Milenko Radomar Vesnić (''Vesnitch'' in French, and ''Wesnitsch'' in German; 13 February 1863 – 15 May 1921) was a

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

n politician, diplomat, cabinet member and prime minister.

Early life

Vesnić studied law at la Grande École of Belgrade and at the University of Munich since 1883. On 8 August 1888, Vesnić received a Ph.D. in law with a thesis under the title "The Blood Feud among South Slavs". His highly praised thesis was published in German the following year in Stuttgart. Over the next two years, from 1888 to 1889 in Paris and from 1889 to 1890 in London, he obtained further specialization in law.

Career

Vesnić joined the diplomatic service of Serbia in 1891, as the secretary of the Serbian Legation at Constantinople. In 1893, he was appointed as a university professor teaching international law at Grande École in Belgrade, and the same year became MP in the National Assembly of Serbia as a member of the

People's Radical Party The People's Radical Party (, abbr. NRS) was a populist political party in Serbia and later Yugoslavia. Led by Nikola Pašić for most of its existence, its ideological profile has significantly changed throughout its history, shifting from ...

. In the government of

Sava Grujić Sava Grujić ( sr-Cyrl, Сава Грујић, ; 25 November 1840 – 3 November 1913) was a Serbian politician, statesman, general, army officer, and author, serving five times as Prime Minister of Serbia#Kingdom of Serbia (1882–1918), Prime ...

from 1893 to 1894), he was the Minister of Education and Religious Affairs. In 1899, he was sentenced to two years in prison after he insulted King

Milan I Milan Obrenović IV ( sr-cyr, Милан Обреновић, Milan Obrenović; 22 August 1854 – 11 February 1901) reigned as the Prince of Serbia from 10 June 1868 until 1882, when he became King of Serbia, a title he held until his abdic ...

. In 1901, Vesnić returned to the diplomatic service as the Serbian Minister in Rome. In 1904, Vesnić was appointed Serbian Minister in Paris, a posting he held for almost 17 years in various terms. In the Radical cabinet of Nikola Pašić in 1906, Vesnić was

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

, and afterward returned to

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, again as the Serbian Minister to

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. After the

Balkan Wars The Balkan Wars were two conflicts that took place in the Balkans, Balkan states in 1912 and 1913. In the First Balkan War, the four Balkan states of Kingdom of Greece (Glücksburg), Greece, Kingdom of Serbia, Serbia, Kingdom of Montenegro, M ...

, Vesnić was a member of the Serbian delegation at the

Conference of Ambassadors A conference is a meeting, often lasting a few days, which is organized on a particular subject, or to bring together people who have a common interest. Conferences can be used as a form of group decision-making, although discussion, not always d ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

from 1912 to 1913. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, Vesnić successfully organized various conferences in favour of the war effort of Serbia. Vesnić was the diplomatic representative from

Serbia , image_flag = Flag of Serbia.svg , national_motto = , image_coat = Coat of arms of Serbia.svg , national_anthem = () , image_map = , map_caption = Location of Serbia (gree ...

at the

Paris Peace Conference Agreements and declarations resulting from meetings in Paris include: Listed by name Paris Accords may refer to: * Paris Accords, the agreements reached at the end of the London and Paris Conferences in 1954 concerning the post-war status of Germ ...

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

in June 1919. Vesnić travelled to Washington prior to the Peace Conference to meet with Wilson and explain the Serbian position with respect to the break-up of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. He also represented Serbia at the

League of Nations The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...

Conference in January 1919. In 1920 Vesnić became Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, and during his office, he signed the Rapallo Treaty with

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. During his second government (1920–1921), Vesnić retained the portfolio of Foreign Minister as well.

Scholarly works

A collection of his speeches and articles in French papers and journals was published in Paris in 1921 under the title: "Serbia through the Great War ("La Serbie à travers la Grande Guerre"). Vesnić was elected a corresponding member of the

Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

in Paris. A talented scholar Vesnić wrote dozens of studies regarding international law in general and the position of Bosnia-Herzegovina in the international system after the Austro-Hungarian occupation in 1878, in particular. Vesnić translated important university textbooks on international and criminal law from French and German into the Serbian language, as well as the book on Prince

Miloš Obrenović Miloš Obrenović (; ; 18 March 1780 or 1783 – 26 September 1860) born Miloš Teodorović (; ), also known as Miloš the Great () was the Prince of Serbia twice, from 1815 to 1839, and from 1858 to 1860. He was an eminent figure of the Firs ...

rule, written in French by his Italian physician Bartholomeo Cunibert.

Personal life

In 1906, he was married to the American Blanche ( Ulman) Wertheim (1870–1951) who was acquainted with President Wilson's wife. The former wife of Siegfried Salomon Wertheim, her sister, Cécile Ulman, married

Napoléon Louis de Talleyrand-Périgord Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

, 8th

Duke of Montmorency Duke of Montmorency was a title of French nobility that was created several times for members of the Montmorency family, who were lords of Montmorency, near Paris. History The first creation was in 1551 for Anne de Montmorency, Constable of ...

, as her second husband. From her first marriage, Blanche was the mother of Vota Lucille Joan Wertheim, who took her stepfather's surname and married

Aristide Blank Aristide or Aristid Blank, also spelled Blanc or Blanck (January 1, 1883 – January 1, 1960), was a Romanian financier, economist, arts patron and playwright. His father, Mauriciu Blank, an Jewish assimilation, assimilated and naturalized Histor ...

. Vesnić died in Paris on 15 May 1921. She died at the Ritz Carlton, Paris in 1951.

Selected works

*Milenko R. Wesnitsch, ''Die Blutrache bei den Südslaven: ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des Strafrechts'', Stuttgart: Gebrüder Kröner, 1889.(PhD thesis in German language). *Milenko R. Vesnitch, ''La Serbie à travers la Grande Guerre'', Bossard, Paris 1921.

References

Sources

External links

Photographs
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vesnic, Milenko 1863 births 1921 deaths Ambassadors of Yugoslavia to France People from Sjenica People from the Principality of Serbia People's Radical Party politicians Government ministers of Serbia Prime ministers of Yugoslavia Serbian diplomats Academic staff of Belgrade Higher School Academic staff of the University of Belgrade Education ministers of Serbia Justice ministers of Serbia People from the Kingdom of Serbia