Şahap Kocatopçu (1916–2012) was a Turkish engineer, politician and businesspeople. He was the minister of industry for two times in the cabinets established after the military coups. He headed several state and private companies.

Early life and education

He was born in Istanbul on 17 February 1916. He was educated in

Galatasaray High School Galatasaray High School ( tr, Galatasaray Lisesi, french: Lycée de Galatasaray), established in what was then Constantinople and is now Istanbul, in 1481, is the oldest high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational in ...

until 1936. He graduated from

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

in 1954 receiving a degree in

metallurgical and materials engineering ''Metallurgical and Materials Engineering'' is a peer-reviewed Open Access Open access (OA) is a set of principles and a range of practices through which research outputs are distributed online, free of access charges or other barriers. With ...

. He also obtained a Ph.D. in the same field.

Career

Kocatopçu started his career at Sümerbank in 1945. Then he joined in the General Directorate of Cement Industry as a planning manager. On 11 May 1954 he was named as the director general of the state-owned Turkey Bottle and Glass Factories and held this post until 22 September 1980. Following the

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such ...

in 1960 he was elected to the

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

. Between 1960 and 1961 he served as the minister of industry and technology in the

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filing ...

formed by

Cemal Gürsel Cemal Gürsel (; 13 October 1895 – 14 September 1966) was a Turkish army general who became the List of Presidents of Turkey, fourth President of Turkey after a coup. Early life He was born in the city of Erzurum as the son of an Ottoman A ...

. He resigned from the post on 14 July 1961. Kocatopçu became the first chairman of the Turkish Employer Unions Confederation in 1962 of which he was one of the founders. He held the post until 1967. In 1963 he became the chair of the council at Istanbul Chamber of Industry. He was appointed minister of industry in 1980 after the

and remained in office until 13 December 1981 when he resigned from office. He was the chairman of the

Turkish Industry and Business Association TÜSİAD, the Turkish Industry and Business Association ( tr, Türk Sanayicileri ve İş İnsanları Derneği), is Turkey's top business organization. Founded in 1971, TÜSİAD is a voluntary, independent, non-governmental organization dedicated ...

between 1985 and 1986.

Membership and activities

Kocatopçu was confounder of various foundations and served in their boards. He was a member of the

Galatasaray S.K. Galatasaray Spor Kulübü (, ''Galatasaray Sports Club'') is a Turkish sports club based on the European side of the city of Istanbul in Turkey. Most notable for its association football department, the club also consists of various other de ...

Personal life and death

Kocatopçu was married and had two children. He died in Istanbul on 25 April 2012 at age 96. Kocatopçu was interred in

Zincirlikuyu Cemetery __NOTOC__ The Zincirlikuyu Cemetery ( tr, Zincirlikuyu Mezarlığı) is a modern burial ground residing on the European part of Istanbul, Turkey. It is administered by the Metropolitan Municipality. Many prominent figures from the world of polit ...

in Istanbul.

Awards

Kocatopçu was the recipient of

Ordre national du Mérite The Ordre national du Mérite (; en, National Order of Merit) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's esta ...

(1984).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kocatopcu, Sahap 20th-century Turkish businesspeople 21st-century Turkish businesspeople 20th-century Turkish engineers 1916 births 2012 deaths Burials at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery Engineers from Istanbul Galatasaray High School alumni Businesspeople from Istanbul Industry ministers of Turkey Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Members of the 24th government of Turkey Members of the 25th government of Turkey Members of the 44th government of Turkey Independent politicians Politicians from Istanbul Members of the Constituent Assembly of Turkey