Edmund Jacobitti, 1938-2020; Was History Faculty
Edmund “Ed” Everett Jacobitti, formerly of Edwardsville, recently passed away in California. He was 82.
A Newark, N.J. native, Jacobitti was appointed as an assistant professor in the SIUE Social Sciences Division in September 1970. An active scholar and professor of modern European Intellectual History, he retired from SIUE at the rank of professor in 1997, but continued to teach as an emeritus professor until August 2000. He was a student of George Mosse, an eminent intellectual historian at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Jacobitti’s research focused on the Italian philosopher Benedetto Croce.
Jacobitti was a founder and editor of The Journal of Machiavelli Studies. In addition to his teaching and scholarship, he was an avid pilot and hunter, and enjoyed birding, prairie conservation, riding horses, and exploring the Everglades. A fan of classical music and grand opera, he was an accomplished chef as well, and wrote cooking columns for the Alton Telegraph. He seemed motivated by boundless energy.
Jacobitti’s first wife, Suzanne Duvall Jacobitti, was also a prominent SIUE faculty member. A political scientist, she joined SIUE as an assistant professor in the Social Sciences Division in September 1970. She served as dean of the School of Social Sciences from 1979 through 1983. She retired from SIUE in 1998 and passed away in 2002.
Jacobitti is survived by his wife, Barbara. There are no arrangements to announce at this time.
