Kasım Gülek (1905 – 1996) was a prominent Turkish

statesman A statesman or stateswoman is a politician or a leader in an organization who has had a long and respected career at the national or international level, or in a given field. Statesman or statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States ...

credited with being instrumental in entrenching democracy in

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

by taking politics to the masses.

Biography

He was born and lived in

Adana Adana is a large city in southern Turkey. The city is situated on the Seyhan River, inland from the northeastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the administrative seat of the Adana Province, Adana province, and has a population of 1 81 ...

, Adana Vilayet, Ottoman Empire, until he went away to school in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

, where he studied respectively at

Galatasaray High School Galatasaray High School (, ), established in Istanbul in 1481, is the oldest and Selective school, highly selective high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational institution after Istanbul University, which was establi ...

and

Robert College The American Robert College of Istanbul ( or ), often abbreviated as Robert or RC, is a Selective school, highly selective, Independent school, independent, mixed-sex education, co-educational, Education in Turkey#Private schools, private Second ...

. He then went on to study at Ecole des Sciences Politiques in

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, France, followed by

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, United States, where he received his

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in Economics. After undertaking post doctorate studies at

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in the United Kingdom and

Berlin University The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humboldt ...

as a fellow of the

Rockefeller Foundation The Rockefeller Foundation is an American private foundation and philanthropic medical research and arts funding organization based at 420 Fifth Avenue, New York City. The foundation was created by Standard Oil magnate John D. Rockefeller (" ...

, he returned to his country upon request form the founder and president of the republic of Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.

Political career

After receiving a letter praising Kasım Gülek from the Dean of

, Atatürk, founder of modern Turkey, called upon him and offered him to become a Member of Parliament. Throughout his career, he held various ministerial positions including Minister of Public Works, Minister of Communications, Transport Minister, and Deputy Prime Minister. He was a leading member of Atatürk's party, the

Republican People's Party The Republican People's Party (RPP; , CHP ) is a Kemalism, Kemalist and Social democracy, social democratic political party in Turkey. It is the oldest List of political parties in Turkey, political party in Turkey, founded by Mustafa Kemal ...

(CHP). Early in 1947 he was one of the leaders of group of thirty-five deputies who revolted in the party caucus urging reforms and liberalizations. The episode was called the "Rebellion of 35", but even though it was unsuccessful, Gülek and three other insurgents were still permitted to join the cabinet afterwards. He is best remembered for his role as the Secretary General of the Republican People's Party from 1950 until 1959, a position to which he was elected seven consecutive times with an overwhelming majority of the vote. During his time as Secretary General, he resurrected the crushed CHP by travelling to the all corners of Turkey visiting almost every village in the country. He later served as a member of the Constituent Assembly and as a Senator from Adana. He also held several international positions such as Chairman of the UN Commission on

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, President of the North Atlantic Assembly, Governor of the

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, Vice-President of

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Parliamentarians Conference and Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the

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. He had 2 children, including Tayyibe Gülek.

References

* Afad.org.tr
''Biography of Kasım Gülek''

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gulek, Kasim 1905 births 1996 deaths People from Adana People from Adana vilayet Republican People's Party (Turkey) politicians Ministers of transport and communications of Turkey Ministers of public works of Turkey Government ministers of Turkey Members of the 16th government of Turkey Members of the 17th government of Turkey Members of the 6th Parliament of Turkey Members of the 7th Parliament of Turkey Members of the 8th Parliament of Turkey Members of the 11th Parliament of Turkey Members of the Constituent Assembly of Turkey Members of the 12th Parliament of Turkey Members of the 13th Parliament of Turkey Deputies of Bilecik Deputies of Adana Galatasaray High School alumni Robert College alumni Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences alumni