Mohamed Abdulkhalek El Sayed ( ar, محمد عبد الخالق السيد) (28 October 1898 – 20 January 1992) was an Egyptian diplomat who served as the second Secretary-General of the Arab League

Life and career

Born in

Cairo Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the Capital city, capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, List of ...

in 1898, Abdel-Khalek Hassouna was the grandson of Al-Azhar Grand Sheikh Hassouna El-Nawawi. Hassouna Pasha as he was later known obtained his masters and doctorate degrees in

economics Economics () is the social science that studies the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interactions of economic agents and how economies work. Microeconomics analyzes ...

and

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

from the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

in 1925, where he was a member of

Magdalene College Magdalene College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1428 as a Benedictine hostel, in time coming to be known as Buckingham College, before being refounded in 1542 as the College of St Mar ...

. He was a member of the first mission sent abroad by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He served at the Egyptian embassies in Berlin, Rome, Prague and Stockholm. Hassouna served as governor of

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandri ...

from 1942 to 1948, during which time the

University of Alexandria Alexandria University ( ar, جامعة الإسكندرية) is a public university in Alexandria, Egypt. It was established in 1938 as a satellite of Fouad University (the name of which was later changed to Cairo University), becoming an indepen ...

was completed. He served as social affairs minister between 1949 and 1950 and then Minister of education and foreign affairs. He succeeded Abdul Rahman Hassan Azzam at the Arab League in 1952Clark, Michael (11 September 1952). Arab Body Meets; To Pick New Chief; League Council Must Appoint Azzam's Successor -- Items for U. N. Debate on Agenda. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' and served for the next 20 years. He was succeeded by Mahmoud Riad in 1972, and died on 20 January 1992.Obituary (26 January 1992)
Mahmoud Riad, 75; Former Egypt Official.
''The New York Times''

Honour

Foreign honour

* : ** Honorary Commander of the

Order of the Defender of the Realm The Most Esteemed Order of the Defender of the Realm ( ms, Darjah Yang Mulia Pangkuan Negara) is a Malaysian federal award presented for meritorious service to the country. The Order Motto are 'Dipeliharakan Allah-Pangkuan Negara' (By the Grace ...

(PMN (K)) - Tan Sri (1965)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hassouna, Abdul Khalek 1898 births 1992 deaths Alumni of Magdalene College, Cambridge Diplomats from Cairo Secretaries General of the Arab League Honorary Commanders of the Order of the Defender of the Realm Governors of Alexandria