Abdul Reza Pahlavi ( fa, عبدالرضا پهلوی; 19 August 1924 – 11 May 2004) was a member of Iran's
Pahlavi dynasty
The Pahlavi dynasty ( fa, دودمان پهلوی) was the last Iranian royal dynasty, ruling for almost 54 years between 1925 and 1979. The dynasty was founded by Reza Shah Pahlavi, a non-aristocratic Mazanderani soldier in modern times, who ...
. He was a son of
Reza Shah
Reza Shah Pahlavi ( fa, رضا شاه پهلوی; ; originally Reza Khan (); 15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was an Iranian Officer (armed forces), military officer, politician (who served as Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics (Iran), ...
and a half-brother 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 ...
.
Early life and education
Abdul Reza Pahlavi was born on 19 August 1924 in
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
.
[ His parents were Reza Pahlavi and Princess Esmat Dowlatshahi, the daughter of Prince Mojalal-e Dowleh Dowlatshahi Qajar.] She was a member of the Qajar dynasty
The Qajar dynasty (; fa, دودمان قاجار ', az, Qacarlar ) was an IranianAbbas Amanat, ''The Pivot of the Universe: Nasir Al-Din Shah Qajar and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831–1896'', I. B. Tauris, pp 2–3 royal dynasty of Turkic peoples ...
and the fourth as well as last wife of Reza Pahlavi. They married in 1923. Abdul Reza had three brothers and a sister: Ahmad Reza, Mahmoud Reza, Fatemeh and Hamid Reza Pahlavi
Hamid Reza Pahlavi ( fa, حمیدرضا پهلوی; 4 July 1932 – 12 July 1992) was Reza Shah's eleventh and last born child, and a half-brother of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the last shah of Iran.
Early life and education
Hamid Reza Pahlavi was b ...
. They lived in the Marble palace
Marble Palace (Мраморный дворец) is one of the first Neoclassical palaces in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is situated between the Field of Mars and Palace Quay, slightly to the east from New Michael Palace.
Design and pre-1917 ...
in Tehran with their parents.[ When his father exiled, he accompanied him in ]Mauritius
Mauritius ( ; french: Maurice, link=no ; mfe, label=Mauritian Creole, Moris ), officially the Republic of Mauritius, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean about off the southeast coast of the African continent, east of Madagascar. It incl ...
and then in Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...
, South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
, from 1941 to 1944. During this period there were rumors that the Allies had been planning to install Abdul Reza as king instead of his elder brother Mohammad Reza.[
He studied ]business administration
Business administration, also known as business management, is the administration of a commercial enterprise. It includes all aspects of overseeing and supervising the business operations of an organization. From the point of view of management ...
at Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
.
Career and views
During the reign of his half-brother, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, Abdul Reza headed different institutions. He was one of the prominent members of the royal court. On 3 September 1949 he was named honorary head of the supreme planning board of Iran's seven-year plan. Following the overthrown of 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 ...
of Mohammad Mosaddegh
Mohammad Mosaddegh ( fa, محمد مصدق, ; 16 June 1882 – 5 March 1967) was an Iranian politician, author, and lawyer who served as the 35th Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953, after appointment by the 16th Majlis. He was a member of ...
in August 1953 there were proposals to depose the Shah Mohammad and to replace him with Abdul Reza in the post.
He was the head of the planning organization between 1954 and 1955.[ He served as the chairman of the Harvard-affiliated Iran centre for management studies from 1969 to 1979.][ He also headed the wildlife conservation high council and international council for game and wildlife conservation. He was also part of the Royal Council that ruled Iran during the international visits of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.][ Following the assassination of a court minister by the ]Fada'iyan-e Islam
Fadā'iyān-e Islam ( fa, فدائیان اسلام, also spelled as ''Fadayan-e Islam'' or in English "Fedayeen of Islam" or "Devotees of Islam" or literally "Self-Sacrificers of Islam") is a Shia fundamentalist group in Iran with a strong activi ...
in 1949, he suggested that the Shah should crush religious elements as did Reza Shah.[ He argued that this assassination could be used as a legitimate reason for the adoptation of their father's iron fist policy against them.][ He also believed that such a strategy is a must for the development of Iran.] Prince Abdul Reza was one of the critics of the Shah in the late 1950s.
Abdul Reza also dealt with business, being wholly or partly the owner of factories, mining operations and agricultural firms.[ In addition, he dealt with environmental affairs during that time. He left Iran before the ]1979 revolution
The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...
together with other relatives.
Hunting and wildlife conservation
Pahlavi was an enthusiastic hunter and sportsman throughout his life. He was the founder and president of the International Foundation for the Conservation of Game (IGF) in Paris, a group promoting wildlife conservation and responsible hunting in developing countries.
Pahlavi assisted in the creation of Iran's first game laws and game enforcement agency, and helped establish more than 20 million acres of reserves and parks in Iran. While criticized for promoting trophy hunting for himself and friends, Pahlavi aggressively pursued poachers while head of the Iranian Dept. of the Environment, establishing one of the most extensive and successful big-game management programs in the developing world. He was also responsible for enacting law protecting endangered species such as the gazelle, Caspian tiger, wild ass, cheetah, and the Persian fallow deer from extinction, imposing stiff fines for game law violators. In 1978, he approved the transfer of four Persian fallow deer from Iran to Israel before the fall of the Shah.[ According to a survey by an Iranian environmentalist, Hoshang Zeaee, overhunting and environmental destruction since 1978 has resulted in the extinction of several species once native to the Iranian plateau, including the Jebeer Gazelle (Gazella Dorcas Fuscifrons), Persian Wild Ass (Equus Hermionus), Alborz Red Sheep (Ovis Ammon Orientaliss), Asian Cheetah (Acinonyx Jubatus), Persian Fallow Deer (Dama Mesopotamica) and Goitered Gazelle (Gazella Subgutturosia).
]
Awards for hunting
Pahlavi was the recipient of several awards for his hunting-related activities. He was awarded the Weatherby Award
The Weatherby Award is awarded annually for remarkable lifetime achievements in the field of hunting and Nature conservation, conservation. It is considered "the Nobel Prize equivalent in hunting and conservationism" and the pinnacle to a long, su ...
in 1962. In 1984 the Safari Club International
Safari Club International (SCI) is a US organization composed of hunters dedicated to protecting the freedom to hunt. SCI has more than 50,000 members and 180 local chapters. SCI members agree to abide by the organization's code of ethics, whi ...
honored him with the Hunting Hall of Fame and in 1988 he received the International Hunting Award.[
]
Personal life
Pahlavi married Pari Sima Pahlavi (née Zand) in Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
on 12 October 1950. He had two children from this marriage: Kamyar (born 1952) and Sarvenaz Pahlavi (born 1955). His family resided in Florida, the USA, and in Paris, France.[
]
Death
Abdul Reza Pahlavi died in Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
on 11 May 2004.[
]
Honours
In addition to national honours, i.e., Grand Cross of the Order of Pahlavi
The Order of Pahlavi of the Empire of Iran, in Persian: "Neshan-e Pahlavi" was the highest order of the former Imperial State of Iran.
History
The Order was instituted in 1932 by Rezā Shāh, the founder of the Dynasty of the Pahlavi, and it w ...
, Pahlavi is the recipient of several foreign honours, including:
* Knight Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Renaissance
The Supreme Order of the Renaissance (, "Medal of the Nahda") is the second knighthood order of the Kingdom of Jordan.
History
The order was instituted in 1917 by Emir Hussein bin Ali, Sharif of Mecca. According to correspondence between the ...
(28 February 1949)
* Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic ( it, Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana) is the senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi.
The highest-ranking ...
(15 December 1974)
* Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Supreme Sun
The Order of the Supreme Sun (''Nishan-i-Lmar-i-Ala'') was a decoration of the former Kingdom of Afghanistan.
The Order was instituted in 1920 by King Amanullah Khan and discontinued in 1973 upon the abolition of the Afghan monarchy. It was awar ...
(First Class)
* Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim
The Royal Order of the Seraphim ( sv, Kungliga Serafimerorden; ''Seraphim'' being a category of angels) is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the P ...
(24 November 1970)
* Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Isabella the Catholic (9 February 1978)Boletín Oficial del Estado
15 March 1978
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pahlavi, Abdul Reza
20th-century Iranian businesspeople
1924 births
2004 deaths
Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United States
Harvard University alumni
Hunters
Iranian emigrants to the United States
Iranian royalty
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic
Mazandarani people
Abdul Reza
Recipients of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
Sons of kings