Mohammed Abdul Khalek Hassouna (October 28 1898 – January 20 1992) was an Egypt

Egypt

Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...

ian diplomat

Diplomat

A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...

 who served as the second Secretary-General of the Arab League

Arab League

The Arab League , officially called the League of Arab States , is a regional organisation of Arab states in North and Northeast Africa, and Southwest Asia . It was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945 with six members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan , Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, and Syria. Yemen joined as a...

 from 1952 to 1972.

Life and career

Born in Cairo

Cairo

Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...

, in 1925 Hassouna obtained a degree in economics

Economics

Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

 and political science

Political science

Political Science is a social science discipline concerned with the study of the state, government and politics. Aristotle defined it as the study of the state. It deals extensively with the theory and practice of politics, and the analysis of political systems and political behavior...

 from the University of Cambridge

University of Cambridge

The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...

, where he was a member of Magdalene College. He was a member of the first mission sent abroad by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He worked at the Egyptian embassies in Berlin, Rome, Prague and Stockholm.

Hassouna served as mayor of Alexandria

Alexandria

Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...

 from 1942 to 1948, during which time the University of Alexandria was completed. He served as social affairs minister between 1949 and 1950 and then Minister of education and foreign affairs.

He succeeded Abdul Rahman Hassan Azzam

Abdul Rahman Hassan Azzam

Abdul Rahman Hassan Azzam ‎ was an Egyptian diplomat, with family origins in Egypt. He served as the first secretary-general of the Arab League between 1945 and 1952.Azzam also had a long career as an ambassador and parliamentarian...

 at the Arab League in 1952 and served for the next 20 years. He was succeeded by Mahmoud Riad

Mahmoud Riad

Mahmoud Riad ‎ was an Egyptian diplomat. He was Egyptian ambassador to United Nations from 1962 to 1964, Egyptian foreign minister from 1964 to 1972, and Secretary-General of the Arab League from 1972 to 1979....

in 1972.