Hassan Vossug ed Dowleh ( fa, حسن وثوقالدوله; 1 April 1868 – 3 February 1951) was twice
Prime Minister of Iran
The Prime Minister of Iran was a political post that had existed in Iran (Persia) during much of the 20th century. It began in 1906 during the Qajar dynasty and into the start of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1923 and into the 1979 Iranian Revolution ...
. He was the older brother of
Ahmad Qavam
Ahmad Qavam (2 January 1873 – 23 July 1955; fa, احمد قوام), also known as Qavam os-Saltaneh ( fa, قوام السلطنه), was a politician who served as Prime Minister of Iran five times.
Early life
Qavam was born in 1873 to a ...
, who also served as Prime Minister.
Life
Hassan Vossug was born to one of
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
's most famous families. His father was
Mirza Ebrahim Motamed
Mirza may refer to:
* Mirza, Kamrup, town in Assam, India
* Mirza (name), historical royal title & noble
* ''Mirza'', the genus of giant mouse lemur
* "Mirza", song by Nino Ferrer
* ''Mirza – The Untold Story'', Punjabi action romance film wri ...
os-Saltaneh, and his grandfather was
Mohammad Qavam od-Dowleh.
Vossug's mother died when he was young, after which he was cared for by an uncle while his father worked as a financial manager in several provinces of Iran. He was educated at home by tutors and was fluent in French and English. As an adolescent, he accompanied his father on his travels, and took over the financial administration of
Iranian Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan or Azarbaijan ( fa, آذربایجان, ''Āzarbāijān'' ; az-Arab, آذربایجان, ''Āzerbāyjān'' ), also known as Iranian Azerbaijan, is a historical region in northwestern Iran that borders Iraq, Turkey, the Nakhchivan ...
at a young age.
Vossug was elected as a founding member and deputy president of the inaugural
National Consultative Assembly
The National Consultative Assembly ( fa, مجلس شورای ملی, Mad̲j̲les-e s̲h̲ūrā-ye mellī) or simply Majles, was the national legislative body of Iran from 1906 to 1979.
It was elected by universal suffrage, excluding the armed for ...
(Majles) of Iran in 1906. In the years 1911 to 1915, Vossug was the first
Foreign Minister
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
and later
Minister of Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
. He served as Prime Minister from August 1916 to June 1917 and again from August 1918 to July 1920.
Vossug played a leading role in negotiations that resulted in the 1919
Anglo-Persian Agreement
The Anglo-Persian Agreement involved Great Britain and Persia, and centered on the drilling rights of the Anglo-Persian Oil Company. The "agreement" was issued by British Foreign Secretary, Lord Curzon, to the Persian government in August 1919. ...
, which led to allegations that he had been bribed by the British. Although Vossug denied that he had enriched himself personally and also offered to repay the money,
[Cyrus Ghani: Iran and the rise of Reza Shah. I.B.Tauris, 2000, p. 54.] his reputation was so damaged that he left Iran.
Vossug returned to the country in June 1926, not long after the accession of the new king
Reza Shah
Reza Shah Pahlavi ( fa, رضا شاه پهلوی; ; originally Reza Khan (); 15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was an Iranian Officer (armed forces), military officer, politician (who served as Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics (Iran), ...
. He served briefly again as
Minister of Finance
A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances, economic policy and financial regulation.
A finance minister's portfolio has a large variety of names around the world, such as "treasury", " ...
and then as
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 ...
. He resigned as minister to run for a seat in the Majles, to which he was elected. After the expiry of his term in 1928, Vossug withdrew from politics, though he was still frequently consulted by Reza Shah in financial matters. In 1936 he became a member of the newly founded
Academy of Persian Language and Literature
The Academy of Persian Language and Literature (APLL) ( fa, فرهنگستان زبان و ادب فارسی, ''Farhangestân-e Zabân-o Adab-e Fârsi'') is the regulatory body for the Persian language, headquartered in Tehran, Iran. Formerly know ...
.
Hassam Vossug died in 1951 in
Tehran
Tehran (; fa, تهران ) is the largest city in Tehran Province and the capital of Iran. With a population of around 9 million in the city and around 16 million in the larger metropolitan area of Greater Tehran, Tehran is the most popul ...
.
See also
*
Qajar dynasty
The Qajar dynasty (; fa, دودمان قاجار ', az, Qacarlar ) was an IranianAbbas Amanat, ''The Pivot of the Universe: Nasir Al-Din Shah Qajar and the Iranian Monarchy, 1831–1896'', I. B. Tauris, pp 2–3 royal dynasty of Turkic peoples ...
*
List of prime ministers of Iran
References
Sources
*'Alí Rizā Awsatí (عليرضا اوسطى), ''Iran in the Past Three Centuries'' (''Irān dar Se Qarn-e Goz̲ashteh'' - ايران در سه قرن گذشته), Volumes 1 and 2 (Paktāb Publishing - انتشارات پاکتاب, Tehran, Iran, 2003). (Vol. 1), (Vol. 2).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vothuq Al-Dowleh, Hasan
1868 births
1951 deaths
Politicians from Tehran
Prime Ministers of Iran
Politics of Qajar Iran
20th-century Iranian politicians
19th-century Iranian politicians
Democrat Party (Persia) politicians
Ministers of Justice of Iran
Mostowfian Ashtiani family
People of Qajar Iran
Burials in Qom