Josip Manolić facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Josip Manolić
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Manolić in 2011
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| Speaker of the Chamber of Counties of Croatia | |
| In office 22 March 1993 – 23 May 1994 |
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| President | Franjo Tuđman |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Katica Ivanišević |
| Office for the Protection of the Constitutional Order | |
| In office 27 May 1991 – 21 March 1993 |
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| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Prime Minister of Croatia | |
| In office 24 August 1990 – 17 July 1991 Within Yugoslavia: 24 August 1990 – 25 June 1991 |
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| President | Franjo Tuđman |
| Preceded by | Stjepan Mesić |
| Succeeded by | Franjo Gregurić |
| Vice-President of the Presidency of the Republic of Croatia | |
| In office 25 July 1990 – 24 August 1990 |
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| President | Franjo Tuđman |
| Prime Minister | Stjepan Mesić |
| Preceded by | Himself (as Vice-President of the Presidency of the Socialist Republic of Croatia) |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Vice-President of the Presidency of the Socialist Republic of Croatia | |
| In office 30 May 1990 – 25 July 1990 |
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| President | Franjo Tuđman |
| Prime Minister | Stjepan Mesić (as President of the Executive Council of the Socialist Republic of Croatia) |
| Preceded by | Position vacant Ante Marković |
| Succeeded by | Himself (as Vice-President of the Presidency of the Republic of Croatia) |
| President of the Croatian Independent Democrats | |
| In office 30 April 1994 – 26 October 2002 |
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| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Zlatko Canjuga |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 22 March 1920 Kalinovac, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (now Croatia) |
| Died | 15 April 2024 (aged 104) |
| Other political affiliations |
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| Spouses |
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| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | University of Zagreb Faculty of Law |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Yugoslavia |
| Branch/service | Yugoslav Partisans (1941–1945) OZNA (1944–1965) |
| Unit | OZNA 2 |
| Commands | OZNA 2 in Bjelovar Department for Execution of Criminal Sentences |
| Battles/wars | World War II in Yugoslavia |
Josip "Joža" Manolić (born 22 March 1920 – died 15 April 2024) was a Croatian politician. He was involved in the resistance movement during World War II in Yugoslavia. Later, he became a high-ranking official in Yugoslavia's security services. He also served as the Prime Minister of Croatia from 1990 to 1991. During his time as Prime Minister, Croatia officially declared its independence from Yugoslavia. After this, he became the first Speaker of the Chamber of Counties of Croatia, which was like an upper house of the Croatian Parliament.
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Early Life and World War II
Josip Manolić was born on March 22, 1920, in a place called Kalinovac in Croatia. He was the youngest of four children. When he was eight, his family moved to Orlovac. He went to a craft school in Bjelovar and learned to be a shoemaker.
When he was 18, he joined the League of Communist Youth of Yugoslavia (SKOJ), a youth organization. At 19, he became a member of the Communist Party of Croatia. In 1940, he became a leader for the youth group in Nova Gradiška.
When World War II in Yugoslavia started, Manolić was involved in secret activities for the Communist Party. He was arrested in May 1941 for sharing party leaflets. He was held in prison but was later released.
After his release, Manolić went to Zagreb. He worked to encourage people to join the Yugoslav Partisans, who were fighting against the occupation. He traveled across Croatia to spread the message. In 1944, he was sent to Bjelovar.
In March 1944, Manolić became a leader in the Communist Party for Bjelovar. In October 1944, he was put in charge of a part of the communist police, called OZNA 2, in Bjelovar. This group dealt with internal security. After the war ended in May 1945, his job was to help clear out any remaining enemy forces in the area.
Life in Communist Yugoslavia
After the war, in 1946, Manolić went to a special military-political school in Belgrade. This school was set up like those in the Soviet Union.
In 1947, Manolić returned to Zagreb. He became a chief in the security services for Croatia. He was also in charge of prisons for political prisoners from 1948 until 1963.
In 1960, Manolić earned a law degree from the Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb. In 1965, he was elected to the Parliament of Croatia. He worked on important committees there. In 1972, he retired from his duties.
Croatia's Independence and Later Politics
Manolić was one of the people who helped start the Croatian Democratic Union (HDZ) party. He was a close helper to Franjo Tuđman, who became the first President of Croatia after multi-party elections were introduced. Manolić became the Prime Minister of Croatia in August 1990.
During his time as Prime Minister, on June 25, 1991, the Croatian Parliament voted for Croatia to become an independent country. Manolić left the Prime Minister's job in July 1991.
After being Prime Minister, Manolić took on another important role. He became the head of the office that coordinated all of Croatia's security services. He helped build up Croatia's security system during a time of conflict. He was known for his moderate views.
In 1993, Manolić was elected as the Speaker of the Chamber of Counties of Croatia. This was a leadership role in the parliament.
A year later, Manolić and another politician, Stjepan Mesić, tried to form a new political group. They wanted to change the leadership of the HDZ party. When this didn't work, they started a new party called Croatian Independent Democrats (HND). Manolić was the president of this new party in 1995.
His attempt to gain more power at the national level was not successful. After the 1995 elections, his party did not win seats in the parliament. Since then, Manolić retired from active politics. He wrote a book about his life and politics in 2015.
Personal Life
In 1945, Josip Manolić married his first wife, Marija Eker. She passed away in 2003. In 2016, at the age of 96, Manolić married his second wife, Mirjana Ribarić. She passed away in 2020. He had three children.
Longevity and Health
Josip Manolić lived a very long life. He was the oldest person to have ever been the Prime Minister of Croatia. Because of his age, he became well-known on social media and in the news. He was one of the oldest people in Croatia to still have a valid driver's license. He also reportedly became the first Croat to have his entire genetic code (genome) sequenced. There was even a funny Facebook page about him called "Joža Manolić has outlived." He turned 100 on March 22, 2020, the same day a large earthquake hit Zagreb.
In April 2021, Manolić got COVID-19. Even though he had some mild symptoms, he recovered at home within a couple of weeks.
Death
Josip Manolić passed away on April 15, 2024, at the age of 104.
See also
- List of Croatian prime ministers by time in office
- Cabinet of Josip Manolić
- List of oldest living state leaders
- Lists of state leaders by age
- List of centenarians (politicians and civil servants)
