Salim Haidar (1911–1980) was a Lebanese jurist and politician who held several cabinet posts during the 1950s, including

minister of defense A defence minister or minister of defence is a cabinet official position in charge of a ministry of defense, which regulates the armed forces in sovereign states. The role of a defence minister varies considerably from country to country; in som ...

. He was also a member of the

Lebanese Parliament The Lebanese Parliament ( ar, مجلس النواب, translit=Majlis an-Nuwwab; french: Chambre des députés) is the national parliament of the Republic of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year term in multi-member constit ...

Early life and education

Haidar hailed from a Shiite family based in

Baalbek Baalbek (; ar, بَعْلَبَكّ, Baʿlabakk, Syriac-Aramaic: ܒܥܠܒܟ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In Greek and Roman ...

Beqaa Beqaa ( ar, بقاع, link=no, ''Biqā‘'') can refer to two places in Lebanon: * Beqaa Governorate, one of six major subdivisions of Lebanon * Beqaa Valley, a valley in eastern Lebanon and its most important farming region See also

*Kasbeel ...

. His family was among the leading landlords of the region. He was born in Baalbek in May 1911. His father was Najib Haidar. He was a graduate of Lycée Française and then obtained a PhD in law from

Sorbonne University Sorbonne University (french: Sorbonne Université; la Sorbonne: 'the Sorbonne') is a public research university located in Paris, France. The institution's legacy reaches back to 1257 when Sorbonne College was established by Robert de Sorbon ...

Career and activities

Following his graduation Haidar returned to Lebanon and became a public prosecutor in 1938 and an investigative judge in 1943. He began to serve as an advisor at the Court of Appeal from 1945. Next year he was named as the ambassador of Lebanon to Iran in 1946. Haidar was appointed minister of defense to the

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 * Filing ...

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 is not ...

Khaled Chehab Emir Khaled Chehab (September 11, 1886 – November 12, 1978) ( ar, الأمير خالد شهاب) was a Lebanese politician and the 8th Prime Minister of Lebanon, serving for two short terms. The first was between 21 March 1938 until 1 Novembe ...

on 30 September 1952. Haidar's term lasted until 6 February 1953 when he resigned from the post. He was first elected to the Parliament from his hometown in the

1953 elections The following elections occurred in the year 1953. Africa * 1953 Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland election * 1953 South African general election * 1953 Southern Rhodesian federation referendum * 1953 South-West African legislative election ...

ousting his cousin

Ibrahim Haidar Ibrahim Haidar (; 1867 – 1974) was a Lebanese politician who served as a minister multiple times. Born in Baalbek, he moved to France to study agricultural engineering and graduated in 1912. He was sentenced to death by the Ottoman authoritie ...

who had been serving at the Parliament for thirty years. Following his election as a deputy Salim Haidar involved in drafting the Lebanon's first anti-corruption law in 1953. On 16 September 1953 he was appointed minister of agriculture and minister of telegraph and telephone to the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Sami Solh. Haidar's term lasted until 17 September 1955. During the turmoil in Lebanon in 1958 Haidar was part of the anti-government coalition. He was appointed ambassador of Lebanon to Morocco in 1958 and to the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

in 1963. In 1968 he was again elected as a deputy.

Personal life and death

In addition to his political activities Haidar also published books on Arabic literature and poetry. He was married to Samiha Suleiman Haidar with whom he had three children: Hayyan Haidar, a civil engineer, Hassan and Hammad. Salim Haidar died 3 October 1980.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Haidar, Salim 20th-century Lebanese businesspeople 1911 births 1980 deaths Agriculture ministers of Lebanon Ambassadors of Lebanon to Iran Ambassadors of Lebanon to Morocco Ambassadors of Lebanon to the Soviet Union Cold War diplomats Defense ministers of Lebanon Lebanese Shia Muslims Members of the Parliament of Lebanon Paris-Sorbonne University alumni People from Baalbek Postal services ministers of Lebanon