Spiru Haret

Spiru Haret
Born
Spiridon Haret

(1851-02-15)15 February 1851
Died17 December 1912(1912-12-17) (aged 61)
Resting placeBellu Cemetery, Bucharest, Romania
NationalityRomanianArmenian
EducationSaint Sava National College
Alma materUniversity of Bucharest
University of Paris
Known forN-body problem
Romanian education system
Spouse
Ana Popescu
(m. 1883)
Scientific career
FieldsMathematics, Astronomy
InstitutionsUniversity of Bucharest
School of Bridges and Roads
ThesisSur l’invariabilité des grandes axes des orbites planétaires (1878)
Doctoral advisorVictor Puiseux
Minister of Religious Affairs and Public Instruction
In office
31 March 1897 – 30 March 1899
Prime MinisterDimitrie Sturdza
Preceded byGeorge Mârzescu
Succeeded byTake Ionescu
In office
14 February 1901 – 20 December 1904
Prime MinisterDimitrie Sturdza
Preceded byConstantin C. Arion
Succeeded byMihail Vlădescu
In office
12 March 1907 – 28 December 1910
Prime MinisterDimitrie Sturdza
Ion I. C. Brătianu
Preceded byConstantin Istrati
Succeeded byConstantin C. Arion
Interior Minister
In office
13 December 1904 – 20 December 1904
Prime MinisterDimitrie Sturdza
Preceded byVasile Lascăr
Succeeded byGheorghe Grigore Cantacuzino

Spiru C. Haret (Romanian pronunciation: [ˈspiru haˈret]; 15 February 1851 – 17 December 1912) was a Romanian mathematician, astronomer, and politician. He made a fundamental contribution to the n-body problem in celestial mechanics by proving that using a third degree approximation for the disturbing forces implies instability of the major axes of the orbits, and by introducing the concept of secular perturbations in relation to this.

As a politician, during his three terms as Minister of Education, Haret ran deep reforms, building the modern Romanian education system. He was made a full member of the Romanian Academy in 1892.

He also founded the Bucharest Astronomical Observatory, appointing Nicolae Coculescu [ro] as its first director. The crater Haret on the Moon is named after him.