Ioan Rășcanu

Ioan Rășcanu
Ioan Rășcanu
	General Ioan Rășcanu
Born	October 1, 1878; Cahul, United Principalities
Died	25 February 1952 (aged 73); Sighet Prison, Romanian People's Republic
Buried	Paupers Cemetery, Sighetu Marmației, Maramureș County
Allegiance	Kingdom of Romania
Service/branch	Army
Years of service	1893–1922 (active); 1922–1945 (reserve)
Rank	Brigadier general (1917); Major general (1922); Lieutenant general (1942)
Commands	15th Artillery Brigade; Vânători First Division
Battles/wars	Second Balkan War; World War I Romanian campaign; ;
Awards	Order of the Crown, Commander rank; Order of the Star of Romania, Officer class; Order of the Star of Romania, Grand Cross class
Alma mater	Higher War School
42nd Minister of War of Kingdom of Romania
	In office; September 27, 1919 – November 30, 1919
Prime Minister	Artur Văitoianu
Preceded by	Artur Văitoianu
Succeeded by	himself
	In office; December 1, 1919 – March 1, 1920
Prime Minister	Alexandru Vaida-Voevod
Preceded by	himself
Succeeded by	Traian Moșoiu
	In office; March 12, 1920 – December 15, 1921
Prime Minister	Alexandru Averescu
Preceded by	Traian Moșoiu
Succeeded by	Ștefan Holban
Minister of State for Bessarabia and Bukovina
	In office; March 30, 1926 – July 4, 1927
Prime Minister	Alexandru Averescu
Preceded by	Ion Inculeț
	In office; April 18, 1931 – June 6, 1932
Prime Minister	Nicolae Iorga
Preceded by	Pan Halippa
Succeeded by	Pan Halippa
55th Mayor of Bucharest
	In office; November 15, 1942 – August 23, 1944
Preceded by	Constantin Florescu [ro]
Succeeded by	Victor Dombrovski [ro]

Ioan Rășcanu (October 1, 1878 – February 25, 1952) was a Romanian general during World War I. He held the post of Minister of War from September 27, 1919 to December 16, 1921. After entering politics, he was elected deputy in Parliament, and served as Mayor of Vaslui (1938–1942) and Bucharest (1942–1944). Arrested in 1947 by the early communist regime, he died several years later at Sighet Prison.

Early life

He was born in 1878 in Cahul, in south-western Bessarabia (now in Moldova), the son of Elefterie and Elena Rășcanu.^[1] Soon after, the family moved to Vaslui, where the parents taught at School Nr. 1 for boys.^[2] Growing up, he attended this school, where he befriended his classmate, Gheorghe Mironescu, who later became Prime Minister.^[3]

After graduating the High School for Sons of Military in Iași,^[4] Rășcanu went to Bucharest in July 1891, where he enlisted in the School for Artillery and Engineering Officers, graduating in July 1893 with the rank of second lieutenant.^[1] For two years he commanded a platoon of the 4th Artillery Regiment, after which he attended the Artillery School (1895–1897) and then Higher War School in Bucharest (1898–1900),^[4] where he was colleague with the future generals Ernest Broșteanu, Ștefan Holban, and Ioan Vernescu [ro].^[2]

Career in the Romanian Army

Rășcanu advanced in rank to lieutenant (April 1896), captain (March 1903), and major (March 1910).^[2] Speaking several languages (Russian, German, English, and French), he served from 1907 to 1911 as Romania's military attaché in Germany.^[4]^[5] From 1910 to 1912 he served on the General Staff of the Romanian Army.^[1] He was awarded in 1909 the Order of the Crown, Commander rank, and in 1912 the Order of the Star of Romania, Officer class. In 1913 he participated in the Second Balkan War, and was decorated with the Avântul Țării Medal [ro]. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in April 1914 and became colonel in April 1916.^[4]

World War I

After Romania entered World War I on the side of the Allies in August 1916, Rășcanu served as Chief of the Operations Section of the General Headquarters, and was attached to the General Staff of the French Army in 1916. Together with a fellow artilleryman, Colonel Vasile Rudeanu, he represented the Romanian High Command at the Third Chantilly Conference in November 1916.^[2]

In the summer of 1917 Rășcanu fought at the battles of Mărășești, Mărăști, and Oituz.^[4] Promoted to brigadier general in September 1917, he took command of the 15th Artillery Brigade. He represented the Romanian Army at the Armistice of Focșani from December 7, 1917 between Romania, Russia, and the Central Powers.^[1]

In January 1918 he became the first commander of the newly formed Vânători 1st Division. In March his division crossed the Prut River and he replaced General Ernest Broșteanu (his classmate at the Higher War School)^[2] as commander of the Romanian troops in Chișinău and central Bessarabia. His troops paraded in support on March 27, when Sfatul Țării voted the Union of Bessarabia with Romania.^[4] The 1st Division was disbanded in May 1918 as a result of the Treaty of Bucharest with the Central Powers.

Political career

After serving as Secretary General of the Ministry of War from December 1, 1918 to September 27, 1919,^[2] Rășcanu became Minister of War, serving in three successive governments, led by Prime Ministers Artur Văitoianu (September 27 – November 30, 1919), Alexandru Vaida-Voevod (December 1, 1919 – March 1, 1920), and Alexandru Averescu (March 12, 1920 – December 15, 1921).^[1] At his initiative, the Land Forces Academy was established in Sibiu in July 1920.^[6] In April 1921 he was promoted to major general, after which he retired in 1922, and was put in reserve.

Rășcanu returned to Vaslui, where he became a leading member of the National Liberal Party (PNL) and the People's Party, led by Averescu. He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies at the parliamentary elections of 1920, 1926, 1928, and 1931.^[4] He was Minister of State and High Commissioner for Bessarabia and Bukovina in the Third Averescu cabinet from March 30, 1926 to July 4, 1927, and Minister of State in the Iorga cabinet from April 18, 1931 to June 6, 1932.^[1] The national cabinet allowed Bessarabian notables to provide input on its economic policies, with a Bessarabian Economic Council that was chaired by Rășcanu.^[7]

From 1938 to December 1942 he was Mayor of Vaslui.^[1]^[3] In June 1940, together with other generals of the Romanian Army and political figures from Bessarabia, he opposed the Soviet ultimatum demanding that Romania cede Bessarabia, saying: "No nation can surrender its territories without fighting!"^[8] From November 15, 1942 to King Michael's Coup of August 23, 1944 he was Mayor of Bucharest. In December 1942 he was promoted to lieutenant general (Reserve),^[2]^[9] and was awarded the Order of the Star of Romania, Grand Cross class.^[10]

Last years

In February 1945 he permanently retired from the Army. In May 1947 he was arrested by the Communist authorities and interrogated at the headquarters of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.^[5] He was condemned on August 1, 1951 to 2 years of incarceration.^[5]^[9] Rășcanu was sent to Sighet Prison, where he died in February 1952, after a harsh detention regime.^[5]^[1] He was buried at the Paupers Cemetery [ro] (also known as Cearda Cemetery) in Sighetu Marmației, in a common grave on the banks of the Iza River.^[5]^[2]

A street in Vaslui is named after him. In 2018, a bust of Rășcanu was erected in the city's Mihail Kogălniceanu Park.^[11]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Ionescu, Nicolae. "Generalul Ioan Rășcanu, primarul Vasluiului". tesalut.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved December 22, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h Stroea, Adrian; Ghinoiu, Marin (November 9, 2015). "Un martir al neamului românesc – generalul artilerist Ioan Rășcanu". Revista Forțelor Terestre. File din istoria artileriei. Fapte, întâmplări și oameni (in Romanian). Romanian Land Forces: 286–299.
^ ^a ^b Balaban, Ionuț (February 15, 2013). "Ion Rășcanu sau cum trebuie să fie un primar adevărat pentru vasluieni". Adevărul (in Romanian). Retrieved December 22, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g Munteanu, Anatol. "General de Corp de Armată Ioan Râșcanu (1874-1952)" (PDF). www.aosr.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved December 23, 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e "Procesul comunismului, contrarevoluției și tranziției criminale – Rășcanu, Ion". www.procesulcomunismului.com (in Romanian). Retrieved December 23, 2020.
^ "Istoricul instituției". www.armyacademy.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved December 23, 2020.
^ Cândea, A. (November 17, 1931), "Ședința comitetului executiv a consiliului economic al Basarabiei. Grave acuzațiuni aduse Oficiului național de export. Fixarea ordinei de zi a plenului consiliului", Dimineața, p. 6
^ Munteanu, Anatol. "Făuritori și martiri ai Unirii Basarabiei cu România" (PDF). www.aosr.ro (in Romanian). Retrieved July 9, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Rășcanu, Ioan". Generals.dk. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
^ Decret Regal nr. 262 din 27 ianuarie 1942 pentru decorațiuni, Monitorul Oficial
^ Enache, Alexandru (October 1, 2018). "Bustul unui fost primar al Vasluiului, amplasat în parcul Mihail Kogălniceanu". realitateadevaslui.net (in Romanian). Retrieved December 23, 2020.