Matei B. Cantacuzino (July 10, 1855 – August 10, 1925) was a

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

n jurist and politician. A scion of the

Cantacuzino family The House of Cantacuzino (french: Cantacuzène) is a Romanian aristocratic family of Greek origin. The family gave a number of princes to Wallachia and Moldavia, and it claimed descent from a branch of the Byzantine Kantakouzenos family, specifica ...

, his parents were Basile Cantacuzino and Pulcheria Rosetti-Bălănescu; he had four sisters (one of whom died in childhood) and two brothers. Born in

Fântâna Mare Fântâna Mare is a commune located in Suceava County, Romania. It is composed of four villages: Cotu Băii, Fântâna Mare, Praxia and Spătărești. These were part of Vadu Moldovei Commune until 2003, when they were split off. Natives * Mat ...

Suceava County Suceava County () is a county ('' ro, județ'') of Romania. Most of its territory lies in the southern part of the historical region of Bukovina, while the remainder forms part of Western Moldavia proper. The county seat is the historical town ...

, he studied philosophy and law at the Royal Saxon Polytechnic Institute in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

and the Academy of Lausanne. He then studied law at

Heidelberg University } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

and at 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 ...

, where he received a law degree in 1877. In 1878, he became an alternate judge at the

Iași Iași ( , , ; also known by other alternative names), also referred to mostly historically as Jassy ( , ), is the second largest city in Romania and the seat of Iași County. Located in the historical region of Moldavia, it has traditionally ...

courthouse. Between 1885 and 1900, he was a full judge there, as well as an attorney at the Iași appeals court. From 1900 until his death, he was a lawyer in private practice. Starting in 1901, he was a professor in the civil law department of the

University of Iași The Alexandru Ioan Cuza University (Romanian: ''Universitatea „Alexandru Ioan Cuza"''; acronym: UAIC) is a public university located in Iași, Romania. Founded by an 1860 decree of Prince Alexandru Ioan Cuza, under whom the former Academia Mih ...

. During World War I, from 1916 to 1918, he was the university's rector. His most important volume was the 1921 ''Elementele dreptului civil'' ("The Elements of Civil Law"), in which he depicted the chief elements of the Romanian civil law system.Matei B. Cantacuzino
at the Alexandru Ioan Cuza University site A prominent member of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

,Ion Ilincioiu, Stelian Neagoe, ''Doctrina ţărănistă în România'', p.13. Editura Noua Alternativă, 1994, he sat in the

Romanian Chamber of Deputies ); – Committee for Industries and Services ( ro, Comisia pentru industrii și servicii); – Committee for Transport and Infrastructure ( ro, Comisia pentru transporturi și infrastructură); – Committee for Agriculture, Forestry, Food Indu ...

. He served as mayor of Iași from December 1912 to January 1914. Cantacuzino was minister in two of Alexandru Averescu's cabinets: Religious Affairs and Education, from January to March 1918; and

Justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

, from March to August 1920. In April 1918, together with Constantin Argetoianu, he became a founding member of the Averescu-led People's League. Gheorghe I. Florescu
"Alexandru Averescu, omul politic (II)"
, in ''

Convorbiri Literare ''Convorbiri Literare'' ( Romanian: ''Literary Talks'') is a Romanian literary magazine published in Romania. It is among the most important journals of the nineteenth-century Romania. History and profile ''Convorbiri Literare'' was founded by ...

'', June 2009 He joined the Peasants' Party in December 1923. His only son Vasile, a lieutenant in the

Romanian Army The Romanian Land Forces ( ro, Forțele Terestre Române) is the army of Romania, and the main component of the Romanian Armed Forces. In recent years, full professionalisation and a major equipment overhaul have transformed the nature of the Lan ...

, was killed in the

Ciurea rail disaster The Ciurea rail disaster, known in Romania as the Ciurea catastrophe ( ro, Catastrofa de la Ciurea), occurred on 13 January 1917, during World War I. It occurred at Ciurea Station, in Iași County, a train station with a passing loop, located on ...

of January 1917, which deeply marked him for the remainder of his days.Ion Mitican, ''Salutări din Iaşi, capitala României întregite'', p.47. Editura Tehnopress, Iași, 2007,

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cantacuzino, Matei B. 1855 births 1925 deaths People from Suceava County

Matei Matei is a Romanian name. It is equivalent to the English name Matthew. As a given name * Matei Balș, Romanian bacteriologist *Matei Basarab, Wallachian Voivode between 1632 and 1654 * Matei Boilă, Romanian politician and priest *Matei Călines ...

University of Paris alumni 20th-century Romanian lawyers 19th-century Romanian judges Academic staff of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Rectors of Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Conservative Party (Romania, 1880–1918) politicians People's Party (interwar Romania) politicians 20th-century Romanian politicians Peasants' Party (Romania) politicians Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania) Romanian Ministers of Culture Romanian Ministers of Education Romanian Ministers of Justice Mayors of Iași Romanian expatriates in France