Jamshid Amouzegar ( fa, جمشید آموزگار; 25 June 1923 – 27 September 2016) was an Iranian economist and politician who was prime minister of Iran from 7 August 1977 to 27 August 1978 when he resigned. Prior to that, he served as the minister of interior and
minister of finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
in the cabinet of
Amir-Abbas Hoveida
Amir-Abbas Hoveyda ( fa, امیرعباس هویدا, Amīr 'Abbās Hoveyda; 18 February 1919 – 7 April 1979) was an Iranian economist and politician who served as Prime Minister of Iran from 27 January 1965 to 7 August 1977. He was the lo ...
. He was the leader of
Rastakhiz Party
The Party of Resurrection of the Iranian Nation ( fa, حزب رستاخیز ملت ایران) or simply Rastakhiz Party ( fa, حزب رستاخیز, Ḥezb-e Rastāḵiz, lit=Resurgence/Resurrection Party) was Iran's single legal political part ...
during his tenure as prime minister of Iran.
Early life and education
Kashid was born on 25 June 1923 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 ...
,
Persia
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 ...
.
He graduated from
Tehran University with degrees in law and engineering.
[ before atttending]Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
and receiving a Ph.D.[
]
Career
Amouzegar served as deputy minister in Iran's ministry of health under Jahanshah Saleh in 1955. In 1959 Amouzegar replaced Hassan Akhavi as agriculture minister when Akhavi was removed from the cabinet of Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
Manouchehr Eghbal
Manouchehr Eghbal ( fa, منوچهر اقبال; 13 October 1909 – 25 November 1977) was an Iranian physician and royalist politician. He was the Prime Minister of Iran from 1957 to 1960.
Early life and education
Eghbal was born in 1909, and h ...
. He was appointed minister of labor and then minister of health in the cabinet led by Prime Minister Hasan-ali Mansour
Hasan Ali Mansur ( fa, حسن علی منصور; 13 April 1923 – 26 January 1965) was an Iranian politician who served as Prime Minister from 1964 to 1965. He served during the White Revolution of the Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and was a ...
. He subsequently became minister of finance in the cabinet of Amir Abbas Hoveida
Amir-Abbas Hoveyda ( fa, امیرعباس هویدا, Amīr 'Abbās Hoveyda; 18 February 1919 – 7 April 1979) was an Iranian economist and politician who served as Prime Minister of Iran from 27 January 1965 to 7 August 1977. He was the l ...
after the assassination of Prime Minister Mansour in 1964, remaining in that post for nine years. From 1965 to 1974 he headed several ordinary meetings of the OPEC. In 1971, he and Saudi Oil Minister Ahmed Zaki Yamani
Ahmed Zaki Yamani ( ar, أحمد زكي يماني; 30 June 1930 – 23 February 2021) was a Saudi Arabian politician who served as Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources from 1962 to 1986, and a minister in the Organization of the Petrole ...
were instrumental in implementing the series of price hikes that ultimately quadrupled the price of oil
The price of oil, or the oil price, generally refers to the spot price of a barrel () of benchmark crude oil—a reference price for buyers and sellers of crude oil such as West Texas Intermediate (WTI), Brent Crude, Dubai Crude, OPEC ...
and provided the resources for Iran to modernize its infrastructure, agriculture, and defense. For this accomplishment, Amouzegar was awarded the Taj-e Iran, first-class, an honor normally reserved for only the prime minister and former prime ministers. He was appointed minister of interior in 1974. On 21 December 1975 he was taken hostage by the Venezuelan terrorist Carlos the Jackal during an OPEC meeting. Carlos was ordered to execute him but did not do so, and Amouzegar was released along with the other hostages after a few days. Carlos flew him and a Saudi to Algeria. From there, they were released.
In 1977 he became chairman of the Rastakhiz Party
The Party of Resurrection of the Iranian Nation ( fa, حزب رستاخیز ملت ایران) or simply Rastakhiz Party ( fa, حزب رستاخیز, Ḥezb-e Rastāḵiz, lit=Resurgence/Resurrection Party) was Iran's single legal political part ...
(Resurrection), having led the progressive faction against finance minister Hushang Ansary
Hushang Ansary ( fa, هوشنگ انصاری, born 1927) is an Iranian-American former diplomat, businessman, and philanthropist. He served for eighteen years in the Iranian government prior to the Iranian Revolution including as Minister of Econo ...
's liberal constructionist faction. Soon after Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...
became president of the United States, Amouzegar was appointed Prime Minister of Iran on 7 August 1977, succeeding Amir Abbas Hoveyda in the post.[ However, he rapidly became unpopular as he attempted to slow the overheated economy with measures that, although generally thought necessary, triggered a downturn in employment and private sector profits that would later compound the government's problems. He resigned and was replaced by ]Jafar Sharif-Emami
Jafar Sharif-Imami ( fa, جعفر شریفامامی;
17 June 1912 – 16 June 1998) was an Iranian politician who was prime minister from 1960 to 1961 and again in 1978. He was a cabinet minister, president of the Iranian Senate, president ...
on 27 August 1978.
Later years and death
Amouzegar did not return to Iran after leaving in 1978. He lived in Chevy Chase
Cornelius Crane "Chevy" Chase (; born October 8, 1943) is an American comedian, actor and writer. He became a key cast member in the first season of ''Saturday Night Live'', where his recurring ''Weekend Update'' segment became a staple of the ...
, Maryland and later in Rockville. Amouzegar was also a consultant to the governments of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait.
He died in Rockville, Maryland in the United States on 27 September 2016 at age of 93.
References
Sources
*
* 'Alí Rizā Awsatí. ''Iran in the Past Three Centuries'' (''Irān dar Se Qarn-e Goz̲ashteh'' - Volume 2 (Paktāb Publishing, Tehran, Iran, 2003). .
''Qajar (Kadjar) Orders and Decorations''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Amouzegar, Jamshid
1923 births
2016 deaths
Politicians from Tehran
University of Tehran alumni
Cornell University College of Engineering alumni
Prime Ministers of Iran
Finance ministers of Iran
Interior Ministers of Iran
Rastakhiz Party Secretaries-General
Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United States
Iranian emigrants to the United States
People of the Iranian Revolution
Iran Novin Party politicians
20th-century Iranian engineers
20th-century Iranian politicians