Maurer, Ion Gheorghe

▪ 2001

      Romanian politician (b. Sept. 23, 1902, Bucharest, Rom.—d. Feb. 8, 2000, Bucharest), as a member of the then-illegal Communist Party from 1936, was interned for antigovernment activities during World War II but, after the postwar replacement of the Romanian monarchy with a communist-led government, rose in influence, eventually serving as foreign minister (1957–58), titular head of state (1958–61), and prime minister (1961–74). Maurer, who was widely regarded as a moderate, retired in 1974, an action generally attributed to his disapproval of Pres. Nicolae Ceausescu's increasingly autocratic policies.

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