Vasile Urseanu was born in Bucharest, in 1848, from a modest family. He attended high school at "Sfântul Sava" and then enlisted in the Romanian Navy.
During the Romanian War of Independence (1877-1878), Urseanu made an important contribution to the defeat of the Ottoman army. He was decorated with the Order of the Romanian Star of War and promoted to lieutenant-commander.
After the war, he was involved in the development of the Romanian navy, being commander of the brig "Mircea" and the cruiser "Elisabeta". He also participated in the construction of new military ships.
Urseanu was a supporter of the development of the Romanian merchant marine. He was one of the founders of the first National Maritime Navigation Society.
In parallel with his military career, Urseanu was also passionate about astronomy. In 1908, he became the president of the Romanian Astronomical Society. He was an advocate of popularizing astronomy among the general public.
In 1910, Urseanu inaugurated the "Amiral Vasile Urseanu" Astronomical Observatory, the first public astronomical observatory in Romania. The observatory was built at his own expense.
Vasile Urseanu died in 1926, at the age of 78.
Sursa: astro-urseanu.ro
