Giovanni Treccani

Giovanni Treccani (Italian pronunciation: [dʒoˈvanni trekˈkaːni]; 3 January 1877 – 6 July 1961) was an Italian textile industrialist, publisher and cultural patron.[1] He sponsored the Giovanni Treccani Institute, established 18 February 1925 to publish the Enciclopedia Italiana (currently best known with his own name, Enciclopedia Treccani).

Treccani was the son of a pharmacist. At the age of 17, he emigrated to Germany to work as a textile worker. In 1924, he became a Senator of Italy. In 1925 work started on the Italian Encyclopedia Institute. In 1937 he was awarded the title of Count, and in 1939 received a degree honoris causa in literature from the University of Milan.