Hamid Beik Frangieh
Encyclopedia
Hamid Beik Frangieh was a Lebanese
member of the Parliament of Lebanon
and held numerous ministerial positions in the Lebanese Government.
Lebanon, the son of Kabalan Suleimen Frangieh and Lamia Raffoul from Ejbah Lebanon. The family had a long history of public service, his grandfather (1847-1908) acting as District Governor; his father, a member of Parliament (in 1929); and his brother Suleiman becoming President of Lebanon.
Hamid attended "Frères des Ecoles Chrétiennes" school in Tripoli
, for his primary education, then to Aintoura
for his secondary education. In 1930, he graduated in law
from the Université de Saint-Joseph in Beirut
.
His early career was both in the law and journalism
, with Hamid becoming one of the cofounders and columnists of the Le Jour
newspaper in 1933.
In 1937 he became the sole member of the opposition in North Lebanon to be elected. He was elected again on a further five times in 1943, 1947, 1951, 1953 and 1957 before he withdrew from political life due to illness.
He was instrumental in ensuring UNESCO
's first world conference was held in Beirut.
During his tenure as a member of Parliament, he also held ministerial offices, including as follows:
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
member of the Parliament of Lebanon
Parliament of Lebanon
The Parliament of Lebanon is the national parliament of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year terms in multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's diverse Christian and Muslim denominations. Lebanon has universal adult suffrage...
and held numerous ministerial positions in the Lebanese Government.
Early life
Hamid was born in EhdenEhden
Ehden is a mountainous town situated in the heart of the northern mountains of Lebanon and on the southwestern slopes of Mount Makmal and Kornet el Sawda, the highest peak in Lebanon...
Lebanon, the son of Kabalan Suleimen Frangieh and Lamia Raffoul from Ejbah Lebanon. The family had a long history of public service, his grandfather (1847-1908) acting as District Governor; his father, a member of Parliament (in 1929); and his brother Suleiman becoming President of Lebanon.
Hamid attended "Frères des Ecoles Chrétiennes" school in Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
, for his primary education, then to Aintoura
Aintoura
Antoura is a town in the Mount Lebanon Governorate.-History:The towns and the University was the scene of an "ethnic cleansing" event when the Ottoman Turkish authorities under direct instructions from Jamal Pasha followed a policy of "Turkification" that affected over 1300 Armenian and Kurdish...
for his secondary education. In 1930, he graduated in law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
from the Université de Saint-Joseph in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
.
His early career was both in the law and journalism
Journalism
Journalism is the practice of investigation and reporting of events, issues and trends to a broad audience in a timely fashion. Though there are many variations of journalism, the ideal is to inform the intended audience. Along with covering organizations and institutions such as government and...
, with Hamid becoming one of the cofounders and columnists of the Le Jour
Le Jour
Le Jour was a Quebec independence newspaper. It was founded in Saint-Laurent, near Montreal, by Yves Michaud, Jacques Parizeau and René Lévesque. Michaud was editor-in-chief...
newspaper in 1933.
Government career
Frangieh was elected as a member of Parliament for the first time in 1932 at age of 25.In 1937 he became the sole member of the opposition in North Lebanon to be elected. He was elected again on a further five times in 1943, 1947, 1951, 1953 and 1957 before he withdrew from political life due to illness.
He was instrumental in ensuring UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
's first world conference was held in Beirut.
During his tenure as a member of Parliament, he also held ministerial offices, including as follows:
- Minister of Finance (1938, 1944)
- Minister of Foreign affairs and Minister of Education (1945 - 1949)
- Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigration, resigned 2 months later due to ill health (1941, 1955)
