Alfredo Acton

Alfredo Acton (12 September 1867 - 26 March 1934) was an Italian admiral, politician and Chief of Staff of the Italian Navy.

He was born in Castellammare di Stabia, a descendant of a noble family which had originated in England before moving to Tuscany then the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies.

His great-grandfather was General Joseph Edward Acton (1737-1830), brother of Sir John Acton, 6th Baronet, commander of the naval forces of Grand Duchy of Tuscany and prime minister of Naples. His father was Ferdinando Acton and his uncle Guglielmo Acton, Minister for the Navy. His aunt Laura Acton was married to Marco Minghetti, prime minister of Italy.

Alfredo Acton participated in the occupation of Massawa (1885), the International Squadron against Crete (1897), the suppression of the Boxer Rebellion (1900) and the Italo-Turkish War (1912).

During the First World War, he became a Rear Admiral, the Allied commander of an Italian-British-French force which fought the Battle of the Strait of Otranto (1917) against the Austrian-Hungarian Navy.

After the war, he was chief of staff of the Italian navy between 1919-1921 and 1925-1927. He was named "Barone Acton" in 1925 and became a Senator in 1927.

In Great Britain, he was an honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB). He was a Bailiff of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

He died in Naples, aged 66.