Romanian Masons

Constantin Alexandru Rosetti (C.A. Rosetti) (2 June 1816-8 April 1885), was a Romanian Freemason, literary and political leader, born in Bucharest into a Phanariot Greek family.

In 1845, Rosetti went to Paris, where he met Alphonse de Lamartine, the patron of the Society of Romanian Students in Paris. In 1847, he married Mary Grant, the sister of the English consul to Bucharest, Effingham Grant. The consul was married to Zoia Racovita, the daughter of Alexandru Racovita; the Grant Bridge (Podul Grant) near Gara de Nord in Bucharest is named after him.

He is initiated as Freemason in a French Lodge, in 1845.

Ion Heliade Radulescu (also known as Eliad or Eliade Radulescu; January 6, 1802-April 27, 1872) was a Wallachian-born Romanian academic, Romantic and Classicist poet, essayist, memoirist, short story writer, newspaper editor, politician and Freemason. A prolific translator of foreign literature into Romanian, he was also the author of books on linguistics and history. For much of his life, Heliade Radulescu was a teacher at Saint Sava College in Bucharest, which he helped reopen. He was a founding member and first president of the Romanian Academy.

Heliade Radulescu is considered one of the foremost champions of Romanian culture from the first half of the 19th century, having first risen to prominence through his association with Gheorghe Lazar and his support of Lazar's drive for discontinuing education in Greek. Over the following decades, he had a major role in shaping the modern Romanian language, but caused controversy when he advocated the massive introduction of Italian neologisms into the Romanian lexis.

Ion Minulescu (January 6, 1881 - April 11, 1944) was a Romanian avant-garde poet, novelist, short story writer, journalist, literary critic, playwright and Mason. Often publishing his works under the pseudonyms I. M. Nirvan and Koh-i-Noor (the latter being derived from the famous diamond), he journeyed to Paris, where he was heavily influenced by the growing Symbolist movement and Parisian Bohemianism. He had a major influence on modern literature in Romania, and was among the first local poets to use free verse.

Mihail Kogalniceanu (September 6, 1817 - July 1, 1891) was a Moldavian-born Romanian liberal statesman, lawyer, historian, publicist and Freemason.

He became Prime Minister of Romania October 11, 1863, after the 1859 union of the Danubian Principalities under Domnitor Alexander John Cuza, and later served as Foreign Minister under Carol I. He was several times Interior Minister under Cuza and Carol. A polymath, Kogalniceanu was one of the most influential Romanian intellectuals of his generation. Siding with the moderate liberal current for most of his lifetime, he began his political career as a collaborator of Prince Mihail Sturdza, while serving as head of the Iasi Theater and issuing several publications together with the poet Vasile Alecsandri and the activist Ion Ghica. After editing the highly influential magazine Dacia Literara and serving as a professor at Academia Mihaileana, Kogalniceanu came into conflict with the authorities over his Romantic nationalist inaugural speech of 1843. He was the ideologue of the abortive 1848 Moldavian revolution, authoring its main document, Dorintele partidei nationale din Moldova.

Octavian Goga (April 1, 1881-May 7, 1938) was a Romanian politician, poet, playwright, journalist, and translator.

Born in Rasinari, nearby Sibiu, he was an active member in the Romanian nationalistic movement in Transylvania and of its leading group, the Romanian National Party (PNR) in Austria-Hungary. Before World War I, Goga was arrested by the Hungarian authorities. At different intervals, until the union of Romania and Transylvania in 1918, Goga took refuge in Romania, becoming active in literary and political circles. Because of his political activity in Romania, the Hungarian state sentenced him to death in absentia.

During World War I, he joined the Romanian army and took part as a soldier, in the occupation of Dobrogea.