He was born in Tritenii de Jos, Transylvania (inside the Kingdom of Hungary in Austria-Hungary at the time, now in Cluj County, Romania), the son of Ioan Hațeganu [ro], a Greek Catholic priest.

[3] Following World War I and the Aster Revolution in Hungary, he was present with PNR leaders at the Alba Iulia assembly that called for the union of Transylvania with Romania, and served on the Directory Council designated by the participants.

A Minister of Labour and Social Security in the Iuliu Maniu cabinets in Bucharest, he was kept in the Gheorghe Mironescu government (that brought about the return of Carol II as King of Romania).

After the start of Soviet military occupation in Romania, Hațieganu held the position of PNȚ Minister without Portfolio in the first Petru Groza Romanian Communist Party-dominated cabinet; his appointment, like that of the National Liberal Mihail Romniceanu [ro], followed pressures on Groza to open executive structures to politicians from outside the Communist-led National Democratic Front alliance — both mandates were ended by the 1946 general election.

[5] In front of mounting Communist influence, Hațieganu approached Iuliu Maniu with a proposal to establish direct contacts with the Western Allies by having Ion Mihalache evade the country (July 1947); the attempt, known as the Tămădău Affair, eventually led to the prosecution of the PNȚ leadership during a show trial and to an official ban on all party activities.