VERRI, PIETRO

born Dec. 12, 1728, Milan died June 28, 1797, Milan political economist, journalist, government official, and man of letters, leader of a Milanese academy and director of its influential periodical, and author of literary, historical, and economic works. Verri studied in Monzi, Milan, Rome, and Parma, then served as a captain in the Seven Years' War. After his return to Milan he became the moving spirit of the Societ dei Pugni, a group of Milanese intellectuals influenced by the French Encyclopedists. From 1764 to 1766 he directed the society's periodical, Il Caff (The Coffeehouse), with the collaboration of his novelist brother, Alessandro (17411816). Pietro Verri contributed at least 38 articles on literary subjects to Il Caff. For much of his life he held important posts in the Milanese government, working for administrative reform and a revitalization of commerce. Among his important economic treatises are Riflessioni sulle leggi vincolanti (1769; Reflections on the Banking Laws) and Meditazioni sull' economia politica (1771). His correspondence with his brother Alessandro, Carteggio di Pietro e Alessandro Verri, 12 vol. (191042), provides a vibrant picture of Milanese life in their time.