Vasile Lucaciu

Vasile Lucaciu (January 21, 1852 in Apa, Szatmár – November 29, 1922 in Satu Mare) was a Romanian Greek-Catholic priest and an advocate of equal rights of Romanians with the Hungarians in Transylvania.

Vasile Lucaciu
Bust in Baia Mare
Born	21 January 1852 Apa, Szatmár, Austria-Hungary
Died	29 November 1922 (aged 70) Satu Mare, Transylvania, Romania
Citizenship	Austria-Hungary, Romania
Known for	journalistic activity
Scientific career
Fields	Politics, Theology
Influenced	political thought in Austria-Hungary and Romania

Vasile Lucaciu (fifth from the left, bottom row) with the other co-signers of the Transylvanian Memorandum

HIs parish was in Sisesti Maramures where he bilt a school and a church

He is also known as "Lion of Sisesti"

People can visit today his humble house in Sisestias well as the school both being now museums

He was a member of the National Romanian Party and a co-author of the Transylvanian Memorandum (1892). As a consequence, Vasile Lucaciu was tried for "homeland betrayal" in Kolozsvár/Cluj in May 1894 and sentenced to five years in prison. However he was released after one year.

In 1905 he was elected deputy for the Belényes/Beiuş constituency in the Hungarian Parliament.

In March 1917, Vasile Lucaciu was a member of a group of exiled Romanian Habsburg subjects who were sent as a delegation to the United States to campaign for Romania's cause.

References

• Alexandru Ciura, "Biografia părintelui Vasile Lucaciu" (Sibiu, 1928).
• Florin Mirghesiu - "Iaşi - Washington via Siberia, Coreea, Japonia şi Hawaii", in Magazin Istoric, no. 12, December 2004.
• Gelu Neamţu, "Vasile Lucaciu şi voluntarii români în armata Statelor Unite în primul război mondial (1917-1918)", In: AUDC ist., 2001.