Koço Muka (1895 - 21 November 1954) was an

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

politician, lawyer and

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

in 1944.

Biography

He was born in 1895 in Himara. He attended and graduated from the

Zosimaia School The Zosimaia School () is a Greek middle-level educational institution of Ioannina (in Epirus). It was significant during the last period of Ottoman rule in the region (1828–1913). The ''Zosimaia'' was founded at 1828 through the personal expen ...

Ioannina Ioannina ( ' ), often called Yannena ( ' ) within Greece, is the capital and largest city of the Ioannina (regional unit), Ioannina regional unit and of Epirus (region), Epirus, an Modern regions of Greece, administrative region in northwester ...

and then studied law in Istanbul at Dar al-Huk. In 1916 he started working as a notary in Himara. He then became a military officer in the period 1920-1924 and even became the district commander of the Gjirokastër gendarmerie. After supporting the

June Revolution The June Revolution () was a popular uprising in Albania that temporarily overthrew the Zogist regime following the 1923 Albanian parliamentary election and the assassination of popular Albanian activist and politician Avni Rustemi. A new gove ...

, with the Triumfin e Legalitetit he left the country as an emigrant to Italy, Greece and Austria. In 1942 he became a quaestor in Gjirokastër, also holding the office of prefect. In August 1943 he quarreled with General Criminello and left along with the entire quaestorship. In 1944 he was appointed Minister of Education in the Mitrovica government. He left Albania with the coming to power of the communists. On June 1, 1945, the Prime Minister of Albania,

Enver Hoxha Enver Halil Hoxha ( , ; ; 16 October 190811 April 1985) was an Albanian communist revolutionary and politician who was the leader of People's Socialist Republic of Albania, Albania from 1944 until his death in 1985. He was the Secretary (titl ...

, asked the President of the United States,

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

, to hand over Koço Muka to the Albanian authorities for trial. He died in Grottaferrata, Italy on November 21, 1954.

Legacy

A street in Paskuqan was named after him.

References

Works cited

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Muka, Koço 1895 births 1954 deaths People from Himara Albanian anti-communists Albanian fascists Albanian people of World War II Albanian military personnel Albanian nationalists Balli Kombëtar Education ministers of Albania Albanian people from the Ottoman Empire Zosimaia School alumni