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 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 ...

and spent his early years in London. He was educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

and studied law at the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

after which he was admitted to the bar at

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

. He became involved in politics through a position in the

Foreign Affairs ''Foreign Affairs'' is an American magazine of international relations and U.S. foreign policy published by the Council on Foreign Relations, a nonprofit, nonpartisan, membership organization and think tank specializing in U.S. foreign policy and ...

Ministry of Iran.

Career

In his early political life Ala served as the chef de cabinet of the Iranian foreign ministry from 1905 to 1916. Subsequently, he was a member of an Iranian diplomatic delegation sent to the Paris Peace Conference of 1919. Despite the efforts of the delegation, led by Aliqoli Massoud Ansari, and assisted ably by Ala, the British government of the time nixed Iran's hopes of officially attending the diplomatic gathering. Moreover, with the Iranian Government in Tehran having recently negotiated the Anglo-Iranian Agreement it was decided that Ansari and Ala would be banished to foreign legations to ensure they would not act as lightning rods against the agreement. Ala was appointed as the Iranian diplomatic envoy to Spain in 1920. Shortly thereafter Ala was appointed as Iran's lead diplomat in Washington where he attempted to interest American oil companies to agree to invest in Iran, to undercut the monopoly of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. He then became a member of parliament and was among the opposition to the fall 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 ...

during the

Shah Pahlavi , , spouse = Maryam Savadkoohi Tadj ol-Molouk Ayromlu (queen consort)Turan AmirsoleimaniEsmat Dowlatshahi , issue = Princess Hamdamsaltaneh Princess ShamsMohammad Reza ShahPrincess Ashraf Prince Ali Reza Prince Gholam Reza Princ ...

transition. He was the governor of

Bank Melli Iran Bank Melli Iran (BMI; fa, بانک ملی ایران, lit=National Bank of Iran, ''Bânk-e Melli-ye Irân'') is the first national and commercial retail bank of Iran. It is considered as the largest Iranian company in terms of annual income with ...

from 1933 to 1934 and from 1941 to 1942. From 1934 to 1936, Alā was ambassador to the United Kingdom.'' The International Who's Who 1943–44''. 8th edition. George Allen & Unwin, London, 1943, p. 9. Alā was Iranian Ambassador to the United States from 1946 to 1950. He was elected Prime Minister by parliament following the assassination of Haj Ali Razmara in 1951. His premiership, however, was not to last long, and he resigned on 27 April after Mohammad Mosaddegh had submitted another oil nationalisation bill to parliament two days earlier. The issue of nationalisation was a hot potato, and Alā did not want to appear to oppose it. During his brief administration, the term of service of members of parliament was increased from 2 to 4 years. He was later appointed as

Court Minister A court is any person or institution, often as a government institution, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and carry out the administration of justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance w ...

, remaining one until his death. Alā was appointed Prime Minister for the second time in 1955, and in November 1955 survived an assassination attempt at the funeral of a son of

Abol-Ghasem Kashani Sayyed Abol-Ghasem Mostafavi-Kashani ( fa, سید ابوالقاسم کاشانی ''Abu’l-Qāsem Kāšāni''; 19 November 1882 – 13 March 1962) was an Iranian politician and Shia Marja. Early life His father, Ayatollah Hajj Seyyed Mostafa ...

. He was replaced in April 1957 after an upsetting international incident involving the murder of three Americans by outlaw Ahmad Shah and his gang. In 1963 the protests led by religious figures intensified in Iran due to the policies of the

Shah Shah (; fa, شاه, , ) is a royal title that was historically used by the leading figures of Iranian monarchies.Yarshater, EhsaPersia or Iran, Persian or Farsi, ''Iranian Studies'', vol. XXII no. 1 (1989) It was also used by a variety 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 ...

Mohammad Ali Varasteh Mohammad Ali Varasteh (1896–1989) was an Iranian statesman who held several cabinet posts in the 1950s and also, served as the governor of Isfahan Province. He was the head of the regency council which was formed soon after the Shah Mohammad R ...

Abdollah Entezam Abdollah Entezam was an Iranian Diplomat (alternatively: Seyed Abdollah Entezam), son of Seyed Mohamad also known as "Binesh Ali", leader of Safi Ali Shahi order of dervishes in Iran. His father was also a diplomat. Older brother of Nasrollah Entez ...

and Ala personally expressed their concerns about Shah's policies and their potential results which made all of them outsiders in the court of the Shah. In addition, Ala' and Entezam were dismissed from the Iranian Senate to which they had just appointed.

Personal life and death

Alā died of

pneumonia Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severity ...

on 12 July 1964 at the age of 82. He left a son and a daughter, and was survived by his wife, who died in 1981. His son, Fereydoun Ala, was the founding director of the National Iranian Blood Transfusion Service and is honorary president of the Iranian Comprehensive Haemophilia Care Center. His daughter, Irān, is married to

Eskandar Firouz Eskandar Firouz ( – ) was an Iranian environmentalist and politician. He was the first director of the Department of Environment in Iran. He developed Iran's ecological conservation and management program. Eskandar Firouz is recognized as the ...

, the noted authority on Iranian fauna and environmental topics.

Honours and awards

* Order of the Crown, 1st class * Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash for Services to the Republic of Austria (1958)

References and sources

;References ;Sources The following reference was used for the above writing: 'Alí Rizā Awsatí (عليرضا اوسطى), ''Iran in the Past Three Centuries'' (''Irān dar Se Qarn-e Goz̲ashteh'' – ايران در سه قرن گذشته), Volumes 1 and 2 (Paktāb Publishing – انتشارات پاکتاب, Tehran, Iran, 2003). (Vol. 1), (Vol. 2).

External links