Sigismondo Savona

Sigismondo Savona (12 March 1835 – 24 July 1908) was a Maltese educator and politician who played a prominent role in the Language Question which defined the politics of the Crown Colony of Malta in the late 19th century.

Early life Savona was born in Valletta on 12 March 1835.

Political career Savona's political career began when he was elected to Malta's Council of Government in the 1875 election. He favoured the reforms proposed in the Rowsell-Julyan-Keenan Commission including the abolition of the tax on grain and the promotion of the English language in Malta. He was appointed Director of Education in 1880, and he held the post for seven years until he resigned after a committee was set up to inquire into the University of Malta. He is buried at the Santa Maria Addolorata Cemetery in Paola, the largest burial ground of Malta. Savona had a son named William, who also became a politician and who founded the Labour Party.