Türkân Akyol (October 12, 1928 – September 7, 2017) was a

Turkish Turkish may refer to: *a Turkic language spoken by the Turks * of or about Turkey ** Turkish language *** Turkish alphabet ** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation *** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey *** Turkish communities and mi ...

politician, physician and academic. She was the first Turkish female government minister, and the first female university rector in Turkey.

Early life

Türkan Akyol was born on October 12, 1928 in

Istanbul 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, ...

. She completed her primary education in various places in Turkey due to her father's profession as a staff officer. She graduated from the

Erenköy Girls High School Erenköy Girls High School ( Turkish: ''Erenköy Kız Anadolu Lisesi'') is a public girls high school in the Erenköy neighborhood of Kadıköy district in Istanbul, Turkey. Founded in 1911 during the Ottoman Empire, it is the oldest surviving ...

in Istanbul,

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 ...

, in 1947.

Academic career

Akyol was educated in Medicine at

Ankara University Ankara University ( tr, Ankara Üniversitesi) is a public university in Ankara, the capital city of Turkey. It was the first higher education institution founded in Turkey after the formation of the republic in 1923. The university has 40 vocat ...

graduating in 1953. She became a physician specialized in

pulmonology Pulmonology (, , from Latin ''pulmō, -ōnis'' "lung" and the Greek suffix "study of"), pneumology (, built on Greek πνεύμων "lung") or pneumonology () is a medical specialty that deals with diseases involving the respiratory tract. ...

, and pursued an academic career at her alma mater. She became assistant professor in 1965 and full professor in 1970. Between 1959 and 1965, Akyol conducted academic studies in the United States, France and the Netherlands. In 1980, Akyol was elected rector of Ankara University, becoming again a first, this time Turkey's first female rector. She served at this post until 1982 when she quit due to disagreements with the Council of Higher Education. She lectured at the university until 1983 when

Erdal İnönü Erdal İnönü (6 June 1926 – 31 October 2007) was a Turkish theoretical physicist and politician, who served as the interim Prime Minister of Turkey between 16 May and 25 June 1993. He also served as the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkey from ...

invited her to co-found the Social Democracy Party (SODEP). Akyol served the party's deputy chairman.

Political career

On March 25, 1971, she was appointed

Minister of Health and Social Security A health minister is the member of a country's government typically responsible for protecting and promoting public health and providing welfare and other social security services. Some governments have separate ministers for mental health. Count ...

in the cabinet of

Nihat Erim İsmail Nihat Erim (30 November 1912 – 19 July 1980) was a Turkish politician and jurist. He served as the 13th Prime Minister of Turkey for almost 14 months after the 1971 Turkish military memorandum. He was assassinated by the Revolutionar ...

, becoming so the first female government minister of Turkey. On December 13 that year, she resigned from her post in the government and returned to the university. Türkan Akyol entered the parliament as deputy of Izmir Province following the 1987 general election. She returned to her post as lecturer at the end of the legislative term in 1991. In 1992, she was appointed Minister of State responsible for Woman and Family Affairs in the

coalition government A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome in ...

Süleyman Demirel Süleyman Sami Demirel (; 1 November 1924 – 17 June 2015) was a Turkish people, Turkish politician, engineer, and statesman who served as the List of Presidents of Turkey, 9th President of Turkey from 1993 to 2000. He previously served as the ...

. In 1993, she was appointed minister again in the cabinet of

Tansu Çiller Tansu Çiller (; born 24 May 1946) is a Turkish academic, economist and politician who served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Turkey from 1993 to 1996. She is Turkey's first and only female prime minister to date. As the leader of the True Path P ...

, Turkey's first woman prime minister. Akyol died at a hospital in

Ankara Ankara ( , ; ), historically known as Ancyra and Angora, is the capital of Turkey. Located in the central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5.1 million in its urban center and over 5.7 million in Ankara Province, maki ...

on 7 September 2017 at the age of 88. She was buried at the

Karşıyaka Cemetery The Karşıyaka Cemetery ( tr, Karşıyaka Mezarlığı) is a modern burial ground located at İvedik neighborhood in Yenimahalle district of Ankara, Turkey. Administered by the Metropolitan Municipality, it is the biggest cemetery in Ankara. Ma ...

following the religious funeral at

Maltepe Mosque Maltepe Mosque ( tr, Maltepe Camii) is a mosque in Ankara, Turkey. Along with Kocatepe Mosque The Kocatepe Mosque ( tr, Kocatepe Camii) is the largest mosque in Ankara, Turkey. It was built between 1967 and 1987 in the Kocatepe quarter in Kızıl ...

. She was mother of two children.

Legacy

There is a hospital in

Bursa ( grc-gre, Προῦσα, Proûsa, Latin: Prusa, ota, بورسه, Arabic:بورصة) is a city in northwestern Turkey and the administrative center of Bursa Province. The fourth-most populous city in Turkey and second-most populous in the ...

carrying her name.

References

Sources