Ștefan Golescu

Ștefan Golescu (Romanian pronunciation: [ʃteˈfan ɡoˈlesku]; 1809–1874) was a Wallachian Romanian politician who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for two terms from 1 March 1867 to 5 August 1867 and from 13 November 1867 to 30 April 1868, and as Prime Minister of Romania between 26 November 1867 and 12 May 1868.

Ștefan Golescu
8th Prime Minister of Romania
In office 26 November 1867 – 12 May 1868
Monarch	Carol I
Preceded by	Constantin A. Kretzulescu
Succeeded by	Nicolae Golescu
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office 1 March 1867 – 5 August 1867
Prime Minister	Constantin A. Kretzulescu
Preceded by	George Barbu Știrbei
Succeeded by	Alexandru Teriachiu
In office 13 November 1867 – 30 April 1868
Prime Minister	himself
Preceded by	Alexandru Teriachiu
Succeeded by	Nicolae Golescu
Minister of Internal Affairs
In office 17 August 1867 – 13 November 1867
Preceded by	Ion C. Brătianu
Succeeded by	Ion C. Brătianu
Personal details
Born	1809 (1809) Câmpulung, Wallachia
Died	27 August 1874 (1875) (aged 65) Nancy, France

Biography

Golescu was the son of writer, educationist and pioneer Romanian nationalist, Dinicu Golescu. Born in Câmpulung into a boyar family of the Golești, he studied with his brothers (Nicolae and Radu [ro]) in Switzerland. After he returned, he joined the Wallachian Army and became a major in 1836. With his brother he also joined the Philharmonic Society, a society similar to the Freemasonry.^[1]

Ștefan Golescu was involved in the triggering of the 1848 Wallachian revolution, participating in the Islaz gathering of 9 June 1848, when he became a member of the Provisional Government, serving as Minister of Justice.

During the writing of the new constitution, he supported Nicolae Bălcescu's idea of universal suffrage, while his brother, Nicolae, favoured less expansive participation. Ștefan Golescu was part of the delegation sent by the revolutionaries to Istanbul to negotiate the new constitution with the Ottoman Empire, Wallachia's overlord.

Golescu was a member of the Wallachian assembly that elected Alexandru Ioan Cuza as prince of both Wallachia and Moldavia (1859). Afterwards, he was a member of the Liberal Party of Ion C. Brătianu and served for about half a year as Prime Minister of Romania in a Liberal government.