Gheorghe Argeșanu

Gheorghe Argeșanu
Gheorghe Argeșanu in the 1930s
Minister of National Defence
In office
30 March 1938  13 October 1938
Prime Minister of Romania
In office
21 September 1939  28 September 1939
Preceded by Armand Călinescu
Succeeded by Constantin Argetoianu
Personal details
Born (1883-02-28)February 28, 1883
Caracal, Kingdom of Romania
Died November 26, 1940(1940-11-26) (aged 57)
Jilava, Kingdom of Romania
Nationality Romanian
Alma mater University of Bucharest
Occupation Soldier, politician
Military service
Allegiance Kingdom of Romania
Service/branch Cavalry, Romanian Land Forces
Years of service 1903 – 1940[1]
Rank General de divizie
Unit 3rd Regiment Roșiori, 2nd Regiment Călărași, 2nd Infantry Division, 4th Infantry Division, 2nd Cavalry Division[1]
Commands 2nd Regiment Călărași, Guards Division[1]
Battles/wars Second Balkan War, Romanian campaign (World War I), Hungarian-Romanian War

Gheorghe Argeşanu (28 February 1883 26/27 November 1940) was a Romanian cavalry general[2] and politician who served as a Prime Minister of Romania for about a week in 1939 (21 September-28 September).

Biography

Born in Caracal, he was promoted to a leadership position in the Romanian Army during World War I, and served as the first Romanian military attaché to Japan (1921–1922)[1] and as Minister of Defense in the second Miron Cristea cabinet (March–October 1938).

He was appointed as premier by King Carol II after the assassination of his predecessor Armand Călinescu by the nationalist Iron Guard, and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General. His first noted measures included the public display of the bodies of Călinescu's assassins (who had been killed by orders from Horia Sima) and the arbitrary arrest and execution without trial of at least three Iron Guard members in each county. He was replaced as premier by Constantin Argetoianu.

Immediately after the establishment of the Iron Guard's National Legionary State, Argeşanu himself was imprisoned without trial in the Jilava prison, and ultimately killed there during the Jilava Massacre by members of the Iron Guard on the same night together with 63 other political prisoners, in retaliation for the violence he had endorsed.

Argeşanu was married to the pianist Manya Botez.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Personalităţi Romanaţene - Gheorghe Argeşanu" (PDF). Memoria Oltului. Vol. 1 no. 4. June 2012. p. 10-16. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  2. "Generals of World War II - Gheorghe Argeşanu". www.generals.dk. Retrieved 2017-06-22.


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