Gheorghe Argeșanu

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

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
MonarchCarol II
Preceded byArmand Călinescu
Succeeded byConstantin Argetoianu
Personal details
Born(1883-02-28)28 February 1883
Caracal, Kingdom of Romania
Died26 November 1940(1940-11-26) (aged 57)
Jilava Prison, Kingdom of Romania
Alma materUniversity of Bucharest
OccupationSoldier, politician
Military service
AllegianceKingdom of Romania
Branch/serviceCavalry, Romanian Land Forces
Years of service1903 – 1940[1]
RankGeneral de divizie
Unit3rd Regiment Roșiori, 2nd Regiment Călărași, 2nd Infantry Division, 4th Infantry Division, 2nd Cavalry Division[1]
Commands2nd Regiment Călărași, Guards Division[1]
Battles/warsSecond Balkan War, Romanian campaign (World War I), Hungarian-Romanian War

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).

Argeșanu 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, Argeșanu 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.

Argeșanu was married to the pianist Manya Botez.

  • Gheorghe Argeșanu in the 1910s
    Gheorghe Argeșanu in the 1910s

References
  1. "Personalităţi Romanaţene - Gheorghe Argeşanu" (PDF). Memoria Oltului. Vol. 1, no. 4. June 2012. pp. 10–16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 June 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  2. "Generals of World War II - Gheorghe Argeșanu". www.generals.dk. Retrieved 22 June 2017.
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