Hassan Alavikia ( fa, حسن علوی‌کیا, æsæn ælævikiːɒː 1 December 1912 – 20 April 2013) was a general and businessman in the Pahlavi pre-revolutionary government 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 ...

. Along with

Teymur Bakhtiar Teymur Bakhtiar ( fa, تیمور بختیار; 1914 – 12 August 1970) was an Iranian general and the founder and head of SAVAK from 1956 to 1961 when he was dismissed by the Shah. In 1970, SAVAK agents assassinated him in Iraq. He was an as ...

and

Hassan Pakravan Hassan Pakravan (4 August 1911 – 11 April 1979) was a well-known diplomat and minister in the Pahlavi pre-revolutionary government of Iran. He is not only notable for his political involvement with the Mohammad Reza Pahlavi government and S ...

, he was a co-founder of the SAVAK.

Early life

Hassan Alavikia was born on 1 December 1910 in

Hamedan Hamadan () or Hamedan ( fa, همدان, ''Hamedān'') (Old Persian: Haŋgmetana, Ecbatana) is the capital city of Hamadan Province of Iran. At the 2019 census, its population was 783,300 in 230,775 families. The majority of people living in Ham ...

, Iran, the son of Abu Torab Alavikia, a wealthy land owner. He completed his primary and secondary education at the Lycée St. Louis in Isfahan and

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 ...

. In 1932, he entered Tehran Military Academy, from which he graduated as a lieutenant in 1934. He continued his academic education at the

University of Tehran The University of Tehran (Tehran University or UT, fa, دانشگاه تهران) is the most prominent university located in Tehran, Iran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as its research and teaching pro ...

and

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

, graduating with degrees in judicial law and philosophy. He spoke fluent Persian, French, English, and German.

Political life

He served in the

Iranian Army The Islamic Republic of Iran Army Ground Forces ( fa, نیروی زمینی ارتش جمهوری اسلامی ایران, ''Niroo-ye Zamini-ye Artesh-e Jomhuri-ye Eslâmi-ye Iran''), acronymed NEZAJA ( fa, نزاجا, NEZEJA) are the ground forc ...

as Deputy Director of the Intelligence Department of the Army (1949–1951). In 1956, he left the Second Division, and became the first Deputy Director of the SAVAK (1956–1962) with General

as its first Director.Ladjevardi, Habib
"Hassan Alavi-Kia. Interview recorded by Habib Ladjevardi, 1 March 1983, Paris, France. Iranian Oral History Collection, Harvard University."

, Paris, France, 1 March 1983. In 1962, he was appointed as head of the European Operations Division of the SAVAK (1962-1967) by the Shah, which at the time was headquartered in Cologne, Germany. He retired from the military in 1967, and continued his professional career with the establishment of several successful businesses in both the agricultural and real estate industries.

Later years

In January 1979, he and his wife left Iran to visit their daughters in

Paris, France Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

where they were studying; however, due to the turmoil and start of the Islamic revolution, they were unable to return to Iran. He spent the remainder of his life in exile in Paris, France, Gstaad, Switzerland, and Del Mar, California, where his three daughters and their families resided.

Family

On 6 December 1956, General Alavikia married Jila Pourrastegar, the daughter of Hossein Pourrastegar, a well-known Colonel in the

Persian Cossack Brigade , image = Persian Cossack Brigade.jpg , caption = Persian Cossack Brigade in Tabriz in 1909 , dates = 1879–1921 , disbanded = 6 December 1921 , count ...

under Reza Shah Pahlavi. They had three children together.

Death

He died on 20 April 2013 in La Jolla, California, surrounded by his wife, three children, and five grandchildren.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Alavikia, Hassan 2013 deaths 1910 births People from Hamadan Iranian centenarians Iranian emigrants to the United States Iranian emigrants to France Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in France Exiles of the Iranian Revolution in the United States Men centenarians People of SAVAK Imperial Iranian Army personnel University of Tehran alumni Harvard University alumni