George D. Vernescu (1 July 1829 – 3 July 1900) was a

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ; : , : ) is a historical and geographical region of modern-day Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and south of the Southern Carpathians. Wallachia was traditionally divided into two sections, Munteni ...

n-born

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

n politician.

Early life

Born in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...

, he attended school there until 1855, when he left for the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

. Two years later, he obtained a doctorate in law from that institution.

Early career

Vernescu subsequently returned home and practiced law, amassing a substantial fortune. In 1864, during the reign of Alexandru Ion Cuza, he was named to the state council. From January to June 1865, he served as Minister of Justice and Religious Affairs in the cabinet of

Constantin Bosianu Constantin Bosianu (; 10 February 1815 – 21 March 1882) was a Romanian jurist and politician, an honorary member of the Romanian Academy, and Prime Minister of Romania from 26 January to 14 June 1865. He was the first dean of the Universit ...

, and was also part of the new

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

. Elected to the constituent assembly of 1866, he was among the founders of the National Liberal Party (PNL) in 1875. In 1867, Vernescu was sent to the Assembly of Deputies; he returned to the Senate in 1876.

Political career

From July 1876 to January 1877, Vernescu was

Interior Minister An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a Cabinet (government), cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and iden ...

under Ion C. Brătianu. Back in the Assembly, he served as its

president President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

from June to November 1878. In early 1880, he quit the PNL and formed a moderate group, the Sincere Liberal Party. Forming an alliance with

Lascăr Catargiu Lascăr Catargiu ( or Lascăr Catargi; 1 November 1823 – ) was a Romanian conservative statesman born in Moldavia. He belonged to an ancient Wallachian family, one of whose members had been banished in the 17th century by Prince Matei Basarab, ...

Conservatives Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilizati ...

, he formed an ''ad hoc'' organization in March 1884, the Liberal-Conservative Party, that based itself on opposing the Brătianu government. From November 1888 to March 1889, he was again Justice Minister, under

Theodor Rosetti Prince Theodor Rosetti (; 5 May 1837 – 17 July 1923) was a Romanian writer, journalist and politician who served as Prime Minister of Romania between 23 March 1888 and 22 March 1889, with two cabinets formed. Over his life, he also served seve ...

. He was then

Finance Minister A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfoli ...

twice: March to November 1889, under Catargiu; and February to November 1891, under

Ioan Emanoil Florescu Ioan Emanoil Florescu (; 7 August 1819, Râmnicu Vâlcea, Wallachia – 10 May 1893, Paris, France) was a Romanian army general who served as Prime Minister of Romania for a short time in a provisional government in 1876 (4 April – 26 ...

. Subsequently, he returned to the PNL.Ion Mamina, ''Monarhia constituțională în România'', p. 414. Bucharest: Editura Enciclopedică, 2000.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vernescu, George D 1829 births 1900 deaths University of Paris alumni Ministers of finance of Romania Ministers of interior of Romania Ministers of justice of Romania Presidents of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania) Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania) Members of the Senate of Romania Leaders of political parties in Romania National Liberal Party (Romania) politicians Lawyers from the Principality of Wallachia Lawyers from Bucharest Politicians from Bucharest Ministers of public works of Romania Ministers of culture of Romania