Ljubomir Klerić

Ljubomir Klerić (June 29, 1844 – January 21, 1910) was a Serbian mining engineer, mathematician, inventor, professor of mechanics, academician and Minister of Education and the economy of Serbia.

He was born on 1844 in Subotica. After primary school, he moved with his family to Belgrade, at capital of Serbia. In 1862, he finished First men's Belgrade Secondary School and enrolled at the Faculty of Engineering of the Great School, where he completed two years of study.

Its interest for technology and great success in the study "with a pronounced tendency towards mining" were more than enough to as the "state scholarship" to be sent to study mining at the Mining Academy in Freiberg. Winter semester in 1867/68 moves to the Zurich Polytechnic, where intensive study " mechanical engineers ". The following year he returned to Freiburg, at the Mining Academy, which continues and completes the study of geology and mineralogical. In 1869, upon approval of the Ministry of Education of Serbia, Klerić went to Berlin at the Mining Academy, where he listened to by its choice for another year, specialized courses in mining. After that, he spent on practical work and observation of German mines in Westphalia, Saxony and Upper Silesia, as well as mine Pribram (modern day Czech Republic).

After graduation in 1870, Klerić returned to Belgrade with a broad knowledge of mining, engineering, mineralogical, mechanics and mathematics. He got immediately the state service, but unfortunately, not work in the mining engineering profession, but as a scribe in the mining department at Ministry of Finance. Before going abroad in 1872, Klerić was constructed a new drill for deep soundings. That invention he was patented in Germany and France. This invention is for a short time introduced into widespread use. After that, he employed as a mining engineer in Dutch company "Albert & CO", and drilling in Westphalia.

In 1873, Klerić was returned to Serbia, with fellow engineer Hoffman. They immediately set to work examining mine of magnetite on the Vencac in Arandjelovac. Unfortunately, they soon found out that there is not enough minerals to mass exploitation. Then, the company "Albert & Co" sends it to Oran in Africa, to investigate an iron mine. He goes to Africa where he conducted successful research, however, the company did not achieve the price with the owner of the land. Klerić got his prize and returned to Belgrade in June 1875, worked for a while on geological exploration, and the same year became a professor of the Mechanical Engineering Department of the Belgrade College.

Klerić was studied the "telemetry" after which he was constructed, tested and developed a new type of telemetry "to measure distances on the battlefield," and decided that these instruments give way to the government for use. He was constructed for an obvious teaching, the following mathematical tools: construction of a new typewriter, which he named the polypantograph (1875); - a new compass which he named tractoriograph, or logarithmograph (1892); - a lecture on his tractoriograph and its application; - construction of measuring instruments, curvometre and logarithmometre (1899); - a treatise on Kinematic determination of elliptical integrals.

He served as minister of education and ecclesiastical affairs for a few months between the autumn of 1894 and June 1895. As minister of the national economy between December 1896 and October 1897, he introduced legal norms designed to stimulate industrialization, agriculture, quality control and general level of technical knowledge among the people of Serbia. He also took care of technical education and protection of health of people, animals, and plants in the territory of Serbia. Ljubomir Klerić was awarded the Order of Leopold by the Belgian monarch. He died as a state counsellor on 1910 in Belgrade.