24 Facts About Amadeo Giannini

Amadeo Giannini is credited as the inventor of many modern banking practices.

Amadeo Giannini pioneered the holding company structure and established one of the first modern trans-national institutions.

Amadeo Pietro Giannini was born in San Jose, California, to Italian immigrant parents.

Amadeo Giannini was the first son of Luigi Giannini and Virginia Giannini.

Luigi Amadeo Giannini immigrated to the United States from Favale di Malvaro near Genoa, Liguria, in the Kingdom of Sardinia to prospect in response to the California gold rush of 1849.

Luigi Amadeo Giannini purchased a 40-acre farm at Alviso in 1872 and grew fruits and vegetables for sale.

Four years later, Luigi Amadeo Giannini was fatally shot by an employee over a pay dispute.

Amadeo Giannini attended Heald College but realized he could do better in business than at school.

Amadeo Giannini worked as a produce broker, commission merchant and produce dealer for farms in the Santa Clara Valley.

Amadeo Giannini married Clorinda Cuneo, daughter of a North Beach, San Francisco real estate magnate, in 1892 and eventually sold his interest to his employees and retired at the age of 31 to administer his father-in-law's estate.

Amadeo Giannini observed an opportunity to service the increasing immigrant population that were without a bank.

Amadeo Giannini was one of the original Board of Directors of the Italian Board of Relief, now known as Italian Community Services, founded in 1916.

Amadeo Giannini founded the Bank of Italy in the Jackson Square neighborhood of San Francisco on October 17,1904.

Amadeo Giannini made loans on a handshake to those interested in rebuilding.

Amadeo Giannini believed in branch banking as a way to stabilize banks during difficult times as well as expand the capital base.

Amadeo Giannini bought banks throughout California and eventually Bank of Italy had hundreds of branches throughout the state.

Amadeo Giannini began investing in the Bank of America, Los Angeles because conservative business leaders in Los Angeles were less receptive to the Bank of Italy than San Franciscans had been.

Amadeo Giannini helped nurture the motion picture and wine industries in California.

Amadeo Giannini loaned Walt Disney the funds to produce Snow White, the first full-length, animated motion picture to be made in the US.

Amadeo Giannini provided capital to William Hewlett and David Packard to help form Hewlett-Packard.

Amadeo Giannini founded another company, Transamerica Corporation, as a holding company for his various interests, including Occidental Life Insurance Company.

Amadeo Giannini had long been a Republican, but with the collapse of the Republican Party in the Great Depression, he concerned himself with Democratic state politics.

Amadeo Giannini failed, and with support from the White House, he endorsed and helped finance the Republican candidate, incumbent Frank Merriam, who did defeat Sinclair.

Amadeo Giannini is buried at Holy Cross Cemetery in Colma, California.