Italian academic and naval officer (1882–1957)
Giancarlo Vallauri (19 October 1882 – 7 May 1957) was an Italian engineer, academic and naval officer.
Education and scientific career.
Giancarlo Vallauri was born in Rome on 19 October 1882 from an ancient Piedmontese family. His father had moved to Rome for his work in the Ministry of Economy; he is the elder brother of Mario Vallauri. He attended the Royal High School Ginnasio Umberto I with excellent results. In 1900 he entered the Naval Academy of Livorno where he was first in his class for the entire period of studies, thus obtaining the sabre of honour. He left the Academy with the rank of "Guardiamarina" in 1903. Having left the Navy in 1906, he graduated in electrical engineering in 1907 at the Polytechnic High School of Naples, immediately dedicating himself to university teaching, first in Padua and Naples, then from 1916 in Livorno as professor of electrical engineering at the Italian Naval Academy. In the meantime, he was called up to arms during the Great War, in which he particularly stood out in the feats of arms of Pelagosa.
In Livorno, he spearheaded the establishment of the Navy's Electrotechnical and Radiotelegraphic Institute (Mariteleradar), serving as its first director from 1916 to 1926. Demonstrating remarkable foresight, he initiated pioneering research into radio communications. Between 1920 and 1923, this research culminated in the design and construction of Italy’s first major radio station in Coltano, developed in collaboration with Guglielmo Marconi. This state-of-the-art radiotelegraphic center was among the most advanced of its era, designed to provide reliable radio links with Eritrea and Somalia.
From 1923, he served as a full professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Pisa. In 1926, he was appointed to the same position at the Polytechnic University of Turin, where he also served as rector from 1933 to 1938. That same year, he was named a Pontifical Academician of Sciences. In 1928, he became a member of the Academy of Sciences of Turin, and in 1929, he was elected an Academician of Italy, eventually becoming vice-president of its Physical Sciences section in 1934. During his tenure in Turin, he founded and directed the Galileo Ferraris National Electrotechnical Institute, established in 1934.
From 1933, he also presided over SIP (the Italian telephone company) and EIAR (the national radio broadcaster), leading both organizations until 1943. In 1939, he was named vice-president of the Academy of Italy, and between 1941 and 1943, he served as president of the National Research Council (CNR).
In addition to his academic and scientific achievements, he advanced rapidly in the naval reserve: promoted to Captain in 1936, Rear Admiral in 1938 for exceptional merits, and Admiral of Division in 1943.
After World War II, he was cleared of suspicions stemming from his numerous positions held during the Fascist regime. He was reinstated as a university professor in 1946–1947 and, in 1948, became a member of the prestigious Accademia dei Lincei.
He died on 7 May 1957 in Turin and was buried in his hometown of Sant'Albano Stura.
Honors and awards.
There were several training institutes throughout Italy dedicated to him:
Also a square in Rome, in the Garbatella district, and an avenue in Fossano are named after Giancarlo Vallauri.
During his life he received several military and scholastic honors:
References.
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