Toma Vučić Perišić

Prince
Toma Vučić Perišić
Portrait by Jovan Popović, 1841
Minister of Internal Affairs
In office
8 September 1842  20 June 1843
Preceded byCvetko Rajović
Succeeded byIlija Garašanin
Personal details
Born1787
Barič, Ottoman Empire (modern-day Serbia)
Died1859
Belgrade, Principality of Serbia
AwardsOrder of Glory

Prince Toma Vučić Perišić (Serbian Cyrillic: Тома Вучић Перишић; 1787 – 13 July 1859) was a Serbian politician, military leader during the Serbian Revolution, Freemason and one of the most powerful and influential individuals in Serbia of the 19th century. He was Miloš Obrenović's most virulent opponent, and an ally of the Karađorđević Dynasty with Avram Petronijević and Ilija Garašanin and other so-called Constitutionalists (Dimitrije Davidović, Aleksa Simić, Stojan Simić, Milutin Savić). He wanted to bring rule of law and an effective administrative system in the Principality of Serbia, if only foreign interference was not an issue. Eventually, in the political tug-of-war, the constitutionalists period came to an abrupt end with the former absolute ruler reclaiming the throne.

He married twice, first time with Perunika Žabarac and second wife Agnija nicknamed Nula, sister of a Greek revolutionary leader of the Greek War of Independence, Yiannis Pharmakis. With his first wife he had four children, two daughters (Stanka and Anka) and two sons (Stevan and Ilija). According to some sources, Vučić dug out his own eye with a fork during a lunch, because he had an eye pain.

A street in Belgrade is named after him.