Honoring Leopoldo Sabbatini, the Founder of Universita' Bocconi

100 years after the death of Leopoldo Sabbatini (14 July 1861 – 6 June 1914), Università Bocconi is remembering its founder with a conference and a photography exhibition to retrace the milestones of the founder of the University and Unioncamere, the consolidation of chambers of commerce. On Friday 6 June at 11am (Aula N03, Piazza Sraffa), Mario Monti, Pier Andrea Chevellard (Chamber of Commerce), Marzio Romani and Andrea Sironi, along with Roberto Artoni, Piergaetano Marchetti, Paolo Mottura and Guido Tabellini will honor Leopoldo Sabbatini, who played an important role in the history of economics and Milanese and Italian culture.
After graduating from Pisa in Law with a thesis on commercial law, Sabbatini moved to Milan where he began working for the Chamber of Commerce: in 1885, he was selected to become Vice Secretary. The city that welcomed him was very appealing due to professional opportunities, as well as from the viewpoints of cultural and social growth. Sabbatini also met Ferdinando Bocconi in Milan, to whom he suggested the ambitious project of building a university institution in memory of his son Luigi. The founder of "Alle Città di Italia" decided to entrust Sabbatini with carrying out the project: a university centered around economics.

In the meantime, with the help of Angelo Salmoiraghi, entrepreneur and president of the Milan Chamber of Commerce, Sabbatini developed the idea of creating a sort of "economic parliament" to place next to the political parliament in order to provide a voice and representation to industry all over Italy. That was how the Unione delle Camere di Commercio was created in June 1907, where Sabbatini was its first Secretary.After the death of Ferdinando Bocconi, Sabbatini took charge of the management of the entire University, holding the positions of both Rector and President.

Here the program.