Ali-Akbar Dāvar ( fa, علیاکبر داور also known as Mirza Ali-Akbar Khan-e Dāvar, 1885 – 9 February 1937) was an Iranian politician and judge and the founder of the modern
judicial system of Iran
A nationwide judicial system in Iran was first implemented and established by Abdolhossein Teymourtash under Reza Shah, with further changes during the second Pahlavi era.
After the 1979 overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty by the Islamic Revol ...
.
Biography
Born in 1885
[DĀVAR, ʿALĪ-AKBAR]
Iranica Online in Tehran. His father, Kalbali Khan Khazen al Khalvat, was a minor court official in the reign of
Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar.
In 1900, Davar enrolled in the élite school of
Dar ul-Funun (Persia)
Dār ul-Funun ( fa, دارالفنون , meaning "polytechnic college"), established by the Royal Vizier to Nasereddin Shah in 1851, is the oldest institute of higher learning in Iran.
Introduction
Founded by Amir Kabir, then the royal vizier t ...
to study medicine;
however, he changed his field of study to law and graduated from the University of Geneva receiving a degree in law in 1908.
In 1909, he began his career in the judiciary in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
as a judge in the provincial court.
Davar rose the ranks quickly and in 1910 became the public prosecutor of Tehran.
He then went on to obtain his law degree in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
. He returned to Iran in 1921 and founded the "Radical party of Iran" (''Hizb-e Radical''). He also founded the newspaper ''
Mard-e Azad'' ("The Free Man") in which he published regular comments. He was elected to the 4th, 5th, and 6th
Majles
The Islamic Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای اسلامی, Majles-e Showrā-ye Eslāmī), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the national legislative body of Iran. The ...
as the representative of
Varamin
Varamin (; fa, ورامين, also Romanized as Varāmīn and Verāmin) is a city and capital of Varamin County, Tehran Province, Iran. At the 2011 census, its population was 218,991, and at the 2006 census, its population was 208,569, in 53,639 ...
from
Tehran Province and
Lar from
Fars Province.
Along with contemporaries such as
Abdolhossein Teymourtash
Abdolhossein Teymourtash ( fa, عبدالحسین تیمورتاش; 25 September 1883 – 3 October 1933) was an influential Iranian statesman who served as the first minister of court of the Pahlavi dynasty from 1925 to 1932, and is credited ...
and
Farman Farmaian, Dāvar took a lead role among the politicians who voted for the abolition 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 origin ...
, opposing such parliamentarians as
Sayyed Hasan Taqizadeh,
Sayyed Hasan Modarres,
Yahya Doulatabadi and
Mohammad Mossadegh
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 1950 Iranian legislative election ...
. In 1925, Dāvar became the minister of commerce in the
Foroughi Forūghī ( fa, فروغی), also transliterated as Foroughi, Forooghi and Furūghi, is a popular Persian surname. Notable people with the surname include:
*Mohammad-Ali Foroughi, prominent Iranian politician and scholar of the first half of the 20 ...
Cabinet, and a year later was appointed minister of judicial affairs in the Cabinet of
Mostowfi ol-Mamalek
Mirza Hasan Ashtiani, commonly known by the bestowed title Mostowfi ol-Mamalek ( fa, مستوفیالممالک, lit=Chancellor of the Realm; 1871 – 1932) was an Iranian politician who served as Prime Minister of Iran, Prime Minister on six ...
. In March 1926, with the approval of parliament, he dissolved Iran's entire judiciary, initiating a wave of fundamental restructuring and overhauling reforms with the aid of
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
judicial experts.
![Ali Akbar Davar 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Ali_Akbar_Davar_1.jpg)
Iran's modern judicial system was born in April 1927 with 600 newly appointed judges 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 ...
. Dāvar subsequently attempted to expand the new system into other cities of Iran through a programme involving training of 250 judges.
Among Dāvar's many achievements are establishing Iran's "Bureau of Social Affairs" (''Edareh-ye Sabt-e Ahval''), introducing "The Law of Documentation Registration" (''Qanun-e Sabt-e Asnad''), "The Law of Property Registration" (''Qanun-e Sabt-e Amlak''), and "The Law of Marriage and Divorce" (''Qanun-e Ezdevag va Talāq'').
Dāvar also implemented some reforms as minister of finance in the Cabinet of
Mohammad-Ali Foroughi
Mohammad Ali Foroughi ( fa, محمدعلی فروغی; early August 1877 – 26 or 27 November 1942), also known as Zoka-ol-Molk ( Persian: ذُکاءُالمُلک), was a writer, diplomat and politician who served three terms as Prime Mini ...
. He further established Iran's first state
insurance
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...
company in the Cabinet of prime minister
Mahmud Jam
Mahmoud Modir al-Molk Djam ( fa, محمود جم; 1880 – 10 August 1969) was a prime minister of Iran from 1935 to 1939.
Early life
Djam was born in Tabriz in around 1880. Career
Djam learned French from a Frenchman in Tabriz and began to wor ...
, taking effective steps in saving the state from near bankruptcy by modifying the
tax
A tax is a compulsory financial charge or some other type of levy imposed on a taxpayer (an individual or legal entity) by a governmental organization in order to fund government spending and various public expenditures (regional, local, or n ...
laws.
In December 1936, he proposed a bill to
Majles
The Islamic Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای اسلامی, Majles-e Showrā-ye Eslāmī), also called the Iranian Parliament, the Iranian Majles (Arabicised spelling Majlis) or ICA, is the national legislative body of Iran. The ...
that would seal a large contract with two
American
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
companies. The bill came under heavy protest from the British and the Russian governments, putting intense pressure on Dāvar's ministry.
On 10 February 1937 the news of Dāvar's apparent suicide took the capital Tehran by storm. Rumors spread that two days earlier Dāvar had been in private severely reprimanded and threatened by
Reza Pahlavi. Some newspapers wrote that he had died of a heart attack, however others suggested that his death had been related to his proposed American bill to Majlis. Davar is said to have died by an overdose of opium.
[
Four years before, in 1933, Reza Pahlavi had arrested Davar's closest friend Teymourtash.
Teymourtash died shortly afterward in prison. Many say he was killed by the prison's physician through lethal injection on orders of Reza—a method widely used in those days.
Dāvar is regarded as one of the most productive ministers during ]Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
's tumultuous years of the early 20th century, who made sweeping reforms to Iran's judicial system. In commemorating Dāvar, Reza Pahlavi is said to have told members of the Judiciary: ''"Don't ever think that you can become as good as Dāvar, by merely sitting in his chair."''[Reza Shabani. (2005). ''Iranian History at a Glance'', Alhoda UK. (), «The Post-Islamic Era», p. 291.]
References
Further reading
* Davar Ardalan, ''My Name Is Iran: A Memoir'' (Henry Holt and Co., New York, 2007). , .
External links
The Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Islamic Republic of Iran Judiciary Public Relations Bureau
Dāvar's great-granddaughter on NPR
Source used for this article
* 'Alí Rizā Awsatí (عليرضا اوسطى), ''Iran in the past three centuries'' (''Irān dar Se Qarn-e Goz̲ashteh'' - ايران در سه قرن گذشته), Vol. 2 (Paktāb Publishing - انتشارات پاکتاب, Tehran, Iran, 2003). .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davar, Ali Akbar
20th-century Iranian politicians
1885 births
1937 deaths
Iranian prosecutors
Members of the National Consultative Assembly
Ministers of Justice of Iran
People from Sari, Iran
Revival Party politicians
University of Geneva alumni