Bartolomeo "Francesco" Perosio

BARTOLOMEO FRANCESCO PEROSIO (1874-1962) - Knight of the work of the Industry – Nomination : December 21, 1952- n 1257.

Son of Stefano Celestino Perosio and Giuseppina Nicora.

Ronco Scrivia seen from above.
Courtesy of www.fotovallescrivia.it

Their ancestors were from Ronco Scrivia, Francesco Perosio and Luigia Bondanza.

Very young, he moved to Genoa (from Ronco Scrivia where he was born) to work as a mechanic and electrical fitter.

He dedicated himself later to the demolition of ships and to the commerce of ferrous materials.

From such activity he became aware of the absence of special alloys in the Italian steelmaking industry.

He then dedicated himself, first in Italy, to filling that gap in competition with the German and French industry.

In 1925 he founded Salem SpA, a factory of alloys and metals for the production of special ferro-alloys, for which he organized a well-equipped establishment in Rapallo and then a second in Spigno Monferrato.

He based his productive system of transformation on the most modern technologies, completed implementing the integrated-cycle production and contributed all the advancements dictated by the evolution of technique.

He gave work to over 200 workers and proceeded with modern techniques to the transformation of prized metals and to the supply of special alloys to large industrial complexes.

Order to the Merit of the work

It represents the continuity of the analogous monarchical distinction founded in 1901 by the king of Italy Vittorio Emanuele III, who wanted to confer greater dignity to a previous reward for agricultural and industrial merit.

Reorganized in 1952 and in 1986, it is very restrictive, intended for Italian citizens residing in the country and abroad, considered singularly distinguished in agriculture, industry, commerce, craftsmanship and in credit and insurance activity.

The President of the Republic is Head of the Order, supported by a Council presided over by the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Craftsmanship.

The same Minister, in concert with his colleague for Agricultural Resources, chooses every year 40 candidates to propose to the President of the Republic.

From these, twenty-five entrepreneurs are selected, to whom the title of Knight of Work is conferred on June 1.

Decoration Knight of the Work — The decoration consists in a Greek cross varnished of green and bordered of gold, loaded of a round badge bringing, over a side, the emblem of the Republic and, on the other one, the wording "To the work merit -1901". The cross comes hung up to a tape of green, edged, to the center, from a band of red.

Sources:

Copy of the book published in the year 2001 on the occasion of the centennial of the Order "Al merito del Lavoro".

Contribution of "Archivio Storico dei Cavalieri del Lavoro" www.cavalieridellavoro.it/index.php.