Leontin Sălăjan (; 19 June 1913 – 28 August 1966) was a
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 communist military and political leader.
Born in
Santău Commune,
Satu Mare County
Satu Mare County (, , ) is a county (Counties of Romania, județ) of Romania, on the border with Hungary and Ukraine. The capital city is Satu Mare.
Name
In Hungarian language, Hungarian, it is known as ''Szatmár megye'', in German language, Ge ...
(then in
Szilágy County,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...
),
[Galeria Şefilor SMG]
at the Romanian Defense Ministry site; accessed April 2, 2012 he was of
Hungarian ethnicity, a locksmith by training.
[Biografiile nomenklaturii]
, at the Institute for the Investigation of Communist Crimes and the Memory of the Romanian Exile site; accessed April 2, 2012 In 1934, he was recruited into the
military engineering branch of the
Romanian Army, performing his military service in a broadcasting regiment.
He joined the banned
Romanian Communist Party
The Romanian Communist Party ( ; PCR) was a communist party in Romania. The successor to the pro-Bolshevik wing of the Socialist Party of Romania, it gave an ideological endorsement to a communist revolution that would replace the social system ...
in 1939, belonging to its
Transylvania
Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...
n faction and holding positions in its
Banat
Banat ( , ; ; ; ) is a geographical and Historical regions of Central Europe, historical region located in the Pannonian Basin that straddles Central Europe, Central and Eastern Europe. It is divided among three countries: the eastern part lie ...
structures.
[ Florin Mihai]
"Generalul Ceaușescu, pe 'frontul' politic al Armatei"
, ''Adevărul'', 27 September 2011; accessed April 2, 2012 In 1948, following the establishment of a
Communist regime, he became deputy Health Minister, followed by a stint in 1949-1950 as
Constructions Minister.
In 1950, despite his limited military experience, he was promoted to army general and named
Chief of the Romanian General Staff, holding the office until 1954.
He was made
Armed Forces Minister in 1955, holding the position until his death.
While in this office, he was a close ally of
Nicolae Ceaușescu, alongside whom he sat on a high command during the
Hungarian Revolution of 1956, charged with suppressing unrest by any means necessary, including ordering security forces to open fire.
[ Vladimir Tismăneanu, ''Stalinism for All Seasons: A Political History of Romanian Communism'', p.154. ]University of California Press
The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by faculty ...
, 2003,
Within the party, he was a member of the central committee from 1945, and with Ceaușescu's rise to general secretary in 1965, he first became alternate member of the politburo and then member of the executive committee.
He died after a failed ulcer operation that resulted in much speculation.
In May 1966, he had participated in a rancorous meeting in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
with
Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
Marshal
Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used fo ...
Andrei Grechko, with the latter demanding increased Romanian military participation in the
Warsaw Pact
The Warsaw Pact (WP), formally the Treaty of Friendship, Co-operation and Mutual Assistance (TFCMA), was a Collective security#Collective defense, collective defense treaty signed in Warsaw, Polish People's Republic, Poland, between the Sovi ...
and the Romanian side, increasingly assertive of independence, hesitating to embrace the idea. As with the controversial death of
Gheorghe Gheorghiu-Dej a year earlier, Sălăjan's end came after being operated upon by doctors at
Elias Hospital. According to an anesthesiologist who was present, Ceaușescu appeared after a first operation, encouraging the doctors: "Comrades, do something heroic!"
[ Christian Levant]
"Vizita la Moscova, ucigătoare și pentru Leontin Sălăjan"
''Adevărul'', 13 October 2007; accessed April 2, 2012
Sălăjan was elected to the
Assembly of Deputies for
Sălaj County
Sălaj County (; ) (also known as ''Land of Silvania'', ''silva, -ae'' means "forest") is a Counties of Romania, county (''județ'') of Romania, located in the north-west of the country, in the Historical regions of Romania, historical regions of ...
in 1946 and obtained a Sălăj seat in the
Great National Assembly (MAN)
in 1948, holding it
until 1952. Later, he sat for
Arad from 1952 to
1957
Events January
* January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany.
* January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.
* January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...
and for
Oradea from 1957 until his death. In 1963, he was awarded the
Order of the Star of the Romanian People's Republic, first class.
[Florica Dobre (ed.)]
''Membrii C. C. al P. C. R.: 1945-1989''
CNSAS, p. 529. Editura Enciclopedicã, Bucharest, 2004,
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Salajan, Leontin
1913 births
1966 deaths
Romanian Communist Party politicians
Members of the Great National Assembly
Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania)
Ministers of defence of Romania
Ministers of public works of Romania
Ministers of transport of Romania
Romanian Land Forces generals
Chiefs of the General Staff of Romania
Recipients of the Order of the Star of the Romanian Socialist Republic
People from Satu Mare County
Romanian politicians of Hungarian descent
Romanian locksmiths