Namık Gedik (1911–1960) was a Turkish physician and politician who served as the

minister of interior An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergenc ...

during the mid-1950s. He was a member of the Democrat Party which was the ruling party in the period 1950–1960. He was arrested on 27 May 1960 immediately following 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 ...

along with his colleagues. Gedik committed suicide soon after his detention.

Early life and education

Gedik hailed from a large family originated from

Uşak Uşak (; el, Ουσάκειον, Ousakeion) is a city in the interior part of the Aegean Region of Turkey. The city has a population of 500,000 (2016 census) and is the capital of Uşak Province. Uşak city is situated at a distance of from İz ...

. He was born in

Trabzon Trabzon (; Ancient Greek: Tραπεζοῦς (''Trapezous''), Ophitic Pontic Greek: Τραπεζούντα (''Trapezounta''); Georgian: ტრაპიზონი (''Trapizoni'')), historically known as Trebizond in English, is a city on the B ...

in 1911 when his father was serving there as a post officer. He graduated from Kabataş High School in 1930 and received a bachelor's degree in medicine from Istanbul University in 1936.

Career

Following graduation Gedik began to work in

Çine Çine is a town and a district of Aydın Province, in the Aegean region of Turkey, from the city of Aydın, on the road to Muğla. History Throughout the ages this area has belonged to the Ionians, Caria, Lydians, Persia, Ancient Rome and ...

, Aydın, as a physician. In 1942 he completed his speciality training in medicine at Haydarpaşa Hospital, Istanbul, and worked at different medical institutions in various cities until 1950 when he resigned from the medical career and joined the Democrat Party. Gedik was one of the founders of the party. He became a member of the

Turkish parliament The Grand National Assembly of Turkey ( tr, ), usually referred to simply as the TBMM or Parliament ( tr, or ''Parlamento''), is the unicameral Turkish legislature. It is the sole body given the legislative prerogatives by the Turkish Consti ...

following the 1950 general elections for Aydın and continued to serve in the parliament until 1960 winning a seat for Aydin in the

general elections A general election is a political voting election where generally all or most members of a given political body are chosen. These are usually held for a nation, state, or territory's primary legislative body, and are different from by-elections ( ...

in 1954 and in the next elections in 1957. Gedik served as minister of interior in the cabinets led by

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 ...

Adnan Menderes. Gedik was first appointed to the post on 17 May 1954, and his term ended on 10 September 1955 when he resigned from the office due to the 6-7 September incident, known as Istanbul pogrom. Ethem Menderes replaced Gedik in the post. Gedik was appointed to the same post for a second time on 22 December 1956 and remained in office until 27 May 1960. His both terms witnessed significant events, such as Istanbul pogrom and growing tensions with the Republican People's Party followers and other opposition forces. Following the military coup on 27 May 1960 Gedik and other Democrat Party members were arrested.

Personal life and death

Gedik married Melahat Gedik, a judge, in 1937. She joined

True Path Party The True Path Party ( tr, Doğru Yol Partisi, DYP) was a centre-right political party in Turkey, active from 1983 to 2007. For most of its history, the party's central figure was Süleyman Demirel, a former Prime Minister of Turkey who previously ...

in the 1980s and served at the Turkish parliament representing Aydın. She died in 1999. Namık and Melahat Gedik had two children. His son, Arda Gedik, died in September 2011. Namık Gedik committed suicide throwing himself out of a window in Ankara when he was in custody on 29 May 1960.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gedik, Namık 20th-century Turkish physicians 1911 births 1960 suicides Ministers of the Interior of Turkey Istanbul University Faculty of Medicine alumni Deputies of Aydın Democrat Party (Turkey, 1946–1961) politicians Istanbul pogrom Turkish politicians who committed suicide Members of the 9th Parliament of Turkey Members of the 10th Parliament of Turkey Members of the 11th Parliament of Turkey Kabataş Erkek Lisesi alumni