Celalettin Arif (1875–1928) was a
Turkish lawyer, politician, academic, government minister and diplomat.
Early years
Celalettin Arif was born to Mehmet Arif in
Erzurum
Erzurum (; ) is a city in eastern Anatolia, Turkey. It is the largest city and capital of Erzurum Province and is 1,900 meters (6,233 feet) above sea level. Erzurum had a population of 367,250 in 2010.
The city uses the double-headed eagle as ...
,
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
in 1875. After finishing the Soğukçeşme Military Middle School in
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
and
Galatasaray High School
Galatasaray High School ( tr, Galatasaray Lisesi, french: Lycée de Galatasaray), established in what was then Constantinople and is now Istanbul, in 1481, is the oldest high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational in ...
, he studied law and political science in
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 ...
,
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 ...
. Between 1901 and 1908, he worked as a lawyer in
Cairo
Cairo ( ; ar, القاهرة, al-Qāhirah, ) is the capital of Egypt and its largest city, home to 10 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world and the Middle East: The Greater Cairo metro ...
, Egypt. Returned to Istanbul, he taught law and political science in colleges. From 1914 to 1920, he served as the conseil chairman of the
Bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
of Istanbul. He co-founded the political party "
Osmanlı Ahrar Fıkrası" ("Ottoman Liberty Party"), and was elected as a deputy from Istanbul into the
Ottoman parliament
The General Assembly ( tr, Meclis-i Umumî (French romanization: "Medjliss Oumoumi" ) or ''Genel Parlamento''; french: Assemblée Générale) was the first attempt at representative democracy by the imperial government of the Ottoman Empire. Als ...
in its 4th legislative term. On March 4, 1920 he was elected parliament speaker that lasted only a brief time as the parliament was disbanded on 5 April 1920 by the
Allied troops during the
occupation of Istanbul
The occupation of Istanbul ( tr, İstanbul'un İşgali; 12 November 1918 – 4 October 1923), the capital of the Ottoman Empire, by British, French, Italian, and Greek forces, took place in accordance with the Armistice of Mudros, which ended O ...
.
Turkish War of Independence and Republican era
After the closing of the Ottoman parliament, he moved to Anatolia. During the efforts of the
War of Independence
This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence.
List
See also
* Lists of active separatist movements
* List of civil wars
* List of o ...
led by
Mustafa Kemal Pasha
Mustafa ( ar, مصطفى
, Muṣṭafā) is one of the names of Prophet Muhammad, and the name means "chosen, selected, appointed, preferred", used as an Arabic given name and surname. Mustafa is a common name in the Muslim world.
Given name Mou ...
, Celalettin Arif joined the
Government of the Grand National Assembly
The Government of the Grand National Assembly ( tr, Büyük Millet Meclisi Hükûmeti), self-identified as the State of Turkey () or Turkey (), commonly known as the Ankara Government (),Kemal Kirişci, Gareth M. Winrow: ''The Kurdish Question and ...
in
Ankara
Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...
. He entered the parliament, established on 23 April 1920, as the deputy of Erzurum. He was elected the vice speaker of the parliament.
He served as
Minister of Justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...
in the
1st and the
2nd cabinet of the Executive Ministers of Turkey between 3 May 1920 and 30 March 1921.
In 1922, he was appointed ambassador to Italy.
Celalettin Arif died in
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 ...
in 1928.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Arif, Celalettin
1875 births
People from Erzurum
Galatasaray High School alumni
University of Paris alumni
Lawyers from the Ottoman Empire
Academics from the Ottoman Empire
Politicians of the Ottoman Empire
Deputies of Istanbul
Deputies of Erzurum
Ministers of Justice of Turkey
Ambassadors of Turkey to Italy
1928 deaths
Republican People's Party (Turkey) politicians
Ottoman expatriates in France