Ioan Culcer

Ioan Culcer (July 29, 1853—September, 1928) was a Romanian general from World War I and politician.

Born in Târgu Jiu, he entered the Military School and graduated with the rank of second lieutenant. He participated in the Romanian War of Independence (1877-1878), in which he was wounded and promoted to lieutenant. After the war he attended the Polytechnic School of Paris, and subsequently the École d'application militaire of Fontainbleau. He specialized as chief engineer and became teacher at the Military School in Romania.

In 1882, under the direction of Belgian military architect Alexis Brialmont, he supervised the building of a Romanian system of defensive fortifications on the line Galati-Nămoloasa-Iasi, and around the capital Bucharest.

He was secretary general of the Ministry of Defence (1904-1907) and then became Inspector General of the Romanian Army. In this function, he helped mobilize the Romanian Army for the Second Balkan War. For his efforts, King Carol I appointed him Governor of the Southern Dobruja, the province annexed by Romania after the Treaty of Bucharest (1913).

When Romania entered World War I in August 1916, Culcer was recalled from retirement and put in command of the First Army. With his army, he advanced into Transylvania, reaching the outskirts of Sibiu by mid-September. But then the Germans under command of Erich von Falkenhayn launched a counter-attack and the Romanians had to retreat. Culcer was relieved of command on 11 October 1916.

After the war he served as Minister of Public Works in the Alexandru Averescu Government from January 29 to March 4, 1918. In 1923 he became a senator. He died in 1928 and was buried in the Heroes Cemetery in Targu Jiu.