Lorenzo de Tonti

Lorenzo de Tonti (c. 1602 – c. 1684) was a governor of Gaeta, Italy and a Neapolitan banker.

He is sometimes credited with the invention of the tontine, a form of pension, although it has also been suggested that he simply modified existing procedures.

[1] Around 1650, his wife, Isabelle di Lietto, gave birth to their first son, the future explorer Henri de Tonti.

Shortly afterwards, Tonti was involved in a revolt against a Spanish viceroy in Naples and had to seek political asylum in France.

Their second son, Alphonse de Tonty, was born in Paris and later helped establish Detroit, Michigan.