Tayfur Ata Sökmen (1892 – 3 March 1980) was the

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: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of the

Hatay State Hatay State ( tr, Hatay Devleti; french: État du Hatay; ar , دولة هاتاي ''Dawlat Hatāy''), also known informally as the Republic of Hatay ( ar , جمهورية هاتاي ''Jumhūriyya Hatāy''), was a transitional political entity t ...

during its existence (5 September 1938 – 23 July 1939).

Life

He was born in

Gaziantep Gaziantep (), previously and still informally called Aintab or Antep (), is a major city and capital of the Gaziantep Province, in the westernmost part of Turkey's Southeastern Anatolia Region and partially in the Mediterranean Region, approximat ...

. He graduated from the Rüştiye (high school) in

Kırıkhan Kırıkhan is a town and district in the northeastern part of Hatay Province, Turkey. The name ''Kırıkhan'' means "broken inn" in the Turkish language, perhaps a reference to one of the many lodgings that once lined the road. The town stands at ...

. During

French Mandate The Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon (french: Mandat pour la Syrie et le Liban; ar, الانتداب الفرنسي على سوريا ولبنان, al-intidāb al-fransi 'ala suriya wa-lubnān) (1923−1946) was a League of Nations mandate foun ...

Hatay Hatay Province ( tr, Hatay ili, ) is the southernmost province of Turkey. It is situated almost entirely outside Anatolia, along the eastern coast of the Levantine Sea. The province borders Syria to its south and east, the Turkish province of ...

, he participated in opposition movement. But when he was sentenced with death penalty he escaped to

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. Although he was pardoned in 1926, next year he escaped to Turkey once more. In 1935 he was elected MP from

Antalya Province Antalya Province ( tr, ) is located on the Mediterranean coast of south-west Turkey, between the Taurus Mountains and the Mediterranean Sea. Antalya Province is the centre of Turkey's tourism industry, attracting 30% of foreign tourists visit ...

. When Hatay was declared an independent state, Sökmen was elected as the president of the Republic. However soon Hatay merged to Turkey. In later years Sökmen was elected MP from Antalya and

Hatay Province Hatay Province ( tr, Hatay ili, ) is the southernmost province of Turkey. It is situated almost entirely outside Anatolia, along the eastern coast of the Levantine Sea. The province borders Syria to its south and east, the Turkish province of A ...

up to 1954. According to

Turkish constitution of 1961 The Constitution of 1961, officially titled the Constitution of the Republic of Turkey ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti Anayasası), was the fundamental law of Turkey from 1961 to 1982. It was introduced following the 1960 ''coup d'état'', replacin ...

, former presidents had a seat in the Turkish Senate. Being the former president of Hatay, he became a permanent member of the Senate. However he resigned in 1975. He died in

İstanbul Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...

.Online biography
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Sources

* Sökmen, Tayfur: , Ankara 1992, 1980 deaths History of Hatay Province 1939 in Turkey 1892 births People from Gaziantep {{Turkey-politician-stub