Born into an ethnic Romanian family in
Frătăuții Vechi, in the
Bukovina region of the
Austrian Empire, his parents were the
Romanian Orthodox priest Constantin and his wife Ana (
née Brăilean), a native of nearby
Bilca. He had two brothers, Gheorghe and Nicolae. After attending primary school in
Rădăuți, he enrolled in the high school at
Czernowitz (
Cernăuți); Initially studying theology according to the family tradition, he abandoned this discipline after a year, due to a lack of vocation. In 1860, he entered the
University of Vienna with a wish to pursue a career as a teacher. He graduated from the history and geography faculty in 1864. The same year, he was hired as a teacher in those subjects at the
Greek Orthodox Gymnasium in
Suceava, remaining there for five years. In 1869, he transferred to the Czernowitz Gymnasium, and was elected a member of the provincial school council. In addition to textbooks, his writings include pedagogical and historical works; some were published, while others remain in manuscript. In the summer of 1900, some months before the
Austrian election of 1900-1901, there was a split among the Romanian politicians of Bukovina. One faction, led by the youthful firebrands
Iancu Flondor and
George Popovici, favored confrontation with the authorities; another, headed by Ioan von Volcinschi, was made up of older men who preferred accommodation. The latter group ran Isopescu as its candidate against Popovici, and he won the contest for a seat in the
Austrian House of Deputies. He died of heart disease in Vienna shortly thereafter. == Publications ==