Gajo Bulat

Who was Gajo Bulat?

Gajo Filomen Bulat was a Croatian lawyer who served as the Mayor of Split and as a member of the Diet of Dalmatia and the Vienna Imperial Council.

Gajo Bulat was born January 4, 1836 to Francis, a judge in Supetar. He attended high school in Zadar, and received higher education in the University of Graz and the University of Padua. He received his doctorate of law and became a secretary for the Chamber of Commerce in Zadar, and then dedicated himself to being a lawyer between the years 1865 and 1879, he was one of the most distinguished lawyer in Split.

Although he was raised in an Italian culture, but due to Miho Klaić influence he became a supporter of the Croatian national idea, and leader of the People's Party from Split, he was a strong opponent of the Autonomist Party. He managed to win the election against Antonio Bajamonti whose autonomist party used all kinds of means to maintain power.

On 28 June 1882 Bulat was made a mayor in the constituting session of the Split Municipal Council. Between 1885 to 1893, he was the Mayor of Split, and member of Dalmatian Parliament and Vienna Imperial Council.

He fought for the introduction of the Croatian language in schools and the railway connecting Split with Croatian Slavonia. A historian Dr. Rudolf Horvat writes, "his merit into the municipal government, school and society, and what is built the Croatian Theater ". Bulat started a newspaper "The People" and was one of the contributors of the cultural-educational societies "Slavs progress" and "Zvonimir". His People's Party contributed much of the Croatian national awakening of consciousness and defeating the Autonomist. In 1890, Gajo Bulat officially opened monumental fountain known as the Split, Bajamonti fountain.