architect and sculptor working in Hospitaller Malta. Melchiorre Gafà (c. 1636 - 1667) – Baroque sculptor working in Rome. Ġan Piet Franġisk Agius de Soldanis (c. 1712 - 1770) – linguist, historian, priest, author of the first Maltese language lexicon. Dun Mikiel Xerri (c. 1737 - 1799) – priest, Maltese patriot, participant in the Siege of Malta (1798–1800). Saverio Cassar (c. 1746 - 1805) – priest, Governor-General of de facto independent Gozo from 1798 to 1801. Emmanuele Vitale (c. 1758–1802) – general, commander of the Maltese irregular army in the Siege of Malta (1798–1800). Mikiel Anton Vassalli (c. 1764 - 1829) – philosopher, linguist, Maltese nationalist. Published the first Maltese dictionary in 1796. Juan Bautista Azopardo (c. 1772 - 1848) – privateer and colonel in the Argentine War of Independence. Manwel Dimech (c. 1860 - 1921) – teacher, socialist, journalist, writer, social reformer. Exiled to Egypt by the British in 1918. Temi Zammit (c. 1864 - 1935) – medical doctor, archaeologist, historian and writer. Excavated the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, Megalithic Temples of Malta and other sites. Discovered contaminated goat's milk as the vector for transmission to humans of Brucellosis melitensis in 1905. San Ġorġ Preca (c. 1880 - 1962) – priest, founder of the Society of Christian Doctrine, canonised as a saint by the Catholic Church in 2007. Pietru Pawl Saydon (c. 1895 - 1971) – priest, linguist, scholar of Semitic languages and Biblical studies, published the first Maltese translation of the Bible in 1959. Dom Mintoff (c. 1916 - 2012) – politician, socialist, architect, civil engineer. Prime Minister of Malta from 1955 to 1958, and from 1971 to 1984. Agatha Barbara (c. 1923 - 2002) – politician, first woman to become President of Malta (1982 - 1987) and longest-serving woman member in the Maltese parliament; from 1947 to 1982. Roberta Metsola (b. 1979) – politician, President of the European Parliament, first Maltese person to hold office. See also List of Maltese people Demographics of Malta Maltese Americans Further reading Society and inquisition in Malta 1743-1798 Notes References Bonanno A. (2005). Malta: Phoenician, Punic and Roman. Midsea Books: Valletta. External links Joëlle Pawelczyk, "The Origin of the 'Maltese' Surnames" Ethnic groups in Malta Semitic-speaking peoples People