Constantin Angelescu
Constantin Angelescu | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Romania |
| Died | September 14, 1948 (aged 79) Bucharest, Romania |
| Occupation(s) | Statesman, physician, professor |
| Known for | Acting Prime Minister of Romania, Minister of Public Works and Communications, Minister of Public Instruction and Religious Affairs |
Constantin Angelescu (10 June 1869 – 14 September 1948) was a Romanian statesman who briefly assumed the role of acting Prime Minister of Romania from 30 December 1933 until 3 January 1934.
Holding a Doctorate in Medicine from Paris, he served as Plenipotentiary Minister to the United States between 1917 and 1918. Throughout his career, Angelescu occupied several ministerial positions, including Minister of Public Works and Communications as well as Minister of Public Instruction and Religious Affairs. After the assassination of I.G. Duca, he temporarily took on the office of Prime Minister. In addition to his political endeavors, he was a professor and head of the surgical clinic at Bucharest’s Faculty of Medicine.
Early years
Born in 1869, Constantin Angelescu was the son of Dumitru Angelescu, a merchant from Craiova, and Theodore Geblescu, who had ties to the Craiovești lineage. His early education took place at Obedeanu primary school and Carol I National College. He then pursued medical studies in Paris, completing a specialization in surgery by 1897. Upon returning to Romania, he held positions at various medical institutions before becoming a professor in 1903 and director of the University Surgical Clinic. His marriage to Virginia Constantinescu-Monteoru, daughter of a wealthy industrialist, brought him ownership interests in the Sărata Monteoru spas, petroleum fields, and real estate holdings in Buzău.
Political activity
Angelescu launched his political journey with the National Liberal Party, holding seats as both deputy and senator starting in 1901. He served as Minister of Public Works from 1914 to 1916 under Ion I. C. Brătianu, during which time he managed military service organization coinciding with Romania’s entry into World War I. His advocacy for alignment with the Triple Entente resulted in his removal amid coalition restructuring. In 1917, during government evacuation efforts, he briefly stayed in Odesa before returning home. Between January and March 1918, he acted as Romania’s inaugural plenipotentiary minister in Washington, D.C., then assumed the role of Deputy Chairman for the National Council for Romanian Unity in Paris.
As Minister of Public Guidance under Brătianu and later Ion G. Duca, Angelescu championed educational reforms influenced by his mentor Spiru Haret. His guiding principle was: "School as much as possible! School as good as possible! School as Romanian as possible!" He played a pivotal role in shaping the educational provisions within the 1923 constitution—emphasizing educational freedom alongside compulsory and free primary schooling—and contributed to the enactment of the 1924 Law on state primary education and normal-primary education aimed at standardizing the system. In 1925, he reinstated baccalaureate examinations.
His relationship with Brătianu strengthened over time; Angelescu was present during Brătianu’s final moments in 1927. After Prime Minister Ion G. Duca was assassinated, Angelescu briefly served as interim prime minister before ceding leadership to Gheorghe Tătărescu. Subsequently, he accepted appointment as Minister of National Education within Tatarescu’s government.
During King Carol II of Romania’s royal dictatorship (1938–1940), Angelescu held positions as State Secretary and royal counselor. As part of Carol II’s Crown Council, he voted in favor of relinquishing Bessarabia and northern Bucovina to the Soviet Union following the 1940 ultimatum. Alongside Dinu Brătianu, he opposed the Second Vienna Award.
Angelescu presided over the Romanian Athenaeum from 1923 until 1947 and headed the Cultural League between 1941 and 1947. He was elected an honorary member of the Romanian Academy in 1934 and was among the founding members of the Romanian Academy of Sciences.
In 1943, reportedly together with Dr. Nicolae L. Lupu, he advocated for reinstating Jewish rights that had been revoked by antisemitic legislation enacted in 1940.
He passed away in September 1948 at Vincent de Paul hospital in Bucharest, having avoided incarceration under communist rule.
The family
He fathered six children: three daughters—Elisabeth, Ioana, and Elena—and three sons: Grigore, Alexander, and Constantine. Elisabeth Angelescu became the wife of mathematician Alexandru Ghika, and their son Grigore Ghika pursued a career in physics. Ioana (also known as Jeanne) Angelescu married Ștefan Ghika–Budești, a geologist and correspondent member of the Romanian Academy, who was the son of architect Nicolae Ghika-Budești. Elena wed diplomat George Valimărescu. His son Constantin C. Angelescu Monteoru (1905–2000) served as a constitutional law professor and dean at the University of Iași; he endured deportation to the Danube–Black Sea Canal during the Stalinist purges. Ioana Angelescu, who worked for Radio Free Europe, was married to musician George Angelescu.
In memoriam
- The interdepartmental hospital in Bucharest formerly known as "Alexandru Sahia" was renamed "Dr. Constantin Angelescu".
- A theoretical high school located in Bucharest, along with a college in Buzău, carry his name.
- The Romanian School of Constantin Angelescu foundation was created by his family in his honor.