Nicolae Creţulescu
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Nicolae Creţulescu (Nicolae Kretzulescu) |
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In office June 24, 1862—October 11, 1863 June 14, 1865 – February 11, 1866 |
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Preceded by | Barbu Catargiu Mihail Kogălniceanu |
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Succeeded by | Mihail Kogălniceanu Lascăr Catargiu |
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Nicolae Creţulescu or Kretzulescu (1812-1900) was a Wallachian-born Romanian politician and physician. He served three terms as Prime Minister of Romania: from 1862 to 1863, again from 1865 to 1866, and finally in 1867. He was elected to the Romanian Academy.
Born in Bucharest, he studied medicine in Paris, having Gustave Flaubert as a colleague. As a physician, his notable work was the translation of Jean Cruveilhier's manual of anatomy.
A member of the Liberal faction, Creţulescu first became prime minister after the assassination of Barbu Catargiu, under Domnitor Alexander John Cuza. He avoided debating the issue of land reform, at that time the most contentious subject in Romanian politics; instead, Creţulescu focused on unifying the public health system, creating the Directorate General of the Public Archive, and establishing a Council for Public Instruction. Additionally, he laid the groundwork for further laws secularizing (confiscatoing) the property of monasteries.