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