He served as the prime minister of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes between 1918 and 1919, and again in 1920, later called Yugoslavia.

[1] His great-great-grandfather (čukundeda), Toma Dečanac, moved from the village of Dečani to Kruševac with his wife and two sons.

[2] Having studied history and philosophy in Belgrade's Grandes écoles (Velika škola), Protić briefly worked in government service before dedicating himself to journalism and becoming editor of Samouprava ("Autonomy"), the official daily newspaper of the People's Radical Party.

[4] As the Minister of the Interior at the outbreak of World War I, he worked on the Serbian reply to the Austro-Hungarian Ultimatum during the July Crisis.

In December 1918, Protić was appointed the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes by Prince-Regent Aleksandar Karađorđević.