Jovan Avakumović Јован Авакумовић
President of the Ministry of Serbia
In office 22 August 1892 – 13 April 1893
Monarch	Alexander I
Preceded by	Nikola Pašić
Succeeded by	Lazar Dokić
President of the Ministerial Council
In office 11 June 1903 – 4 October 1903
Monarch	Peter I
Preceded by	Dimitrije Cincar-Marković
Succeeded by	Sava Grujić
Personal details
Born	1 January 1841 Belgrade, Principality of Serbia
Died	3 August 1928 (1928-08-04) (aged 87) Rogaška Slatina, Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes
Nationality	Serb
Political party	Liberal Party
Signature

Jovan Avakumović (1 January 1841 – 3 August 1928) was a Serbian lawyer, criminologist, statesman, and Prime Minister of Serbia.

Born in Belgrade, a descendant of a respected Serbian merchant family of Baba-Dudići, Avakumović was a nephew of General and Royal Regent Jovan Belimarković. He graduated from the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law, and studied law and state science (1862–1868) in Germany, French, and Switzerland.^[1] He was a member of the Liberal Party.

In 1873 he was appointed the First Secretary of Cassation, and in 1875 mayor of Belgrade, then head of the police department of the Ministry of the Interior in the Liberal government of Stevča Mihailović until 1880.^[1] That year he briefly became a justice minister in the cabinet of Jovan Ristić,^[1] but already in October the same year, the government fell and he was replaced by the Progressive Milan Piroćanac. In 1881–1887 he was a judge in the Court of cassation.^[2] In 1887 he was briefly Minister of Justice in Liberal-Radikal coalition government but resigned from the end of the year when the radicals formed a cabinet. Avakumović became operational head of the Liberal party and the opposition leader. Liberals then used tactics to oppose the ruling Radicals.

When on 9 August 1892 the Radical fell Avakumović became the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. The government was dominated by young liberals. All government actions were aimed at the parliamentary elections scheduled for 25 February 1893. After fierce fighting, in which the government used dubious methods, the result was a draw, and on 1 April 1893 King Aleksandar I Obrenović dismissed the Avakumović government and gave the mandate to Radicals. The Radical majority in the Assembly organized a political trial of Avakumović and some members of his government but they were granted an amnesty by the king before the verdict.

Avakumović became Prime Minister again immediately after the assassination of King Aleksandar Obrenovic and Queen Draga Mašin on 29 May 1903.^[1] Peter Karađorđević became the Serbian king and the Constitution of 1888 was restored.

During First World War the Austrian occupation forces captured him in 1915 and interned him in the camp Cegléd in Hungary and then Hietzing in Austria where he stayed until the end of the war. After returning from the captivity he withdrew from politics.

Avakumović was one of the best attorneys in Belgrade, especially in the field of criminal law. He has written many papers, and his most important works are: The theory of criminal law (1887–1891).^[2] Avakumović became a regular member of the Serbian Royal Academy in 1893.

He died in Rogaška Slatina, aged 87. Avakumović was awarded Order of the Cross of Takovo.^[3]

In 1902 Capital punishment for theft and other property, crimes were abolished by law. This amendment to the Penal Code was necessary because the 1901 Constitution had enumerated all capital crimes, excluding property crimes from that list. For many decades the main proponent of this reform was Jovan Avakumović.

• List of prime ministers of Serbia

v t e Serbian Foreign Ministers
Revolutionary Serbia (1804–1813)	Miljko Radonjić
Principality of Serbia (1815–1882)	Dimitrije Davidović Avram Petronijević Paun Janković Đorđe Protić Avram Petronijević Aleksa Janković Aleksa Simić Avram Petronijević Aleksa Janković Ilija Garašanin Aleksa Simić Aleksa Janković Stefan Marković Aleksa Simić Stefan Marković Stevan Magazinović Cvetko Rajović Filip Hristić Ilija Garašanin Jovan Ristić Milan Petronijević Radivoje Milojković Dimitrije Matić Jovan Ristić Jovan Marinović Milan Piroćanac Milan Bogićević Jovan Ristić Đorđe M. Pavlović Jovan Ristić Čedomilj Mijatović Milan Piroćanac
Kingdom of Serbia (1882–1918)	Milan Piroćanac Milan Bogićević Milutin Garašanin Dragutin Franasović Jovan Ristić Dragutin Franasović Čedomilj Mijatović Sava Grujić Mihailo Kr. Đorđević Nikola Pašić Jovan Avakumović Andra Nikolić Sava Grujić Đorđe Simić Sima Lozanić Milan Bogićević Stojan Novaković Đorđe Simić Vladan Đorđević Aleksa Jovanović Mihailo Vujić Vasilije Antonić Sima Lozanić Pavle Denić Ljubomir Kaljević Andra Nikolić Nikola Pašić Jovan Žujović Vasilije Antonić Nikola Pašić Milovan Milovanović Marko Trifković Jovan Jovanović Pižon Nikola Pašić Mihailo Gavrilović Stojan Protić Nikola Hristić Kosta Protić Sava Grujić Jovan Avakumović Lazar Dokić Sava Grujić Đorđe Simić Svetomir Nikolajević Nikola Hristić Stojan Novaković Vladan Đorđević Aleksa Jovanović Mihailo V. Vujić Petar Velimirović Dimitrije Cincar-Marković Jovan Avakumović Sava Grujić Nikola Pašić Ljubomir Stojanović Sava Grujić Nikola Pašić Petar Velimirović Stojan Novaković Nikola Pašić Milovan Milovanović Marko Trifković Nikola Pašić
Republic of Serbia (1992–2006)	Branko Mikašinović Vladislav Jovanović
Republic of Serbia (2006–)	Vuk Drašković Vuk Jeremić Ivan Mrkić Ivica Dačić Nikola Selaković Ivica Dačić

v t e Serbian Justice Ministers
Revolutionary Serbia (1804–1813)	Ilija Marković
Principality of Serbia (1815–1882)	Lazar Teodorović Stefan Stefanović Tenka Lazar Teodorović Golub Petrović Stefan Radičević Paun Janković Aleksa Janković Stefan Stefanović Tenka Lazar Arsenijević Aleksa Simić Lazar Arsenijević Aleksa Janković Stefan Marković Dimitrije Crnobarac Stefan Marković Jeremija Stanojević Dimitrije Crnobarac Jevtimije Ugričić Dimitrije Crnobarac Marinko Radovanović Jovan Filipović Jevrem Grujić Matija Simić Jevrem Grujić Đorđe Cenić Rajko Lešjanin Đorđe Cenić Jovan Ilić Stojan Veljković Marko Lazarević Đorđe Cenić Milan Bogićević Đorđe Đoša Milovanović Dimitrije G. Radović Radivoje Milojković Stojan Marković Jevrem Grujić Dimitrije Matić Jovan Avakumović Milan Piroćanac Dimitrije G. Radović
Kingdom of Serbia (1882–1918)	Dimitrije Radović Đorđe Pantelić Dimitrije Marinković Đorđe Pavlović Dimitrije Marinković Jovan Avakumović Gliša Geršić Đorđe Pantelić Gliša Geršić Mihailo Đorđević Gliša Geršić Mihailo Đorđević Živojin Veličković Andra Nikolić Petar Maksimović Andra Nikolić Jevrem Andonović Mihailo Đorđević Đorđe Stefanović Aron Ninčić Milovan Milovanović Kosta Hristić Đorđe Stefanović Nastas Antonović Dragutin Stamenković Aron Ninčić Antonije Pantović Ljubomir Živković Mihailo P. Jovanović Nikola Nikolić Mihailo Polićević Mihailo P. Jovanović Nikola Nikolić Ivan Pavićević Dragutin Pećić Milenko Vesnić Marko Trifković Milovan Milovanović Kosta Timotijević Stojan Ribarac Kosta Timotijević Dragoljub Aranđelović Marko Trifković Marko Đuričić Mihailo Polićević Marko Đuričić
Republic of Serbia (1992–2006)	Zoran Ćetković Tomislav Ilić Aranđel Markićević Dragoljub Janković Zoran Nikolić Dragan Subašić Sead Spahović Vladan Batić Zoran Stojković
Republic of Serbia (2006–)	Zoran Stojković Dušan Petrović Snežana Malović Nikola Selaković Nela Kuburović Maja Popović

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