Alberto Blanc

Alberto Blanc was born in Chambéry in 1835 and trained in law at Turin. A political writer encouraged by Cavour, he opposed Savoy’s annexation to France and chose Sardinian nationality. He rose through the foreign ministry, worked on Italy’s alliance with Prussia, and held senior responsibilities during the occupation of Rome in 1870. ¹

As minister in Washington from 1875, Blanc was selected by Spain and the United States to arbitrate compensation claims arising from the Cuban insurrection. That experience led the two governments to choose him again while he was serving in Madrid, this time over the American vessel Masonic, which Spanish authorities had seized at Manila. ^{1, 2}

In his June 1885 award, Blanc assessed compensation at $51,674.07. The agreement required payment in Washington within six months, with interest. American minister John W. Foster praised his promptness and impartiality in reporting the result to Washington. ²

Blanc later served as foreign ministry secretary general and ambassador in Constantinople. He helped advance the Triple Alliance but subsequently criticized its limited support for Italian interests. Foreign minister under Crispi from 1893, he sought backing for Italy’s Mediterranean and African ambitions; by early 1896 he urged an honorable settlement with Menelik of Ethiopia. The defeat at Adwa ended the ministry. Blanc withdrew from public life and died in Turin in 1904. ¹