Nedim Ökmen (1908–1967) was a Turkish economist and politician who held various cabinet posts during the premiership of

Adnan Menderes Ali Adnan Ertekin Menderes (; 1899 – 17 September 1961) was a Turkish politician who served as Prime Minister of Turkey between 1950 and 1960. He was one of the founders of the Democrat Party (DP) in 1946, the fourth legal opposition party of ...

in the 1950s.

Early life and education

Ökmen was born in Kilis in 1908. After completing his primary education in his hometown he attended

Istanbul High School Istanbul High School (, ), also commonly known as Istanbul Boys' High School (, abbreviated İEL), is one of the oldest and internationally renowned high schools of Turkey. The school is considered elite among Turkish public high schools. Germany ...

and graduated in 1927. He received a degree from the Faculty of Political Sciences of

Istanbul University Istanbul University, also known as University of Istanbul (), is a Public university, public research university located in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded by Mehmed II on May 30, 1453, a day after Fall of Constantinople, the conquest of Constantinop ...

. In 1938 he was sent to France for inspection training.

Career

Following his graduation from Istanbul University Ökmen was employed at the

Ministry of Finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfoli ...

as an assistant financial inspector. After returning to Turkey in 1933 when he completed his studies in France he continued to work at the ministry and became a financial inspector in 1935. He began to serve as a chief inspector from 1945. His term ended in 1950 when he started his political career being a member of the Democrat Party. He was elected as a deputy from Maraş in the general election held on 14 May 1950. Ökmen was also elected to the

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

in the general elections in 1954 and 1957 from

Gaziantep Gaziantep, historically Aintab and still informally called Antep, is a major city in south-central Turkey. It is the capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Medi ...

Cabinet posts

Ökmen was appointed

minister of agriculture An agriculture ministry (also called an agriculture department, agriculture board, agriculture council, or agriculture agency, or ministry of rural development) is a ministry charged with agriculture. The ministry is often headed by a minister f ...

to the second cabinet of

Prime Minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Adnan Menderes on 10 March 1951 and was in office until 9 December 1954. Ökmen held the same post in the

next cabinet The is the de facto shadow cabinet of Japan. First used in 1999, it was created by the Democratic Party of Japan while they were the country's main opposition party to the governing coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito. Nex ...

between 17 May 1954 and 1955. Ökmen was appointed minister of finance to the Menderes's new

cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...

on 9 December 1955. Ökmen resigned from the post in 1956 due to his disagreements with Menderes. Ökmen was named as the minister of agriculture on 26 December 1957 and was in office until 27 May 1960 when the government was overthrown by a

military coup A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. Militaries are typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with their members identifiable by a d ...

Later years and death

Ökmen was arrested along with other Democrat Party politicians following the coup. He was tried by the Supreme Court of Justice in

Yassıada Yassıada ( Turkish: Flat Island), officially renamed Democracy and Freedom Island ( Turkish: Demokrasi ve Özgürlükler Adası) in 2013, is one of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, to the southeast of Istanbul. In Byzantine times, ...

and sentenced to twenty years in prison. Ökmen was found guilty due to the cases about the sale of an

Afghan hound The Afghan Hound is a hound distinguished by its thick, fine, silky coat, and a tail with a ring curl at the end. The breed originates in the cold mountains of Afghanistan. Its local name is () or (). Other names for this breed are Tāzī, Balkh ...

which had been given by the Afghan King to

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Film and television *'' Præsident ...

Celal Bayar Celal is both a masculine Turkish given name and a surname. It is the Turkish form of the Arabic word Jalal (جلال), which means "majesty". Notable people with the name include: Given name * Celal Al (born 1984), Turkish actor * Celal Adan (b ...

as a gift and about the illegal sale of a land owned by his wife. Due to health problems, he was released from prison on 22 September 1964. Ökmen died in Istanbul on 2 February 1967.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Okmen, Nedim 20th-century Turkish economists 1908 births 1967 deaths Democrat Party (Turkey, 1946–1960) politicians Deputies of Gaziantep Deputies of Kahramanmaraş Agriculture ministers of Turkey Darülfünun alumni Ministers of finance of Turkey Members of the 20th government of Turkey Members of the 21st government of Turkey Members of the 23rd government of Turkey Members of the 9th Parliament of Turkey Members of the 10th Parliament of Turkey Members of the 11th Parliament of Turkey People from Kilis Members of the 22nd government of Turkey Turkish politicians convicted of corruption People convicted in the Yassıada trials