Ivo Josipović
A Croatian president who blended a life of the mind as a law professor and classical composer with the practical demands of the presidency.
Born 1957 (age 69)·President of Croatia from 2010 to 2015·Birthday: August 28·Baby Boomers
Biography
Ivo Josipović brought a unique profile to the Croatian presidency: part legal scholar, part artist. Before entering high office, he built parallel careers that seemed to belong to different people. At the University of Zagreb, he was a respected professor of criminal law and international law, publishing extensively. Simultaneously, he studied composition at the Music Academy, creating over 50 musical works that have been performed by orchestras across Europe. This background shaped his political vision when he was elected President in 2010 on a Social Democratic ticket. His term was defined by a lawyerly focus on the rule of law, anti-corruption efforts, and the painstaking process of guiding Croatia into the European Union in 2013. While his cerebral and sometimes reserved style drew criticism from opponents seeking more fiery rhetoric, Josipović approached governance as a complex composition, seeking harmony in Croatia's post-war society and its integration with Western institutions.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Ivo was born in 1957, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ivo Was Born
The biggest hits of 1957
#1 Movie
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Best Picture
The Bridge on the River Kwai
#1 TV Show
Gunsmoke
Ivo's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1957Born
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1962Started school
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1970Became a teenager
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1973Could drive
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1975Could vote
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Turned 21
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1987Turned 30
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1997Turned 40
Princess Diana dies in Paris car crash; Harry Potter published
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $104,100Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Candle in the Wind 1997" — Elton JohnBest Picture: Titanic
2007Turned 50
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2017Turned 60
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Age 69 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the President of Croatia from 2010 to 2015, overseeing the country's accession to the European Union in 2013.
- Authored over 50 musical compositions, including works for symphony orchestra and chamber ensembles.
- Was a full professor of law at the University of Zagreb, specializing in criminal procedure and international criminal law.
- Represented Croatia as a judge ad hoc at the International Court of Justice in a case against Serbia.
Did You Know?
He won the annual Porin music award for best classical composition in 1999 for his work "Igra staklenih perli" (The Game of Glass Beads).
He co-wrote the libretto for the opera "Glembay" based on the works of Miroslav Krleža.
Before his presidency, he was a member of the Croatian Parliament from 2003 to 2005.
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