Khalil bey Khasmammadov ( az, Xəlil bəy Xasməmmədov; 1873–1945) was an Azerbaijani public figure, politician and diplomat. He served as a Member of the First and Second

State Duma of the Russian Empire The State Duma, also known as the Imperial Duma, was the lower house of the Governing Senate in the Russian Empire, while the upper house was the State Council. It held its meetings in the Taurida Palace in St. Petersburg. It convened four times ...

Minister of Internal Affairs Minister may refer to: * Minister (Christianity), a Christian cleric ** Minister (Catholic Church) * Minister (government), a member of government who heads a ministry (government department) ** Minister without portfolio, a member of government w ...

and

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 ...

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic), or simply as Azerbaijan in Paris Peace Conference, 1919–1920,''Bulletin d'Information de l'Azerbaidjan'', No. I, September 1, 1919, pp. 6–7''125 H.C.Debs.'', 58., February 24, 1920, p. 1467. Caucasian Az ...

, and as the last Ambassador of Azerbaijan to

Ottoman Turkey 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) ...

Early life

Khasmammadov was born to a family of lawyers in Elisavetpol (Ganja) in 1873 (on his grave: 1870). He had four brothers. Khasmammadov graduated from

Moscow State University M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University (MSU; russian: Московский государственный университет имени М. В. Ломоносова) is a public research university in Moscow, Russia and the most prestigious ...

with a degree in Law. Ismail Bey Gaspirali played a significant role in shaping his thoughts. His political activity started during the university years when he was a member of ''Muslim-Caucasus Fellow Countrymen Society''. He then worked as an attorney in

Yekaterinodar Krasnodar (; rus, Краснода́р, p=krəsnɐˈdar; ady, Краснодар), formerly Yekaterinodar (until 1920), is the largest city and the administrative centre of Krasnodar Krai, Russia. The city stands on the Kuban River in southern ...

and Ganja district courts.

Political career

In the fall of 1905, together with his brother Alakbar, Khasmammadov participated in the establishment of ''Difai'' (Defense), a clandestine political association in Ganja. The group, which also included intellectuals such as

Nasib Yusifbeyli Nasib bey Yusif bey oghlu Yusifbeyli ( az, Nəsib bəy Yusif bəy oğlu Yusifbəyli) or Usubbeyov ( az, Usubbəyov ; 5 July 1881, Ganja - 31 May 1920) - Azerbaijani publicist, statesman and major political figure in Azerbaijan Democratic Republi ...

, Ismayil Ziyadkhanov, and Ahmed Bey Aghayev, sought to counter the activity of

Armenian Revolutionary Federation The Armenian Revolutionary Federation ( hy, Հայ Յեղափոխական Դաշնակցութիւն, ՀՅԴ ( classical spelling), abbr. ARF or ARF-D) also known as Dashnaktsutyun (collectively referred to as Dashnaks for short), is an Armenian ...

Khasmammadov was a member of the first and second

Russian Duma The State Duma (russian: Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaja dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper house ...

. Along with five other Azerbaijani deputies, in November 1911, he spoke in the Duma against a discriminatory practice of exempting Azeris and other Caucasian Muslims from military service in Russian Imperial forces, while levying them with a special tax. As a member of

Musavat The Müsavat Party ( az, Müsavat Partiyası, from ar, مساواة ''musāwāt'', ) is the oldest existing political party in Azerbaijan. Its history can be divided into three periods: Early Musavat, Musavat-in-exile and New Musavat. Early Musa ...

Party, he was also closely involved with Azerbaijani national movement for autonomy within Russian Empire. Khasmammadov has also been active during establishment of

in 1918. He was a member of

Azerbaijani National Council Azerbaijani National Council ( az, Azərbaycan Xalq Cümhuriyyəti Milli Şurası) was the first delegated legislative body of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR) from 27 May 1918 to 17 June 1918 and again from 16 November 1918 to 3 December 1 ...

and one of the co-signers of declaration of independence of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in

Tiflis Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Kura River with a population of approximately 1.5 million pe ...

on May 28, 1918. During the ADR period, Khasmammadov held ministerial posts in four of the five cabinets of Azerbaijani government. Khasmammadov served as the first Minister of Justice from May 28, 1918 until June 17, 1918; Minister of Internal Affairs from December 26, 1918 through June 16, 1919; and again Minister of Justice from December 24, 1919 until April 1, 1920, the end of 5th cabinet. He secured the cooperation of

Defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

National Security National security, or national defence, is the security and defence of a sovereign state, including its citizens, economy, and institutions, which is regarded as a duty of government. Originally conceived as protection against military atta ...

and Internal Affairs ministries to face of external challenges against statehood. In the beginning of April 1920, Khasmammadov was appointed ADR's ambassador to Turkey, and upon his arrival to Istanbul, ADR government fell to Bolsheviks. He stayed in Turkey for the rest of his life and died in 1945. He was buried in

Feriköy Feriköy is a neighbourhood of Şişli, Istanbul, Turkey. It is home to two large adjoining cemeteries, one for Roman Catholic burials, the other for Protestant ones. It adjoins fashionable Bomonti, with its towering hotel blocks. See also * ...

cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Khasmammadov, Khalil Bey 1873 births 1945 deaths Politicians from Ganja, Azerbaijan People from Elizavetpol Governorate Interior Ministers of Azerbaijan Members of the 2nd State Duma of the Russian Empire Members of the 3rd State Duma of the Russian Empire Members of the National Assembly of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic Prosecutors General of Azerbaijan Ambassadors of Azerbaijan to the Ottoman Empire Azerbaijani anti-communists Azerbaijani emigrants to Turkey Burials at Feriköy Cemetery 20th-century Azerbaijani lawyers