- Emil Haţieganu
Emil Haţieganu (
December 9 ,1878 —May 13 ,1959 ) was aRomania n politician and jurist, a prominent member of theRomanian National Party (PNR) and of its successor, theNational Peasants' Party (PNŢ); he was physicianIuliu Haţieganu 's brother. Before his arrest, he was an honorary member of theRomanian Academy .Born in
Tritenii de Jos ,Transylvania (inside theHungarian Kingdom inAustria-Hungary at the time), Haţieganu studied and practiced Law. He became a professor at the University of Cluj, and served as itsrector in 1929-1930. [Ţiu] FollowingWorld War I and theAster Revolution in Hungary, he was present with PNR leaders at theAlba Iulia assembly that called for union with Romania, and served on the Directory Council designated by the participants.A Minister of Labour and Social Security in the
Iuliu Maniu cabinets inBucharest , he was kept in theGheorghe Mironescu one (that brought about the return of Carol II asKing of Romania ); he also held the office ofMinister of State for Transylvania. In 1940, he became noted for his vocal protest against the cession ofNorthern Transylvania toHungary (the signing of theSecond Vienna Award ). [Ţiu]Retreated from political life during
World War II , he returned to the forefront of illegal opposition before the fall of theIon Antonescu pro-Nazi dictatorship ("seeRomania during World War II "). After the start of Soviet military occupation in Romania, Haţieganu held the position of PNŢMinister without Portfolio in the firstPetru Groza Romanian Communist Party -dominated cabinet; his appointment, like that of the National LiberalMihail Romaniceanu , followed pressures on Groza to open executive structures to politicians from outside the Communist-led National Democratic Front alliance — both mandates were ended by the 1946 general election. [Cioroianu, p.63]In front of mounting Communist influence, Haţieganu approached Iuliu Maniu with a proposal to establish direct contacts with the
Western Allies by havingIon Mihalache evade the country (July 1947); the attempt, known as the "Tămădău Affair ", eventually lead to the prosecution of the PNŢ leadership during ashow trial and to an official ban on all party activities. [Lăcustă]In November 1948, the authorities of
Communist Romania prosecuted and sentenced him to three years in prison for "PNŢ activism" and "sabotage ". In 1951, the term of his imprisonment in the infamousSighet prison was increased by another 60 months; he was released in June 1955.Notes
References
*ro icon [http://www.memorialsighet.ro/ro/fise_matricole_penale.asp?id=20 Bio at the Sighet memorial]
*Adrian Cioroianu , "Pe umerii lui Marx. O introducere în istoria comunismului românesc" ("On the Shoulders of Marx. An Incursion into the History of Romanian Communism"),Editura Curtea Veche , Bucharest, 2005
*ro icon [http://www.itcnet.ro/history/archive/mi1997/current10/mi42.htm Ioan Lăcustă, "În Bucureşti, acum 50 ani" ("In Bucharest, 50 Years Ago")] , in "Magazin Istoric", October 1997
*ro icon [http://www.jurnalul.ro/articol_5008/_a_cui_este_tara_aceasta__.html Ilarion Ţiu, "«A cui este ţara aceasta»?" ("«Whose Country is This?»")] , in "Jurnalul Naţional ", August 29, 2005 (an insight into events following the Second Vienna Award)
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.