Manea Mănescu (; 9 August 1916 – February 2009) was a Romanian economist and politician who served as Prime Minister of Romania from 1974 to 1979 during the Ceaușescu regime.
Early life and education
Manea Mănescu was born on 9 August 1916. His father was a veteran socialist activist from Ploiești who, in the early 1920s, supported the transformation of the Socialist Party into the Romanian Communist Party (PCR). Mănescu studied economics at the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest and joined the Romanian Communist Party in 1938 while still a student. He served as Minister of Finance from 1955 to 1957. He became a full member of the Executive Committee of the PCR in December 1968, consolidating his position within the party’s technocratic elite.
Prime Minister of Romania
Mănescu was appointed Prime Minister in March 1974, serving until 1979.
Family
Mănescu was married to Maria Munteanu Mănescu, a prominent pediatrician. In December 1973, she was appointed Vice Chairwoman of the Romanian Red Cross Society and in April 1978 became a member of the National Council of Women.