Giuseppe Salvatore (October 9 1810 - January 23 1864) was Stefan and Damon Salvatore's father. He, along with other members of the Founder's Council helped kill 26 vampires, although they were saved by Emily Bennett, in 1864.

Giuseppe raised his sons on his own after his wife died. He's very disappointed in Damon Salvatore, and they don't seem to see eye to eye. However, he was very close with his younger son Stefan Salvatore. He uncovered vampires in Mystic Falls along with the other founding members. He hated vampires, and was a member of the Founder's Council, which was started to kill the vampires in Mystic Falls. When Stefan told him that he didn't think all vampires are evil, Giuseppe didn't believe him and spiked his drink to catch Katherine Pierce, Stefan's vampire lover.

He was the one who shot his sons when they tried to rescue Katherine. A night later he is visited by his younger son. After rejecting his son for siding with the vampires, he tried to stake him but he was thrown aside with Stefan's vampire strength and accidentally stabbed himself with the stake. Stefan tried to help but his father was bleeding too much for Stefan whose longing was overwhelming. He tasted his father's blood, completing the transformation into a vampire. Giuseppe presumably died from his wound.