Dragomir "Dejan" Popović Jekić (

Kruševac Kruševac ( sr-cyr, Крушевац, , tr, Alacahisar or Kruşevca) is a city and the administrative center of the Rasina District in central Serbia. It is located in the valley of West Morava, on Rasina river. According to the 2011 census, t ...

Principality of Serbia The Principality of Serbia ( sr-Cyrl, Књажество Србија, Knjažestvo Srbija) was an autonomous state in the Balkans that came into existence as a result of the Serbian Revolution, which lasted between 1804 and 1817. Its creation was ...

, 1 September 1881 -

Ohrid Ohrid ( mk, Охрид ) is a city in North Macedonia and is the seat of the Ohrid Municipality. It is the largest city on Lake Ohrid and the List of cities in North Macedonia, eighth-largest city in the country, with the municipality recording ...

Kingdom of Serbia The Kingdom of Serbia ( sr-cyr, Краљевина Србија, Kraljevina Srbija) was a country located in the Balkans which was created when the ruler of the Principality of Serbia, Milan I, was proclaimed king in 1882. Since 1817, the Princi ...

, 15 March 1913), known as "Voivode Dejan" during the struggle for

Old Serbia Old Serbia ( sr, Стара Србија, Stara Srbija) is a Serbian historiographical term that is used to describe the territory that according to the dominant school of Serbian historiography in the late 19th century formed the core of the ...

and Macedonia, was a chemist and Serbian Chetnik commander (vojvode). He was one of the earliest volunteers to join the

Serbian Chetnik Organization Serbian may refer to: * someone or something related to Serbia, a country in Southeastern Europe * someone or something related to the Serbs, a South Slavic people * Serbian language * Serbian names See also * * * Old Serbian (disambiguation) ...

and in the struggle for the liberation of

and Macedonia from Ottoman oppression.

Biography

Dragomir's father was a wealthy businessman. He was educated abroad at the universities in Germany, England, and Switzerland where he earned a degree in

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

. After graduation, Dragomir returned to Serbia where a teaching post at a university awaited him as well as a job as a director of a match factory. He stayed at these positions for a while. But at the outbreak of hostilities in

Kosovo Kosovo ( sq, Kosova or ; sr-Cyrl, Косово ), officially the Republic of Kosovo ( sq, Republika e Kosovës, links=no; sr, Република Косово, Republika Kosovo, links=no), is a partially recognised state in Southeast Euro ...

and Macedonia, like many men of his generation, the patriotic enthusiastic about the war effort took hold. He left his teaching post as assistant professor at the

University of Belgrade The University of Belgrade ( sr, / ) is a public university in Serbia. It is the oldest and largest modern university in Serbia. Founded in 1808 as the Belgrade Higher School in revolutionary Serbia, by 1838 it merged with the Kragujevac-b ...

and the executive post at a match factory to join the Chetniks. In the time of the Young Turk Revolution and the Bosnian crisis, he and other Chetniks retreated to Serbia. Before the

First Balkan War The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...

in 1912, he was in

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

being treated for

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

. As soon as the war broke out, he came back to Serbia. There he collected a group of 100 volunteers and entered the Chetnik detachment of

Vojin Popović Vojin Popović, known as Vojvoda Vuk ( sr, Војин Поповић, војвода Вук; 9 December 1881 – 29 November 1916) was a Serbian ''voivode'' (military commander), who fought for the Macedonian Serb Chetniks (i.e. komiti) in the ...

, better known as Voivode Vuk. In the

Battle of Kumanovo The Battle of Kumanovo ( sr, / , tr, Kumanova Muharebesi), on 23–24 October 1912, was a major battle of the First Balkan War. It was an important Serbian victory over the Ottoman army in the Kosovo Vilayet, shortly after the outbreak of ...

Dragomir gained a reputation for fearless-bravery under fire. He often took impossible missions with scant regard for his own life; his men felt tremendous confidence in his presence, inspired by his personal courage. In one of the battles he was heavily wounded, and his poor health began to worsen. He died in 1913 in the liberated town of Ohrid. His post as chemistry assistant professor at the university remained vacant during the period he served his country. A street in Belgrade is named after him.

References

{{authority control 1881 births 1913 deaths People from Kruševac People from Ohrid Serbian Chetnik Organization Academic staff of the University of Belgrade Chetniks in the Balkan Wars