In the past, the Podesta was a high official in Italian republics of the medieval or early modern period. (Currently, Podestà is still the title of some Italian magistrates,[1] and of mayors in Italian-speaking municipalities of Graubünden in Switzerland.)
By extension, the word has been used in English to designate a particularly powerful government official or potentate.[2]
The Italian title gave rise to a surname, which then gave rise to a company name.
Spelling variants
The surname has Italian, Spanish and English spellings which vary only by the position of an accent over the final "a".
Italian spelling: Podestà
In its Italian spelling (grave accent over the "a") the name "Podestà" may refer to:
- Agostino Podestà (1905–1969), Italian fascist politician
- Giovanni Andrea Podestà (1608–c.1674), Italian painter
- Guido Podestà (born 1947), Italian politician
- Massimo Podestà, Italian artist
- Rossana Podestà (1934–2013), Italian actress
- Stefano Podestà (born 1939), Italian academic and politician
Spanish spelling: Podestá
In its Spanish spelling (with an acute accent over the "a") the name "Podestá" may refer to:
- Babsie Podestá (1912–2004), Maltese water polo player
- Cristian Podestá (born 1991), Argentine footballer
- Horacio Podestá (1911–1999), Argentine rower
- Inti Podestá (born 1978), Uruguayan footballer
- Jerónimo Podestá (1920–2000), Argentine bishop
- María Esther Podestá (1896–1983), Argentine actress
- Pablo Podestá (1875–1923), Uruguayan-Argentine stage actor, singer, acrobat
- Raúl Podestá (1899–1970), Argentine painter and sculptor
English spelling: Podesta
In its English spelling (with no accent), the name "Podesta" may refer to:
- Andrea Giacomo Podesta (1620–after 1640), Italian engraver and painter
- Heather Podesta (born 1970), American lobbyist
- John Podesta (born 1949), American lawyer, White House Chief of Staff of Bill Clinton
- Tony Podesta (born 1943), American lobbyist
English spelling: DePodesta
- Paul DePodesta (born 1972), American football executive and former baseball executive
See also
References
- ^ Collins English Dictionary, entry "Podesta", accessed 3 September 2016.
- ^ E.g. see Thomas Frank, "The life of the parties: The influence of "influence" in Washington", Le Monde Diplomatique (English edition), 6 July 2016, accessed 3 September 2016.
If an internal link intending to refer to a specific person led you to this page, you may wish to change that link by adding the person's given name(s) to the link.
This page was last edited on 25 November 2023, at 21:31