Mihail C. Șuțu

Mihail C. Suțu (February 15, 1841–July 9, 1933), also known as Michel C. Soutzo or Soutzos, was a Romanian historian, numismatist and central banker.

Life Born in Bucharest as a member of the noble Soutzos family, he attended the École Centrale des Arts et Manufactures in Paris, graduating with an engineer's degree in 1864. Following that, he was an adviser with the Court of Accounts. As such, he conducted negotiations with the Finance Ministry that led to a convention that modified the bank's statute and withdrew the government's share from its capital. He supported popular banks and worked to extend the central bank's presence around the country, endowing its branched with suitable buildings. His term coincided with a financial crisis that lasted from 1900 to 1901, and saw him clash with Prime Minister Petre P. Carp about how to help resolve the issue.

In 1903, he became the first president of the Romanian Numismatic Society. Elected a corresponding member of the Romanian Academy in 1884, he rose to titular status in 1909. From 1914 until his death, Suțu headed the academy's numismatic collection. He conducted systematic and scientific research into coinage, becoming among Southeastern Europe's most prominent experts in the field. He began by building a collection of Greco-Roman coins and antiquities, later commencing research. He studied ancient metrology, in particular the weight systems of Egypt, Chaldea, Asia Minor, Greece and Italy, expressing original perspectives about these topics.

Works He published studies of the weights used in the Greek colonies of Histria, Tomis and Callatis. In all, he wrote some forty works on ancient numismatics and metrology. Suțu donated his collection to the academy and the Dobruja Regional Museum.