Antonio’s first-born son, Cristoforo Benigno Crespi was born in Milan in 1833 and helped his father in his activity and in the commerce of dyed fabrics (from here the family’s noun "tengit"). He studied in the Rosminiani Institute and he got married to Pia Travelli, whose family had patriotic ideals and also reputation as reliable administrators in Busto Arsizio.
They had five children: Silvio, Bice, Maria and Daniele and the fifth one, Guido, died in early childhood.

After having worked in Turati’s firm (one of the most greater pioneers Italian textile industrialist), he decide to become free-standing and founded three factories in Vaprio d’Adda (1864), in Vigevano (1867) and in Ghemme (1870).
In 1877 he founded the factory and the village of Crespi d’Adda. At the beginning of its activity the Crespi’s company had only a spinning department: later the activity was expanded thanks to the creation of the weaving department (1894) and the dyeworks department (1899).

The village, which was named after Cristoforo Benigno Crespi, was provided with several philantropic structures for welfare services: a clinic, a school building, etc. In the 1879 both the town and the factory were illuminated thanks to electric light.

In 1882 he created the first Egyptian cotton combing.

In 1890 the factory was linked to Milan by the first long-distance telephone line.

In 1895 the mercerization of the fabrics thanks to Thomas Prevost patent (purchased by his first-born son Silvio in England) started, winning then the Universal Ehibition in Paris in 1906.

In 1904, with his child Silvio, he began the building the 12.000HP-hydroelectric power station in Trezzo d’Adda, today called Centrale Taccani.

Also his wife Pia Travelli collaborated with her husband in promoting several charitable institutions in Milan and Capriate, which were visited by Queen Margherita in 1906.

Cristoforo Benigno died in Milan on January 5th 1920.

Silvio Benigno Crespi was born in Milan on September 24th 1868. After the high school leaving qualifications in Caesare Beccaria Institute (later called St. Alessandro Iinstitute) in Milan, he attended the University in Pavia where he obtained an university degree in law when he was twenty.

He went to France, Germany and England in order to understand the developments of the manufacturing industry, especially the mechanical and textile systems’ development. He worked first in Köln (Germany) and then in England in Oldham, near the firm Platt-Brothers (famous textile machine producer) and later in a London bank. He was a polyglot (he could speak French, English and German perfectly).

In 1889 he entered the fatherly firm and took on the control of the company.

In 1898 he purchased the Thomas Prevost patent for the mercerization of the fabrics, winning in 1906 the Universal Exhibition Paris, and later he founded the dyeworks department (his brother Daniele took on the control of it).

He was Secretary of the Commercial-Agricultural-Industrial Group in Milan and first President of the Cotton Industrialists Association since1890, he also supported the customs battle against Switzerland and he published a study on the way to prevent industrial accidents and on the welfare in industries.

In 1906 he was the sole chief administrator of the company. As member of the Industrial and Trading Commitee, he fought for the abolition of the all-night work in factories.

He was also elected Member of Parliament for the Constituency of Caprino Bergamasco thanks to the support of the Catholics (Silvio Crespi was Liberal-Catholic), he worked in Parliament in favour of industry and trade, always cooperating with the Committee, and he gave addresses to the Chamber of Deputies facing several topics (the problem of the water deviation, the right of the weekly festive rest, the reduction from 12 to 8 working hours, the childhood and pregnant women’s protection).

He became under-secretary for the provisioning during the First World War from 1915 to 1918, and he worked in order to avoid the lack of stable food both among the population and the soldiers at front.

He became plenipotentiary Minister after the First World War, he worked for an equitable and lasting peace between the ex-belligerent countries, signing the famous Essay of Versailles and Saint Germain.

He was president of both the Banca Commerciale Italiana and the Ernesto Breda society, senator of the Kingdom of Italy in 1913, president of the Italian Automobile Club. He ran several hydroelectric societies and he obtained the patent for the construction of a circular loom he had invented and realized.
He also collaborated with the senator Puricelli and Arturo Mercanti and promoted the building of the autodrome in Monza, which was inaugurated on August 20th 1922, and the creation of the society for the Autostrada dei Laghi (1927).

He studied and realized the railway mobile boxes, better known as “containers”, and founded a small factory for the milk sterilization Milan.

He always loved Busto Arsizio, his forefathers’ town, and he died in Codrago (Como) on January 15th 1944. He was buried in Crespi d’Adda, close to his workers, to his parents and to his wife Teresa Ghiglieri, who died on September 9th 1944.

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