Saverio Fava

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Baron Saverio Fava was known for his founding of the Italian Ministry in Washington. He served as the first Italian Ambassador of the then recently unified Italy to the United States from 1881-1893.

As Ambassador, Baron Fava served as the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps. Prior to his service for Italy in the United States of America, Baron Fava served in Brazil and Romania. He began his career under the House of Bourbon governments of Italy but as Italian unity formed under Garibaldi, he continued to serve Italian interests under the Savoy.

His greatest challenge as US ambassador consisted of the "New Orleans Affair". Negotiating with President McKinley, the Baron requested federal action to address a lynching of several Italian citizens being managed as a State of Louisiana criminal event. Several Italians were lynched in a New Orleans jail and the local government failed to act.

Citations

http://www-ee.stanford.edu/~gray/amy.pdf

Sidney SONNINO, Diario, 1866-1912, I, Bari: Laterza, 1972: 407