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

Wallachia Wallachia or Walachia (; ro, Țara Românească, lit=The Romanian Land' or 'The Romanian Country, ; archaic: ', Romanian Cyrillic alphabet: ) is a historical and geographical region of Romania. It is situated north of the Lower Danube and s ...

n-born

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

n politician.

Early life

Born in

Bucharest Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...

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

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

. 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 Alexandru Ioan Cuza (, or Alexandru Ioan I, also anglicised as Alexander John Cuza; 20 March 1820 – 15 May 1873) was the first ''domnitor'' (Ruler) of the Romanian Principalities through his double election as prince of Moldavia on 5 Janu ...

, 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, Bucharest – 21 March 1882, Bucharest) was a Romanian jurist and politician, honorary member of the Romanian Academy, Prime Minister of Romania from 26 January to 14 June 1865. He was the first dean of th ...

, and was also part of the new Senate. 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 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: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

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 that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

, 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 Theodor Rosetti (5 May 1837, Iași or Solești, Moldavia – 17 July 1923, Bucharest, Romania) was a Romanian writer, journalist and politician who served as Prime Minister of Romania The prime minister of Romania ( ro, Prim-ministrul Ro ...

. He was then

Finance Minister A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation. A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", ...

twice: March to November 1889, under Catargiu; and February to November 1891, under Ion Emanuel Florescu. 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 Romanian Ministers of Finance Romanian Ministers of Interior Romanian Ministers of Justice 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 Bucharest Politicians from Bucharest Romanian Ministers of Public Works Romanian Ministers of Culture