angelo Puglisi. Other AMHS members will be interviewed during the year.