Luigi Fugazy

Luigi Fugazy
Luigi Fugazy in 1906
Born	Luigi V. Fugazzi (1839-04-30)April 30, 1839 Santo Stefano d'Aveto, Liguria, Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia
Died	August 6, 1930(1930-08-06) (aged 91) Manhattan, New York City, United States
Resting place	Calvary Cemetery
Occupation(s)	Banker, businessman, philanthropist
Spouse	Maria Fugazzi
Children	6, including Humbert

Luigi V. Fugazzi (April 30, 1839 – August 6, 1930; anglicized as Fugazy), nicknamed Papa Fugazy, was an Italian American banker, businessman, and philanthropist who became one of the most prominent padroni in the United States. He emigrated to the United States in 1869 and established a bank and a service company for Italians in New York City's South Village. He also established and supported many Italian mutual aid societies and fraternal organizations in the city.

Early life

Luigi V. Fugazzi was born to a wealthy family in Santo Stefano d'Aveto, Liguria, on April 30, 1839. His father was a teacher in Piedmont. Luigi served as an officer in the Royal Piedmontese Army, being briefly assigned to a unit commanded by Giuseppe Garibaldi, and was considered a hero of the Italian unification. In 1869, he emigrated to the United States. He married Maria Fugazzi and had six children, including the boxing promoter Humbert Fugazy.

New York businessman

When Fugazy arrived in the United States, he had already learned to speak English and possessed a substantial inheritance from his father. He changed his surname from Fugazzi to Fugazy in order to assimilate into American culture. He established several businesses in New York City, first opening a bank, and acting as a notary public. Poor Italians deposited their money with him to safeguard it from thieves and con artists. He also ran a company that provided services to Italians, such as translation and letter-writing, and became a travel agent with a steamship company. His businesses provided services to thousands of Italian immigrants living in New York. Fugazy also provided legal advice to Italians to assist them with the American legal system. He conducted his businesses out of his home at 157 Bleecker Street in the South Village of Manhattan, which he purchased on September 21, 1904.

As a result of his prominence in Italian communities in New York City, Fugazy became seen as a benevolent padrone, and The New York Times reported his nickname of "Papa Fugazy". Edith M. Thomas described him as "one of the best-known Italian bankers" in New York City, and Gay Talese described him as "perhaps the most eminent padrone in the United States".

Civic and philanthropic activities

Commendatore ribbon bar of the Order of the Crown of Italy

Fugazy became involved in New York City politics and was closely connected with Tammany Hall, acting as a liaison between the political machine and Italian communities.

Fugazy was a significant promoter of over 100 Italian fraternal organizations and mutual aid societies in New York, and founded several of his own, including the Societa Santo, the Societa G. P. Riva, and Lodge Mazzini. He also encouraged existing ones to join together in a citywide federation, rather than operating only in their specific neighborhoods. Fugazy also founded the Italian Hospital in Manhattan, and was one of the first trustees and a significant benefactor of Our Lady of Pompeii Church.

In 1890, the King of Italy, Umberto I, granted Fugazy the title of chevalier of the Order of the Crown of Italy. In 1910, King Victor Emmanuel III promoted him to the rank of commendatore.

Death

Fugazy died at his home on Bleecker Street on August 6, 1930. A solemn requiem Mass was held on August 9 at St. Anthony of Padua Church. Thousands of people lined the sidewalks as his body was conveyed from his home to the church, and there were over 1,000 people in attendance inside the church. Among the dignitaries present were Congressman Fiorello La Guardia, judges and members of the city government, and the minister provincial of the Franciscan Province of the Immaculate Conception. Fugazy was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Queens.

At the time of his death, Fugazy's bank was valued at $275,000, equivalent to $5 million in 2023, and had more than 600 depositors. His family was required by law to sell the bank's charter upon his death. They retained ownership of the travel agency, which became the Fugazy Travel Bureau.

References

Sources

• Brown, Mary Elizabeth (2007). Fierro, Rafaele (ed.). The Italians of the South Village (PDF). New York: Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 23, 2021. Retrieved May 23, 2021.
• Gli Italiani negli Stati Uniti d'America [The Italians in the United States of America] (in Italian). New York: Italian American Directory Co. 1906. OCLC 878395999. Archived from the original on March 27, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2021 – via HathiTrust Digital Library.
• LaGumina, Salvatore J.; Cavaioli, Frank J.; Primeggia, Salvatore; Varacalli, Joseph A., eds. (2000). The Italian American Experience: An Encyclopedia. New York: Garland Publishing Inc. ISBN 0-203-80114-8. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2021 – via Google Books.
• McFarland, Gerald W. (2005). Inside Greenwich Village: A New York City Neighborhood, 1898–1918. Amherst, Massachusetts: University of Massachusetts Press. ISBN 9781558495029. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved March 26, 2021 – via ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst.
• Talese, Gay (2006). Unto the Sons. New York: Random House. ISBN 9780812976069. Archived from the original on November 10, 2019. Retrieved November 10, 2019 – via Google Books.