Ante Starčević (1823-1896) was a Croatian politician in the times of the Kingdom of Hungary.
Starčević co-founded the Croatian Party of Rights in the Croatian Parliament in 1861. His and Kvaternik 's "Party of Rights" was named after the Croatian national and ethnic rights that they vowed to protect, calling for greater Croatian autonomy and self-rule at a time when Croatia was divided into several crown lands within the Habsburg Monarchy.
Starčević was a deputy in the Croatian Parliament for over thirty years. His fervent patriotism would subsequently earn him the title of Father of the Nation.
The picture of Ante Starčević appears on the 1000 kuna banknote. At his deathbed, he requested that no monuments are raised to his honor, but this wish was eventually ignored in 1998 when a statue of him was put up in Zagreb.
