Ferit Sadi Melen (2 November 1906 – 3 September 1988) was a
Turkish civil servant, politician and
Prime Minister of Turkey.
Biography
After graduating from high school in
Bursa, he obtained a degree in finance from the School of Political Science at
Ankara University in 1931. Ferit Melen entered the state service right after his graduation, and was sent to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, for an internship at the Ministry of Finance there. After one year, he returned home and worked in several services of the Ministry of Finance as an inspector. In 1943, he was promoted to general director in the ministry.
Ferit Melen entered politics as a deputy from
Van Province
Van Province ( tr, Van ili, ku, Parezgêha Wanê, Armenian: Վանի մարզ) is a province in the Eastern Anatolian region of Turkey, between Lake Van and the Iranian border. It is 19,069 km2 in area and had a population of 1,035,418 a ...
from the
Republican People's Party (''Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi,'' CHP) following the 1950 general election. After the end of the legislative term, he did not run for the parliament in the 1954 election, and he returned to his profession to work as a
chartered accountant. He practiced until his retirement in 1959. In 1957, he was elected once again to the parliament as deputy from Van.
Ferit Melen was minister of finance in the two cabinets of
İsmet İnönü
Mustafa İsmet İnönü (; 24 September 1884 – 25 December 1973) was a Turkish army officer and statesman of Kurdish descent, who served as the second President of Turkey from 11 November 1938 to 22 May 1950, and its Prime Minister three tim ...
between 25 June 1962 and 20 February 1965 in the
27th and
28th
28 (twenty-eight) is the natural number following 27 and preceding 29.
In mathematics
It is a composite number, its proper divisors being 1, 2, 4, 7, and 14.
Twenty-eight is the second perfect number - it is the sum of its proper diviso ...
governments without affiliation to the parliament. He left his party CHP along with 47 other colleagues to co-found on 12 May 1967 "Güven Partisi" GP ("Reliance Party"), which was renamed
Republican Reliance Party
Republican Reliance Party ( tr, Cumhuriyetçi Güven Partisi, CGP) was a former party in Turkey.
Background
The Republican People's Party (CHP) which is usually credited as the founder of the Turkish Republic in 1923 was the oldest party in Tur ...
(''Cumhuriyetçi Güven Partisi'', CGP) after merging with "Cumhuriyetçi Parti" CP ("Republican Party") on 28 February 1973. He served also as minister of national defense in the two cabinets of
Nihat Erim
İsmail Nihat Erim (30 November 1912 – 19 July 1980) was a Turkish politician and jurist. He served as the 13th Prime Minister of Turkey for almost 14 months after the 1971 Turkish military memorandum. He was assassinated by the Revolutionar ...
from 26 March 1971 to 22 May 1972. Following the resignation of Nihat Erim, he was appointed prime minister of a military-approved coalition government that lasted until 15 April 1973. Between 31 March 1975 and 21 June 1977, he served a second time as minister of national defense in the cabinet of
Süleyman Demirel.
In the time from 7 June 1964 to 14 October 1979, Ferit Melen was a member of the senate representing Van Province. On 12 July 1980, he was appointed again senator that ended on 12 September 1980 with the
military coup
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
. Ferit Melen was elected to
Turkish Grand National Assembly in the
1983 elections as a candidate of the
Nationalist Democracy Party (MDP).
He was succeeded by his son Mithat Melen, a former high ranked civil servant and academics, who in 2002 tried to enter politics with the
Nationalist Movement Party
The Nationalist Movement Party (alternatively translated as Nationalist Action Party; tr, Milliyetçi Hareket Partisi, MHP) is a Turkish far-right and ultranationalist political party. The group is often described as neo-fascist, and has bee ...
(MHP).
The
airport of Van is named after him.
References
* Biyografi.info
''Biography of Ferit Melen''
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melen, Ferit
1906 births
1988 deaths
20th-century prime ministers of Turkey
People from Van, Turkey
Republican People's Party (Turkey) politicians
Republican Reliance Party politicians
Nationalist Democracy Party politicians
Prime Ministers of Turkey
Ministers of National Defence of Turkey
Ministers of Finance of Turkey
Deputies of Van
Members of the Senate of the Republic (Turkey)
Turkish civil servants
Ankara University Faculty of Political Sciences alumni
Members of the 27th government of Turkey
Members of the 28th government of Turkey
Members of the 34th government of Turkey
Members of the 35th government of Turkey
Members of the 39th government of Turkey
Burials at Cebeci Asri Cemetery