Abdol Majid Majidi ( fa, عبدالمجید مجیدی,‎ 1929–2014) was an Iranian politician who held several cabinet and public posts during the reign of

Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety of ...

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , title = Shahanshah Aryamehr Bozorg Arteshtaran , image = File:Shah_fullsize.jpg , caption = Shah in 1973 , succession = Shah of Iran , reign = 16 September 1941 – 11 February 1979 , coronation = 26 October ...

. He went into exile following the

regime change Regime change is the partly forcible or coercive replacement of one government regime with another. Regime change may replace all or part of the state's most critical leadership system, administrative apparatus, or bureaucracy. Regime change may ...

in Iran in 1979 and settled in Paris.

Early life and education

Majidi was born in Tehran on 11 January 1929. His father was a lawyer, and Majidi was the second of his family's seven children. Majidi was a graduate of the

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...

where he received a law degree in 1950. He obtained his PhD in law from the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

and also, attended economy program of the Harvard University's graduate school.

Career

Majidi was a member of the

Rastakhiz Party The Party of Resurrection of the Iranian Nation ( fa, حزب رستاخیز ملت ایران) or simply Rastakhiz Party ( fa, حزب رستاخیز, Ḥezb-e Rastāḵiz, lit=Resurgence/Resurrection Party) was Iran's single legal political party ...

. He held the following posts: deputy prime minister, minister of agricultural products and consumer affairs in the period between 1967 and 1968 and minister of labor and social affairs from 1968 to 1973. He was appointed minister of state and director of the Plan and Budget Organization on 12 January 1973. He replaced

Khodadad Mirza Farman Farmaian Khodadad Mirza Farman Farmaian (8 May 1928 – 16 December 2015) was the son of the Qajar Persian nobleman Abdol Hossein Mirza Farmanfarma and his wife Hamdam Khanoum. During the Pahlavi dynasty era, he held the post of governor of the Central ...

as director of the Plan and Budget Organization. Majidi remained in both posts until 1977. His successor as director of the Plan and Budget Organization was

Mohammad Yeganeh Mohammed Yeganeh (5 May 1923 – 18 December 1995) was an Iranian economist who was the Governor of the Central Bank of Iran from 1973 to 1975. Yeganeh attended Tehran University from 1942 to 1946 obtaining a BA in Law and BA in Economics and t ...

. Majidi served in these posts during the premiership of

Amir Abbas Hoveyda Amir-Abbas Hoveyda ( fa, امیرعباس هویدا, Amīr 'Abbās Hoveyda; 18 February 1919 – 7 April 1979) was an Iranian economist and politician who served as Prime Minister of Iran from 27 January 1965 to 7 August 1977. He was the l ...

. Majidi was also the secretary general of the Iranian Red Cross and director of Queen Farah Foundation between 1977 and 1979.

Later years, personal life and death

Majidi was arrested by the martial authorities in January 1979. On 11 February 1979 when the Iranian army announced its neutrality towards the Islamic forces, many prisoners, including Majidi, escaped from the jail. On 26 May 1979 he left Iran after hiding in his relatives' houses and settled in Paris, France, where his wife,

Monir Vakili Monir Vakili ( fa, منیر وکیلی; December 19, 1924 – February 28, 1983) was an Iranian soprano. She was the first Persian singer to popularize Persian Folk Songs in Iran and the international music scene. Biography Monir was born to ...

, had been living. They married in 1951, and Monir Vakili was an opera singer and TV personality in Pahlavi Iran. Vakili died in a traffic collision in Belgium on 28 February 1983. They had two daughters, Scheherzade and Djamileh. Majidi died in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, USA, on 23 February 2014. He was buried in

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figures ...

in Paris next to his wife on 28 March 2014.

Work

Majidi published various books, including his

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobi ...

s dated 1998.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Majidi, Abdol Majid 20th-century Iranian politicians 1929 births 2014 deaths Agriculture ministers of Iran Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in France Government ministers of Iran People of Pahlavi Iran Politicians from Tehran Rastakhiz Party politicians University of Tehran alumni University of Paris alumni