MALVANO, GIACOMO

MALVANO, GIACOMO (1841–1922), Italian diplomat. Born in Turin, he was secretary general of the foreign ministry from 1876 to 1885. Malvano was minister to Tokyo from 1887 to 1889 when he resumed the post of secretary general of the foreign office, which he held until 1907. Malvano was a senator from 1896 and later was appointed to the Council of State, eventually becoming its president. He was also president of the Italian Geographic Society for many years. An opponent of Zionism, Malvano refused to assist Theodor Herzl on his visit to Rome (Jan. 26, 1904) on the ground that he was only "a modest civil servant." Herzl ironically refers to him, "He is a clerk in the wholesale firm of 'Italy, Inc.'" (Giorgio Romano)