Necati Çelim
Encyclopedia
Nuh Necati Çelim was a Turkish politician
, doctor
and Member of Parliament
(MP) for the Democratic Party (Demokrat Parti). He represented Aydın Province
in the 10th and 11th Turkish parliaments from 1954 to 1960. He was first sentenced to death in the mock Yassıada
trials undertaken after the 1960 Turkish coup d'état. His sentence was later commuted to life in prison. He was given a 6 month release in September 1964 due to health problems and with transition back to democracy around the 1965 elections he was released from the Kayseri prison along with the rest of the DP MP's still remaining in prison. He is survived by his wife Kamuran Çelim, his daughter Muhsine Neyran Yıldızhan, his son Ahmet Oğuz Çelim, and two grandchildren.
family with roots in Western Turkestan
that settled originally in Karahayıt, Aydın during the Ottoman Interregnum
.
His original education was religious in nature and with his mother's encouragement Necati Çelim recited the Qur'an
twice first at age 7 and then again at age 9. His father, who owned the Posacılar Farm, wanted him to focus on their large farming and trading businesses instead of getting further education. Thus he escaped from home, with the financial help of his mother. He studied in cities where he had relatives as at that time there were no middle or high schools in Aydın. First he passed the primary school exams as he had not been able to go to school during the years that spanned World War I
and the Turkish War of Independence
. Then he went to Manisa
and graduated from middle school. Later, he went to Istanbul
and graduated from Kabataş High School. Upon graduation from high school he entered the Medical School at Istanbul University
, one of the cornerstones of President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
's new educational institutions, that was heavily staffed by German and Austrian scientists who the National Socialist regime in Germany had considered `racially' or politically undesirable. He graduated from the Medical School at Istanbul University in 1934. His family supported him until the Great Depression
, yet at this time his family's business was heavily hit and he completed the remainder of his studies with a scholarship from a family friend. In return, after he had a permanent job, he supported the education of many students from Cizre to Aydin. He completed his residency at Zeynep Kamil Kadın ve Çocuk Hastalıkları Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi and became a gynecologist. In addition to his native Turkish, he could read and write in Arabic, Persian and French.
in Şırnak Province
. Necati Çelim worked as a government doctor in Cizre for four years. Then he was appointed to Çukurova
in the Mersin Province
with a focus on fighting malaria.
In the 1930s in Çukurova it was determined that malaria cases were much more frequent around paddy fields. As such a law was passed in 1935 to administer the wet-field cultivation in Turkey. In every region a committee was formed for this purpose with a government administrator, a doctor and a producer on board. Dr. Necati Çelim helped significantly in eradicating malaria from around Çukurova during this time. However some large land owners, unhappy with losing too much farming land to malaria prevention efforts, asked the government to transfer him out of Mersin. Subsequently he was appointed to Söğüt in Bilecik Province. In Söğüt
in addition to his regular duties, he was heavily involved with the Celebration of the Life of Ertuğrul
Gazi, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. His final post was at Bayındır
in İzmir Province
again with a focus on fighting malaria. This was to be his last government post and after his service in Bayındır he returned to Aydın Province to operate his private practice.
He was a member of the important 15-person investigation committee on relations between the Turkish Army and Republican People's Party
(RPP), which had established the Turkish Republic and had remained in power from the founding of the Republic through 1950. The committee was founded in April 1960, just one month before the 1960 Turkish coup d'état. RPP's all too powerful head Ismet Inonu
, the former president of Turkey, was intriguing with some lower ranking officials to overthrow the government and DP Committee's goal was to prevent a coup d'état from happening. The 15-person investigation committee had mostly focused on the relationships between the RPP and the Army but they were also looking into international connections of the upcoming coup d'état. Nevertheless, the committee could not stop the coup.
Subsequent to the 1960 Turkish coup d'état the generals took control of the country along with the Republican People's Party supporters, the Prime Minister of Turkey Adnan Menderes
along with his two ministers were unlawfully executed by hanging, many Democratic Party members were prisoned and banned from political life. Furthermore, the Turkish Military declared its allegiance to NATO and CENTO
, received over a billion US dollars in aid from the US and forced more than half the officer corps of the Turkish Military into retirement. As a result, about 90 percent of the generals, 75 percent of the colonels, 50 percent of the lieutenant colonels and 30 percent of the majors were discharged from the army.
part of Aydın Province
instead of Izmir Province
. Çeşme
, part of Izmir Province
, was the favorite vacation spot of almost all the Izmir Province MPs. Furthermore, the distance between Izmir and Kuşadası was far greater than the distance between Aydın and Kuşadası. Due to these reasons Kuşadası did not get enough attention from the Turkish Government. As a result of the legislation, that Necati Çelim spearheaded, Kuşadası started to receive significant investments from the government and started to become an important destination for tourism. This change has also greatly increased Aydın Province's tax revenues. Necati Çelim was also key to securing the government investment for building the first passenger port in Kuşadası.
. Afterwards he was kept as a political prisoner in Kayseri until 1964. The generals, now lifetime senators, banned him from practicing medicine upon his release. This ban was overturned in 1966 by the Justice Party
, a descendant of the Democratic Party. Nevertheless his political rights were curbed for over ten years, until the late 1970s, during which he even couldn't vote in the parliamentary elections, or take part in politics.
In 1966, Necati Çelim, was penniless, without any property as his family had to sell whatever little they had to survive during his five years in prison. He went back to square one at age 57, this time with two kids and a wife to support. He returned to practicing medicine, which he did, until he was 73, until he was too sick to take good enough care of his patients. He moved to the Izmir Province
where his daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren resided and he was treated there for his severe respiratory disease.
He died in 1986 and he is buried in Kuşadası, hometown of his wife.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for the Democratic Party (Demokrat Parti). He represented Aydın Province
Aydin Province
Aydın Province is a province of southwestern Turkey, located in the Aegean Region. The provincial capital is the city of Aydın which has a population of approx. 150,000 . Other towns in the province include the summer seaside resorts of Didim and Kuşadası.-History:Aydın was founded by the ancient...
in the 10th and 11th Turkish parliaments from 1954 to 1960. He was first sentenced to death in the mock Yassıada
Yassiada
Yassıada is one of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara. The island, which has an area of 0.05 km², is officially a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul, Turkey.x...
trials undertaken after the 1960 Turkish coup d'état. His sentence was later commuted to life in prison. He was given a 6 month release in September 1964 due to health problems and with transition back to democracy around the 1965 elections he was released from the Kayseri prison along with the rest of the DP MP's still remaining in prison. He is survived by his wife Kamuran Çelim, his daughter Muhsine Neyran Yıldızhan, his son Ahmet Oğuz Çelim, and two grandchildren.
Family background and education
Çelim, was born in Köşk in 1909 to Hafız Ahmet and Muhsine Hanım. He comes from the family of Posacılar an old TurkomanTurkmen people
The Turkmen are a Turkic people located primarily in the Central Asian states of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and northeastern Iran. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Western Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages family together with Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai,...
family with roots in Western Turkestan
Turkestan
Turkestan, spelled also as Turkistan, literally means "Land of the Turks".The term Turkestan is of Persian origin and has never been in use to denote a single nation. It was first used by Persian geographers to describe the place of Turkish peoples...
that settled originally in Karahayıt, Aydın during the Ottoman Interregnum
Ottoman Interregnum
The Ottoman Interregnum began in 20 July 1402, when chaos reigned in the Ottoman Empire following the defeat of Sultan Bayezid I by the Turco-Mongol warlord Timur...
.
His original education was religious in nature and with his mother's encouragement Necati Çelim recited the Qur'an
Qur'an
The Quran , also transliterated Qur'an, Koran, Alcoran, Qur’ān, Coran, Kuran, and al-Qur’ān, is the central religious text of Islam, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God . It is regarded widely as the finest piece of literature in the Arabic language...
twice first at age 7 and then again at age 9. His father, who owned the Posacılar Farm, wanted him to focus on their large farming and trading businesses instead of getting further education. Thus he escaped from home, with the financial help of his mother. He studied in cities where he had relatives as at that time there were no middle or high schools in Aydın. First he passed the primary school exams as he had not been able to go to school during the years that spanned World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the Turkish War of Independence
Turkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence was a war of independence waged by Turkish nationalists against the Allies, after the country was partitioned by the Allies following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I...
. Then he went to Manisa
Manisa
Manisa is a large city in Turkey's Aegean Region and the administrative seat of Manisa Province.Modern Manisa is a booming center of industry and services, advantaged by its closeness to the international port city and the regional metropolitan center of İzmir and by its fertile hinterland rich in...
and graduated from middle school. Later, he went to Istanbul
Istanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
and graduated from Kabataş High School. Upon graduation from high school he entered the Medical School at Istanbul University
Istanbul University
Istanbul University is a Turkish university located in Istanbul. The main campus is adjacent to Beyazıt Square.- Synopsis :A madrasa, a religious school, was established sometime in the 15th century after the Ottoman conquest of Constantinople. An institution of higher education named the...
, one of the cornerstones of President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey....
's new educational institutions, that was heavily staffed by German and Austrian scientists who the National Socialist regime in Germany had considered `racially' or politically undesirable. He graduated from the Medical School at Istanbul University in 1934. His family supported him until the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, yet at this time his family's business was heavily hit and he completed the remainder of his studies with a scholarship from a family friend. In return, after he had a permanent job, he supported the education of many students from Cizre to Aydin. He completed his residency at Zeynep Kamil Kadın ve Çocuk Hastalıkları Eğitim ve Araştırma Hastanesi and became a gynecologist. In addition to his native Turkish, he could read and write in Arabic, Persian and French.
Career as a government-appointed doctor around Turkey
As a government doctor first, he was appointed to CizreCizre
Cizre is a town and district of Şırnak Province in the Southeastern Anatolia Region of Turkey, located at the border to Syria, just to the north-west of the Turkish-Syrian-Iraqi tripoint....
in Şırnak Province
Şırnak Province
The Şırnak Province is a Turkish province in southeastern Anatolia. It has a population of 430,109 . The population was 353,197 in 2000....
. Necati Çelim worked as a government doctor in Cizre for four years. Then he was appointed to Çukurova
Çukurova
Çukurova , historically known as Cilicia, is a geographic, economic and cultural region in south-central Turkey, covering the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Osmaniye and Hatay...
in the Mersin Province
Mersin Province
The Mersin Province is a province in southern Turkey, on the Mediterranean coast between Antalya and Adana. The provincial capital is the city of Mersin and the other major town is Tarsus, birthplace of St Paul...
with a focus on fighting malaria.
In the 1930s in Çukurova it was determined that malaria cases were much more frequent around paddy fields. As such a law was passed in 1935 to administer the wet-field cultivation in Turkey. In every region a committee was formed for this purpose with a government administrator, a doctor and a producer on board. Dr. Necati Çelim helped significantly in eradicating malaria from around Çukurova during this time. However some large land owners, unhappy with losing too much farming land to malaria prevention efforts, asked the government to transfer him out of Mersin. Subsequently he was appointed to Söğüt in Bilecik Province. In Söğüt
Sögüt
Söğüt is a town and district of Bilecik Province in the Marmara region of Turkey. Söğüt has an area of and borders Bilecik to the west, Gölpazarı to the north, İnhisar to the northeast, Eskişehir to the southeast, and Bozüyük to the southwest. The 2000 census put the population at 21,012 citizens,...
in addition to his regular duties, he was heavily involved with the Celebration of the Life of Ertuğrul
Ertugrul
Ertuğrul was the father of Osman I, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. He was the leader of the Kayı clan of the Oghuz Turks...
Gazi, the founder of the Ottoman Empire. His final post was at Bayındır
Bayindir
Bayındır is a district of İzmir Province of Turkey and the central town of the district which is situated in the valley of the Küçük Menderes. Its name in antiquity was Caystrus. Its present name derives from the first Turkish settlers in the region who were members of the Bayındır clan, one of the...
in İzmir Province
Izmir Province
İzmir Province is a province of Turkey in western Anatolia on the Aegean coast, whose capital is the city of İzmir. On the west it is surrounded by the Aegean sea, and it encloses the Gulf of İzmir. Its area is 11,973 km.2, population 3.948.848 . The population was 3,370,866 in 2000...
again with a focus on fighting malaria. This was to be his last government post and after his service in Bayındır he returned to Aydın Province to operate his private practice.
Political life
During his time as an MP (1954-1960) he focused on legislative efforts to increase the amount of money allocated to the Ministry of Education as well as improving the living standards of teachers.He was a member of the important 15-person investigation committee on relations between the Turkish Army and Republican People's Party
Republican People's Party (Turkey)
The Republican People's Party is a centre-left Kemalist political party in Turkey. It is the oldest political party of Turkey and is currently Main Opposition in the Grand National Assembly. The Republican People's Party describes itself as "a modern social-democratic party, which is faithful to...
(RPP), which had established the Turkish Republic and had remained in power from the founding of the Republic through 1950. The committee was founded in April 1960, just one month before the 1960 Turkish coup d'état. RPP's all too powerful head Ismet Inonu
Ismet Inönü
Mustafa İsmet İnönü was a Turkish Army General, Prime Minister and the second President of Turkey. In 1938, the Republican People's Party gave him the title of "Milli Şef" .-Family and early life:...
, the former president of Turkey, was intriguing with some lower ranking officials to overthrow the government and DP Committee's goal was to prevent a coup d'état from happening. The 15-person investigation committee had mostly focused on the relationships between the RPP and the Army but they were also looking into international connections of the upcoming coup d'état. Nevertheless, the committee could not stop the coup.
Subsequent to the 1960 Turkish coup d'état the generals took control of the country along with the Republican People's Party supporters, the Prime Minister of Turkey Adnan Menderes
Adnan Menderes
Adnan Menderes was the first democratically elected Turkish Prime Minister between 1950–1960. He was one of the founders of the Democratic Party in 1946, the fourth legal opposition party of Turkey. He was hanged by the military junta after the 1960 coup d'état, along with two other cabinet...
along with his two ministers were unlawfully executed by hanging, many Democratic Party members were prisoned and banned from political life. Furthermore, the Turkish Military declared its allegiance to NATO and CENTO
Cento
Cento is a city and comune in the province of Ferrara, part of the region Emilia-Romagna . In Italian "cento" means 100.-History:The name Cento is a reference to the centuriation of the Po Valley...
, received over a billion US dollars in aid from the US and forced more than half the officer corps of the Turkish Military into retirement. As a result, about 90 percent of the generals, 75 percent of the colonels, 50 percent of the lieutenant colonels and 30 percent of the majors were discharged from the army.
Contributions to Aydın during his political career
Necati Çelim is one of the founding members and also one of the original Board of Directors of the Aydın Textiles Factory. Aydın Textiles Factory is the first textiles factory of the city of Aydın and for over 25 years was the largest employer in the region. Necati Çelim also wrote and submitted the legislation that made KuşadasıKusadasi
Kuşadası is a resort town on Turkey's Aegean coast and the center of the seaside district of the same name in Aydın Province. Kuşadası lies at a distance of to the south from the region's largest metropolitan center of İzmir, and from the provincial seat of Aydın situated inland. Its primary...
part of Aydın Province
Aydin Province
Aydın Province is a province of southwestern Turkey, located in the Aegean Region. The provincial capital is the city of Aydın which has a population of approx. 150,000 . Other towns in the province include the summer seaside resorts of Didim and Kuşadası.-History:Aydın was founded by the ancient...
instead of Izmir Province
Izmir Province
İzmir Province is a province of Turkey in western Anatolia on the Aegean coast, whose capital is the city of İzmir. On the west it is surrounded by the Aegean sea, and it encloses the Gulf of İzmir. Its area is 11,973 km.2, population 3.948.848 . The population was 3,370,866 in 2000...
. Çeşme
Çesme
Çeşme is a coastal town and the center-town of the district of the same name in Turkey's western-most end, on a promontory on the tip of the peninsula which also carries the same name and which extends inland to form a whole with the wider Karaburun Peninsula...
, part of Izmir Province
Izmir Province
İzmir Province is a province of Turkey in western Anatolia on the Aegean coast, whose capital is the city of İzmir. On the west it is surrounded by the Aegean sea, and it encloses the Gulf of İzmir. Its area is 11,973 km.2, population 3.948.848 . The population was 3,370,866 in 2000...
, was the favorite vacation spot of almost all the Izmir Province MPs. Furthermore, the distance between Izmir and Kuşadası was far greater than the distance between Aydın and Kuşadası. Due to these reasons Kuşadası did not get enough attention from the Turkish Government. As a result of the legislation, that Necati Çelim spearheaded, Kuşadası started to receive significant investments from the government and started to become an important destination for tourism. This change has also greatly increased Aydın Province's tax revenues. Necati Çelim was also key to securing the government investment for building the first passenger port in Kuşadası.
1960 Turkish coup d'état and after the coup
After the 1960 Turkish coup d'état Dr. Necati Çelim was first imprisoned in YassıadaYassiada
Yassıada is one of the Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara. The island, which has an area of 0.05 km², is officially a neighbourhood in the Adalar district of Istanbul, Turkey.x...
. Afterwards he was kept as a political prisoner in Kayseri until 1964. The generals, now lifetime senators, banned him from practicing medicine upon his release. This ban was overturned in 1966 by the Justice Party
Justice Party (Turkey)
The Justice Party was a Turkish political party prominent in the 1960s and 1970s. A descendant of the Democrat Party, the AP was dominated by Süleyman Demirel, who served six times as prime minister, and was in office at the time of the military coup on September 12, 1980...
, a descendant of the Democratic Party. Nevertheless his political rights were curbed for over ten years, until the late 1970s, during which he even couldn't vote in the parliamentary elections, or take part in politics.
In 1966, Necati Çelim, was penniless, without any property as his family had to sell whatever little they had to survive during his five years in prison. He went back to square one at age 57, this time with two kids and a wife to support. He returned to practicing medicine, which he did, until he was 73, until he was too sick to take good enough care of his patients. He moved to the Izmir Province
Izmir Province
İzmir Province is a province of Turkey in western Anatolia on the Aegean coast, whose capital is the city of İzmir. On the west it is surrounded by the Aegean sea, and it encloses the Gulf of İzmir. Its area is 11,973 km.2, population 3.948.848 . The population was 3,370,866 in 2000...
where his daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren resided and he was treated there for his severe respiratory disease.
He died in 1986 and he is buried in Kuşadası, hometown of his wife.