Valentin Ceaușescu

Valentin Ceaușescu

Valentin Ceaușescu in 2009. Photo: Cristian Otopeanu
Born (1948-02-17) 17 February 1948
Bucharest, Romania
Residence Bucharest, Romania
Citizenship Romania
Fields Nuclear physics
Institutions Institute of Atomic Physics
Măgurele, Romania
Alma mater
Spouse Iordana Borilă (1970-1989)
Children Daniel
Alexandra

Valentin Ceaușescu (born 17 February 1948) is a Romanian physicist. He is the eldest and only surviving child of former communist president Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife, Elena.

Biography

Early life and education

Valentin Ceaușescu was born in Bucharest on 17 February 1948, less than two months after the establishment of the Romanian People's Republic. His father, future dictator Nicolae Ceaușescu, was an active member of the Romanian Workers' Party, earning himself various political and military positions; he was the country's Minister of Agriculture at the time Valentin was born. His mother was Elena Ceaușescu (née Petrescu).

Unlike many other members of his family, including his younger brother, Nicu, Ceaușescu was not involved in politics. Attending the University of Bucharest, he completed his undergraduate degree in physics. In 1967, he decided to pursue further education by enrolling at Imperial College London in the United Kingdom.

Marriages and children

On 3 July 1970, Ceaușescu married Iordana (Dana) Borilă, the daughter of communist party leader Petre Borilă. Both fathers, then political rivals, strongly disagreed with the marriage. The years-long fight eventually resulted in Dana and their child, Daniel, being exiled to Canada. Dana and Valentin were divorced in 1989. Daniel, like his father, studied to be a physicist.

Ceaușescu remarried in 1995 and, with his new wife, has a daughter, Alexandra.

Arrest and later life

In December 1989, during the Romanian Revolution, Ceaușescu was arrested, along with the other members of his family. Known worldwide for their extravagant lifestyle, they were accused of undermining the economy of Romania.[1] Valentin, himself, is said to have had a position managing the Steaua București football club. He reported that he had watched the trial of his parents on television while he was under arrest.[1]

Ceaușescu was freed from prison nine months later, after no real charges were brought against him. During that time, his collection of 50 paintings by Romanian masters, engravings by Francisco Goya, and hundreds of rare books were confiscated. When he asked for restitution, the Romanian authorities argued that there are no documents which prove that he is the owner, and that the art collection belonged to the Romanian state. Ceaușescu sued the government for restitution. The courts found in favor of Ceaușescu in 2009, and ordered the National Museum of Art to return forty pictures.[2]

Scientific career

After completing his graduate work in 1970, Ceaușescu became a faculty member at the Horia Hulubei National Institute of Physics and Nuclear Engineering. Working at the Institute of Atomic Physics (IFA) lab in Măgurele, he performs nuclear physics research.[3] He still holds this job as of 2015.[4]

References

  1. 1 2 "Ceausescu fooled by aides, son says". Kyiv Post. 24 December 2009. Retrieved 30 March 2013.
  2. ↑ Kimmelman, Michael. "Romania Shrugs Off Reminder of Its Past", The Daily Telegraph, 25 February 2009
  3. ↑ Raduta A.A., Faessler A., & Ceausescu V. (November 1987). "Description of the K pi =1(+) isovector states within a generalized coherent-state model.". Phys. Rev. C Nucl. Phys. 36 (5): 2111––2126. doi:10.1103/PhysRevC.36.2111. PMID 9954324.
  4. ↑ Department of Theoretical Physics, National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering, Măgurele. Retrieved on 29 July 2015.
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