Sotir Peçi was an Albanian

Albanians

Albanians are a nation and ethnic group native to Albania and neighbouring countries. They speak the Albanian language. More than half of all Albanians live in Albania and Kosovo...

 politician, educator and mathematician. In 1906 he published the first Albanian-language newspaper in the United States of America in Boston

Boston

Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...

. In 1908 he participated as a delegate in the Congress of Monastir. In 1920 he was appointed Minister of Education of Albania.

Early life

Sotir Peçi, the son of wealthy merchant Jovan Peçi, was born in Dardhë

Dardhë

Dardhë is a community in the municipality of Drenovë in the Korçë District, Korçë County, Albania.A Greek school was operating in the village from 1810.-Notable people:*Sotir Peçi, mathematician, former Minister of Education and publisher....

, a village near Korçë

Korçë

Korçë is a city in southeastern Albania and the capital of the Korçë District. It has a population of around 105,000 people , making it the sixth largest city in Albania...

, on July 13, 1873. His father died while he was a child. Peçi studied at the local school in Korçë

Korçë

Korçë is a city in southeastern Albania and the capital of the Korçë District. It has a population of around 105,000 people , making it the sixth largest city in Albania...

. In 1890 at the age of 17 he enrolled at the University of Athens  where he studied physical sciences and graduated with a degree in mathematics. While in Athens he published the Albanian dictionary written by Kostandin Kristoforidhi

Kostandin Kristoforidhi

-Additional readings:*])]*])]*])]*. In: Besa. Nr. 193, Jg. 2007. S. 2–7....

.

Activities in the USA

In 1905 Peçi migrated to the USA, settling in Boston. There he became a member of the Patriotic Brotherhood of Dardha and published the weekly newspaper The Nation , the first Albanian-language newspaper in the USA. In 1906 he employed the literary, religious, and patriotic figure Fan Noli as deputy editor of the newspaper.

Activities in Albania

In 1908 Peçi participated in the Congress of Monastir, an academic conference

Academic conference

An academic conference or symposium is a conference for researchers to present and discuss their work. Together with academic or scientific journals, conferences provide an important channel for exchange of information between researchers.-Overview:Conferences are usually composed of various...

 held in the Macedonian city of Bitola

Bitola

Bitola is a city in the southwestern part of the Republic of Macedonia. The city is an administrative, cultural, industrial, commercial, and educational centre. It is located in the southern part of the Pelagonia valley, surrounded by the Baba and Nidže mountains, 14 km north of the...

-Manastir from 14 to 22 November 1908, with the goal of standardizing the Albanian alphabet

Albanian alphabet

The modern Albanian alphabet is based on the Latin alphabet, and consists of 36 letters:Note: The vowels are shown in bold. to the pronunciation of the letters.-History:...

, as a delegate of the Albanian communities living in the United States of America for whom he was granted three votes. After returning to Albania in 1908 he taught at the school of Elbasan

Elbasan

Elbasan is a city in central Albania. It is located on the Shkumbin River in the District of Elbasan and the County of Elbasan, at...

.

Sotir Peçi wrote a series of textbooks in physics, mathematics and grammar and was appointed director of education of Korçë

Korçë

Korçë is a city in southeastern Albania and the capital of the Korçë District. It has a population of around 105,000 people , making it the sixth largest city in Albania...

. At the national Congress of Lushnjë

Congress of Lushnjë

The Congress of Lushnjë was held in five sessions on January 27-January 31, 1920 in Lushnjë, Albania by Albanian nationalists and had as its goal the study of the Albanian situation and the measures to be adopted in order to save Albania from being partitioned among other countries after World War I...

, where a new national cabinet was elected with Sulejman Delvina

Sulejman Delvina

Sulejman Delvina was an Albanian politician and prime minister in 1920.- Life :Sulejman Delvina was born in Delvinë, modern southern Albania on October 5, 1884. In 1899 he graduated from the Mekteb-i Mülkiye...

 as its prime minister, Sotir Peçi was elected Minister of Education. In 1921 he was elected deputy of Korçë. He also became member of Supreme Council of Regency. In 1924 he appointed the bishop of Durrës Fan Noli prime minister of Albania

Albania

Albania , officially known as the Republic of Albania , is a country in Southeastern Europe, in the Balkans region. It is bordered by Montenegro to the northwest, Kosovo to the northeast, the Republic of Macedonia to the east and Greece to the south and southeast. It has a coast on the Adriatic Sea...

.
Sotir Peçi died in Florina

Florina

Florina is a town and municipality in mountainous northwestern Macedonia, Greece. Its motto is, 'Where Greece begins'. It is also the Metropolitan seat for the region. It lies in the central part of Florina peripheral unit, of which it is the capital. Florina belongs to the periphery of West...

in 1932. He was honoured post-humously with the title Teacher of the People . A road and a school in Korçë were renamed after him.