AVERESCU, ALEXANDRE (1859-1938), Rumanian gen eral and politician, born March 9 18S9, at Ismail (Bessarabia), was a volunteer in the war of independence against Turkey,
78. After the war he remained in the army and studied at the high military school of Turin (Italy). He was minister of war in 1907 when he repelled the peasants' revolt. In 1913 he con ducted the military operations in the war against Bulgaria as chief of the general staff. As commander of the 2nd and 3rd Armies, and later of the armies in the Dobruja, during the 1916 campaign, Gen. Averescu became enormously popular with his soldiers, a popularity which later on helped his political career.
1918 he was asked by the king to form a cabinet and conducted the peace negotiations with the Central Powers. He was proclaimed president of the People's League, which later became the People's party, and thanks to the popularity of Gen. Averescu the party came into power in March 1920 with its president as prime minister. After holding office for a year and ten months he resigned, Dec. 17 1921, but remained president of the party. On the retirement of the Bratianu Government on March 27 1926, the king asked Averescu to form a government. He followed the general economic policy of his predecessors at home; and in foreign policy he initiated a rapprochement with Italy. He resigned in June 1927, and was thereafter active only periodically in Rumanian politics. On March 3o, 1938, he was ap pointed a member of King Carol's permanent Crown Council. He died in Bucharest, Oct. 2, 1938.
