Nitti, Francesco Saverio

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Francesco Saverio Nitti (fränchās´kō sävā´rēō nēt´tē), 1868–1953, Italian premier and economist. A professor of economics at the Univ. of Naples, he entered parliament in 1904 and was minister of agriculture (1911–14) and of finance (1917–19). In 1919 he became premier, but internal difficulties and criticism of his foreign policy caused his resignation in 1920. Nitti lived in exile during the Fascist period.