Tevfik Rüstü Aras
Encyclopedia
Tevfik Rüştü Aras was a Turkish
politician, serving as deputy and foreign minister of Turkey
during the Atatürk era (1920-1939).
. He served as a doctor in Izmir
, Istanbul, and Thessaloniki
. He became a member of the Committee of Union and Progress
, and during his membership he met Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey.
In 1918, he was a member of the high commission of health . At that time he married the journalist Evliyazade Makbule, who was the daughter of a wealthy family from Izmır.
. In his first period as a Member of Parliament
(MP), he was appointed to the Independence Court
of Kastamonu
. In the autumn of 1920, he became one of the founders of the Communist Party of Turkey. Tevfik Rustu visited the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
with Ali Fuat Cebesoy
, when Mr. Cebesoy was appointed as ambassador to Moscow
. He served as MP for Izmir in the second, third, fourth and fifth periods of TGNA, between 1923 and 1939.
When the Law on the Maintenance of Order was effected on March 4, 1925, he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the third İsmet İnönü
government. He stayed in office by keeping his position in all the cabinets until Atatürk died. He implemented Atatürk's foreign policy, held good relations with neighbouring countries and opposition to hegemonic powers. He visited Russia three times at the invitation of Maxim Litvinov
, the Foreign Minister of Russia
. These visits took place in 1926 (Odessa
), and in 1936 and 1937 (Moscow).
Aras was elected as the president of League of Nations
during the Special Session of the Assembly Convened for the Purpose of Considering the Request of the Kingdom of Egypt
for Admission to the League of Nations in Geneva
, on May 26–May 27, 1937. He was appointed as ambassador to the United Kingdom
in 1939 and stayed in London
for three and a half years. He retired in 1943 and published some stories in the Istanbul press (especially in the newspaper Tan
). He supported the establishment of the Democratic Party. He took office as chairman of the board of Turkiye Is Bankasi
, a Turkish Bank.
The speeches he gave during his ministerial period were collected in a book called "10 Years in Pursuit of Lausanne" by Mr. Numan Menemencioglu in 1937. He also collected his stories (published in the daily press between 1945-63) into a book called My Views .
He died in on January 5, 1972 in İstanbul, and was laid to rest at the Aşiyan Asri Cemetery
.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
politician, serving as deputy and foreign minister of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
during the Atatürk era (1920-1939).
Early years
He graduated from the medical school of BeirutBeirut
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...
. He served as a doctor in Izmir
Izmir
Izmir is a large metropolis in the western extremity of Anatolia. The metropolitan area in the entire Izmir Province had a population of 3.35 million as of 2010, making the city third most populous in Turkey...
, Istanbul, and Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki , historically also known as Thessalonica, Salonika or Salonica, is the second-largest city in Greece and the capital of the region of Central Macedonia as well as the capital of the Decentralized Administration of Macedonia and Thrace...
. He became a member of the Committee of Union and Progress
Committee of Union and Progress
The Committee of Union and Progress began as a secret society established as the "Committee of Ottoman Union" in 1889 by the medical students İbrahim Temo, Abdullah Cevdet, İshak Sükuti and Ali Hüseyinzade...
, and during his membership he met Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Turkey.
In 1918, he was a member of the high commission of health . At that time he married the journalist Evliyazade Makbule, who was the daughter of a wealthy family from Izmır.
Political career
The Turkish Grand National Assembly (TGNA) opened in 1920. Aras was elected to the parliament from MuğlaMugla
Muğla is a city in south-western Turkey. It is the center of the district the same name, as well as of Muğla Province, which stretches along Turkey´s Aegean coast. Muğla center is situated inland at an altitude of 660 m and lies at a distance of about from the nearest seacoast in the Gulf of...
. In his first period as a 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), he was appointed to the Independence Court
Independence Court
The Independence Courts were eight special courts founded during the Turkish War of Independence to prosecute those who were against the system of the government. They were located in Ankara, Eskişehir, Konya, Isparta, Sivas, Kastamonu, Pozantı, and Diyarbakır...
of Kastamonu
Kastamonu
Kastamonu is the capital district of the Kastamonu Province, Turkey. According to the 2000 census, population of the district is 102,059 of which 64,606 live in the urban center of Kastamonu. The district covers an area of , and the town lies at an elevation of...
. In the autumn of 1920, he became one of the founders of the Communist Party of Turkey. Tevfik Rustu visited the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
The Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic , commonly referred to as Soviet Russia, Bolshevik Russia, or simply Russia, was the largest, most populous and economically developed republic in the former Soviet Union....
with Ali Fuat Cebesoy
Ali Fuat Cebesoy
Ali Fuat Cebesoy was a Turkish officer, politician and statesman.-Early life:Ali Fuat was born in September 1882 to father Ismail Fazil Pasha and mother Zekiye Hanım...
, when Mr. Cebesoy was appointed as ambassador to Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
. He served as MP for Izmir in the second, third, fourth and fifth periods of TGNA, between 1923 and 1939.
When the Law on the Maintenance of Order was effected on March 4, 1925, he was the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the third İsmet İnönü
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:...
government. He stayed in office by keeping his position in all the cabinets until Atatürk died. He implemented Atatürk's foreign policy, held good relations with neighbouring countries and opposition to hegemonic powers. He visited Russia three times at the invitation of Maxim Litvinov
Maxim Litvinov
Maxim Maximovich Litvinov was a Russian revolutionary and prominent Soviet diplomat.- Early life and first exile :...
, the Foreign Minister of Russia
Foreign Minister of Russia
This is a list of foreign ministers of Tsardom of Russia, Russian Empire, Soviet Union, and Russian Federation.-Heads of Posolsky Prikaz, 1549-1699:*Ivan Viskovatyi 1549-62*Andrey Vasilyev 1562-1570*Brothers Vasily and Andrey Shchelkalov 1570-1601...
. These visits took place in 1926 (Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
), and in 1936 and 1937 (Moscow).
Aras was elected as the president of League of Nations
League of Nations
The League of Nations was an intergovernmental organization founded as a result of the Paris Peace Conference that ended the First World War. It was the first permanent international organization whose principal mission was to maintain world peace...
during the Special Session of the Assembly Convened for the Purpose of Considering the Request of the Kingdom of 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...
for Admission to the League of Nations in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, on May 26–May 27, 1937. He was appointed as ambassador to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in 1939 and stayed in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
for three and a half years. He retired in 1943 and published some stories in the Istanbul press (especially in the newspaper Tan
Tan
Tan can mean several things:* another word for tanbark* Tan * Tan or tangent, one of the main trigonometric functions* Tanning, the process of making leather from hides* Sun tanning, the darkening of skin in response to ultraviolet light...
). He supported the establishment of the Democratic Party. He took office as chairman of the board of Turkiye Is Bankasi
Türkiye Is Bankasi
Türkiye İş Bankası is Turkey's first public bank and premiere national financial institution, ranked 102nd in the “Top 1000 World Banks” survey of Financial Times' The Banker and 371st in the Forbes Global 2000 lists as of 2008, with a Gross Profit for the Year 2006 TRY 2,540 million and USD 6.8...
, a Turkish Bank.
The speeches he gave during his ministerial period were collected in a book called "10 Years in Pursuit of Lausanne" by Mr. Numan Menemencioglu in 1937. He also collected his stories (published in the daily press between 1945-63) into a book called My Views .
He died in on January 5, 1972 in İstanbul, and was laid to rest at the Aşiyan Asri Cemetery
Asiyan Asri Cemetery
The Aşiyan Asri Cemetery is a burial ground situated on Aşiyan between Bebek and Rumelihisarı neighborhoods on the European part of Istanbul, Turkey....
.