Vittorio Orlando was born in Palmero, Italy, in 1860. He became a professor of law but in 1916 the Italian prime minister, Antonio Salandra, invited Orlando to become Minister of Justice. The following year Orlando became head of the government and was able to take some of the credit for the successful offensive at Vittorio Veneto.

Orlando represented Italy at the Paris Peace Conference but clashed with Woodrow Wilson over Italy's territorial demands. The terms of the Versailles Peace Treaty undermined Orlando's position and June, 1920, Orlando resigned from office.

In 1922 Orlando supported Benito Mussolini but after the murder of Giacomo Matteotti he resigned from Parliament in protest and fled the country. After the fall of Mussolini he became leader of the Conservative Democratic Union. Vittorio Orlando died in 1952.