Free citizens of the city

Jokai Mor (Komarno, Slovakia, 19/02/1825 – Budapest, Hungary, 5/05/1904) 

A Hungarian author, novelist and playwright, nationally oriented, politician, and a long time member of the Hungarian Parliament (1867-1891). Being a particularly prolific writer, he wrote over 100 novels and 1000 short stories, presented in over 300 collections, and translated into 25 languages. His opus was also influenced the long-time acquaintance with the greatest Hungarian poet Shandor Petefy. After the revolution in 1848, he had left Hungary and went to Austria, but returned after 19 years and became active in the political life.

His best known works are the novel "The Golden Man", from 1872, and the novelette "Black Diamonds", from 1870. He was declared the free citizen of Veliki-Big Becskerek (Zrenjanin) in 1893.

 

 

Mihajlo Pupin (Idvor, 9/10/1854 – New York, USA, 12/03/1935) 

Physicist, inventor, world-renowned scientist, professor at the University of Columbia, holder of the Yugoslav medal "White Eagle" First Class and the honorary consul of Serbia in the USA. He was also one of the founders and a long-term President of the Serbian National Defense Council in the States. He was also the winner of the Pulitzer Prize (in 1924) for his autobiographical literary work "From Immigrant to Inventor". In the course of his scientific and experimental work, Pupin made significant conclusions important for the areas of multiple telegraphy, wireless telegraphy and telephony, then roentgenology, and he won lasting merits for the development of electrical engineering. Credit also goes to him for the invention of Pupin coils. He was the winner of many scientific awards and medals, a member of the US Academy of Science, of the Serbian Royal Academy, and the holder of honorary degrees of 18 universities. He was declared the free citizen of Veliki-Big Becskerek (Zrenjanin) in 1928.

 

 

Eduard Erio (Troa, France, 5/07/1872 – Lion, France, 26/03/1957) 

French statesman, Premier of the Republic of France in three mandates, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Speaker of the Parliament, and the leader of the Radical-socialist Party in the period of 1919-1955. He was also engaged in literature – way back in 1931, he published the book "United States of Europe", pointing to the idea of European integration. He spent the Second World War in the German captivity and, after the war, continued to engage in politics and statecraft affairs. After the First World War and close alliance between Serbia and France, he became one of the most popular world politicians in this region. He was declared the free citizen of Veliki-Big Becskerek (Zrenjanin) in 1933.

 

 

Petar Živković (Negotin, 1/01/1879 – Paris, France, 3/02/1947) 

General and politician, the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, the Minister of Army and Navy. He participated in May Coup d’ Etat in 1903, and was the founder of the secret officers’ organization "White Hand", which was close to the heir to the throne Aleksandar I Karađorđević. After setting up of dictatorship, King Aleksandar appointed him as the first Prime Minister and he stayed in that office until April 1932. He was one of the founders of the pro-regime Yugoslav National Party and became its chairman in 1936. After the break out of the Second World War in 1941, he emigrated and, in 1943, he was the Minister without Portfolio, and then Assistant Commander of the Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. After the victory of communists, he concocted plans for counter-revolutionary actions.

He was declared the free citizen of Petrovgrad (Zrenjanin) in 1936.

 

 

Milan Stojadinović (Čačak, 4/08/1888 – Buenos Aires, Argentina, 24/10/1961)

Economist, University professor and politician, and the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. He had worked in Germany, France, and England and, in 1919, he returned to Belgrade and took a post in the Ministry of Finance. He started his political career five years later, when he entered the Government of Nikola Pašić, with the task to stabilize the Yugoslav currency. He withdrew from the Government in 1928. He came back to the political scene after the assassination of King Aleksandar and, in 1935, became the Prime Minister. In addition to his activity in the internal political and economic fields, he also realized international cooperation with the up-to-then adversaries – Germany, Italy, Hungary, and Bulgaria. 

Prince Regent Pavle removed him from office in 1939 and, in the following year, under the influence of Great Britain, he was exiled from the country. In 1948, he became settled at Buenos Aires, in Argentina, where he established contacts with the former Head of State (poglavnik) of the Independent State of Croatia Dr Ante Pavelić and, in 1954, he signed with him the agreement on disintegration and division of Tito’s Yugoslavia. He was declared the free citizen of Petrovgrad (Zrenjanin) in 1936.

 

 

Josip Broz Tito (Kumrovec, Croatia, 25/05/1892 – Ljubljana, Slovenia, 4/05/1980) 

The leader of the partisan movement in the Second World War, the President of SFRY, the Marshal of Yugoslavia, and the founder of the Non-aligned Movement. As a young metal worker, he became involved in the workers’ movement, participated in the First World War on the side of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, when he was actually taken prisoner and, in 1920, he joined the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (CPY). In 1934, in Vienna, he adopted the pseudonym Tito. After the break out of the Second World War, he led the Yugoslav communists in the war against fascism and, upon liberation, he headed the new regime and became the President of Yugoslavia. He occupied key state and political positions and ruled over Yugoslavia for full 35 years, balancing between the eastern and western political blocks and, in 1961, became one of the founders and the most influential statesman of the non-aligned movement – a group of non-aligned countries. In 1974, he was elected the President for life of the Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia and the President for life of the League of Communists of Yugoslavia. He was decorated with the medal of the National Hero of Yugoslavia three times. He was declared the free citizen of Zrenjanin in 1962. 

 

 

Jovan Veselinov Žarko (Kumane, 20/01/1906 – Novi Sad, 1982). 

The National Hero of SFRY, socio-political worker, holder of the 1941 Partisan Memorial Medal, a participant in the Second World War, and the leader of the armed struggle of the people of Srem. After liberation of the country, he held the highest state positions and positions in the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (LCY) – In the Government of the People’s Republic (PR) of Serbia; he was the Minister of Agrarian Reform, then the Minister of Industry, the Chairman of the Planning Commission, and the Prime Minister. He was a member of the Federal Executive Council, the Speaker of the Parliament of the PR of Serbia, President of the Socialist Alliance of Working People of Serbia, a member of the Executive Committee of the Central Committee of the League of Communists of Serbia, a member of Central Committee of LCY, and a member of the Council of the Federation. He was decorated with the Medal of the National Hero of Yugoslavia in 1952. He was declared the free citizen of Zrenjanin in 1981. 

 

 

Dragoslav Avramović (Skopje, Macedonia, 14/10/1919 – Rockville, USA, 26/02/2001) 

Doctor of economy, the Governor of the National Bank of Yugoslavia, a corresponding member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts, and the author of the anti-inflation program in 1994. He was the adviser in the National Bank of Yugoslavia, worked in the World Bank, was the counselor of the Secretary General of the UN Conference on Trade and Development UNCTAD for the issues of economic cooperation of developing countries and for general issues (in Geneva) and the economic counselor of the World Bank in Washington. His program, on January 24, 1994, stopped the hyperinflation in Yugoslavia, one of the highest recorded up to then in the world economy. He was the leader of the political Alliance for Change and, in October 1994, he was elected a corresponding member of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.  He was declared the free citizen of Zrenjanin in 1994.