Ali Amini ( fa, علی امینی; 12 September 1905–12 December 1992) was an

Iranian Iranian may refer to: * Iran, a sovereign state * Iranian peoples, the speakers of the Iranian languages. The term Iranic peoples is also used for this term to distinguish the pan ethnic term from Iranian, used for the people of Iran * Iranian lan ...

politician who was the

Prime Minister of Iran The Prime Minister of Iran was a political post that had existed in Iran (Persia) during much of the 20th century. It began in 1906 during the Qajar dynasty and into the start of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1923 and into the 1979 Iranian Revolution ...

from 1961 to 1962. He held several cabinet portfolios during the 1950s, and served as a member of parliament between 1947 and 1949. Amini was widely regarded as "a ''protégé'' of the United States" and a "pro-American liberal reformer".

Early life and education

Amini was born on 12 September 1905 in Tehran. He was a grandson of

Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar ( fa, مظفرالدین شاه قاجار, Mozaffar ad-Din Ŝāh-e Qājār; 23 March 1853 – 3 January 1907), was the fifth shah of Qajar Iran, reigning from 1896 until his death in 1907. He is often credited with t ...

through his mother,

Fakhr-ol-dowleh Princess Ashraf al-Muluk (1883–1955), titled Fakhr-ol-Dowleh (meaning ''pride of the state''), was one of the most prominent daughters of Mozaffar ad-Din Shah of the Qajar dynasty, who had a reputably strong character, to the point that s ...

. His father was a significant statesman during the Qajar period, Mohsen Amin-ol-dowleh. He completed his studies first in Darolfonoon and then in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

where he graduated with a degree in law from

Grenoble University The Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA, French: meaning "''Grenoble Alps University''") is a public research university in Grenoble, France. Founded in 1339, it is the third largest university in France with about 60,000 students and over 3,000 resea ...

, followed by his PhD in economics from

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

. His PhD thesis was concerned with the foreign trade monopoly in Iran. Upon his return to Iran, he was employed at the

Ministry of Justice A Ministry of Justice is a common type of government department that serves as a justice ministry. Lists of current ministries of justice Named "Ministry" * Ministry of Justice (Abkhazia) * Ministry of Justice (Afghanistan) * Ministry of Just ...

by Ali Akbar Davar.

Career

Amini was a founding member of the

Democrat Party of Iran Iranian Democrat Party or Democrat Party of Iran (DPI; fa, حزب دموکرات ایران, Ḥezb-e Demowkrāt-e Irān) was a short-lived political party in Iran, founded in 1946 and led by Ahmad Qavam. It was the most important party formed b ...

, and entered the 15th term of parliament with the party's ticket. His first ministerial portfolio was in the cabinet of

Ali Mansur Ali Khan Mansur ( fa, علی خان منصور, also known as ''Mansur ul-Mulk'' ()‎; 1886 – 8 December 1974) was the Prime Minister of Iran for two terms between 1940 and 1941 and in 1950. Biography Born in Tehran, he served as Govern ...

. He served as a minister in the cabinet of Mohammad Mosaddegh, but broke away from Mosaddegh in July 1952. He was later regarded as a "traitor" by the National Front, because of his collaboration with the post-

1953 Iranian coup d'état The 1953 Iranian coup d'état, known in Iran as the 28 Mordad coup d'état ( fa, کودتای ۲۸ مرداد), was the overthrow of the democratically elected Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh in favor of strengthening the monarchical rule of ...

government. He became minister of economic affairs in the cabinet of

Fazlollah Zahedi Fazlollah Zahedi ( fa, فضل‌الله زاهدی, Fazlollāh Zāhedi, pronounced ; 17 May 1892 – 2 September 1963) was an Iranian lieutenant general and statesman who replaced the Iranian Prime Minister Mohammad Mosaddegh through a coup d'� ...

and remained in office until 1955. He was then appointed as the justice minister under

Hossein Ala Hosein Alā ( fa, حسین علاء; 13 December 1881 – 12 July 1964) was an Iranian politician who served as Prime Minister in 1951 and from 1955 to 1957. Background He was born in 1882 in Tehran and spent his early years in London. He was ed ...

in 1955. He was named the ambassador to the US in 1956 which he held until 1958. His tendencies were pro-American to the extent that made the Shah uncomfortable.

Mohammad Reza Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi ( fa, محمدرضا پهلوی, ; 26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980), also known as Mohammad Reza Shah (), was the last ''Shah'' (King) of the Imperial State of Iran from 16 September 1941 until his overthrow in the Irani ...

in particular distrusted Amini's popularity and friendship with then-senator

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

. Therefore, his tenure ended in 1958. In the 1950s, Amini was a candidate for the premiership. He was appointed prime minister in 1961. In July 1962, however, he was replaced by the Shah's close friend and a major

Birjand Birjand ( fa, بیرجند , also Romanized as Bīrjand and Birdjand) is the capital of the Iranian province of South Khorasan. The city is known for its saffron, barberry, jujube, and handmade carpet exports. Birjand had a population of 187,0 ...

landowner

Asadollah Alam Asadollah Alam ( fa, اسدالله علم; 24 July 1919 – 14 April 1978) was an Iranian politician who was prime minister during the Shah's regime from 1962 to 1964. He was also minister of Royal Court, president of Pahlavi University and g ...

. In the late 1970s, Amini attempted a comeback into Iranian politics at the age of 70. He served as an advisor to the Shah during the final days of the

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 ...

Personal life

Amini married Batoul Voosough (died 1992) in 1932 and they had a son, Iraj. She was the daughter of Hasan Voosough Al Dawlah whose brother was

Ahmad Qavam Ahmad Qavam (2 January 1873 – 23 July 1955; fa, احمد قوام), also known as Qavam os-Saltaneh ( fa, قوام السلطنه), was a politician who served as Prime Minister of Iran five times. Early life Qavam was born in 1873 to a ...

Honours

Amini was awarded Grand Croix of

the Legion of Honor The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...

in 1962.

Later years and death

In 1979, Amini moved to Paris, France. There he headed the Front for the Liberation of Iran, a monarchist opposition group. He complained about internal struggles among the exiled Iranian monarchists, saying "We're not even back in Tehran ndthey quarrel over the name of the country's future prime minister." He wrote his biography published by

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 ...

. He died in Paris on 12 December 1992, aged 87. His body was buried in

Passy Cemetery Passy Cemetery (french: Cimetière de Passy) is a small cemetery in Passy, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, France. History The current cemetery replaced the old cemetery (''l'ancien cimetière communal de Passy'', located on Rue Lekain), ...

References

External links

Transcript of Amini interview as part of Harvard Iranian Oral History Project directed by Habib Ladjevardi
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Amini, Ali 20th-century Iranian politicians 1905 births 1992 deaths Politicians from Tehran Government ministers of Iran Ambassadors of Iran to the United States Prime Ministers of Iran Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in France Recipients of the Legion of Honour Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Burials at Passy Cemetery Paris-Sorbonne University alumni Democrat Party of Iran politicians Members of the 15th Iranian Majlis