Ahmad Ali Sepehr, also known as Movarrekh Al Dowleh, (1889–1976) was an Iranian historian and politician. He held several government posts during both the Qajar and Pahlavi rule.

Early life and education

Sepehr was born in Tehran in 1889. His grandfather was Mirza Taghi Khan Sepehr, a historian during the rule of

Naser al-Din Shah Qajar Naser al-Din Shah Qajar ( fa, ناصرالدین‌شاه قاجار; 16 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. He was the son of Mohammad Shah Qajar and Mal ...

. Sepehr graduated from the Jewish Alliance school, a secondary education institution in Iran. He received higher education under French professors hired by

Ahmad Shah Qajar Ahmad Shah Qajar ( fa, احمد شاه قاجار; 21 January 1898 – 21 February 1930) was Shah of Persia (Iran) from 16 July 1909 to 15 December 1925, and the last ruling member of the Qajar dynasty. Ahmad Shah was born in Tabriz on 21 Januar ...

. Sepehr was fluent in several European languages, including German and French.

Career

During the Qajar era Sepehr worked as a translator at the customs office and became the head of the translation office. In 1914 he was appointed first secretary of the German Embassy in Tehran, and with the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

he began to shape Germany's policies in relation to Iran. At the same time, he chaired the board of directors of the Iran-Russia Fisheries Company. He then emigrated from the country and returned after the end of the war. In 1916 he was awarded the title of Movarrekh Al Dowleh due to his family's services to the history studies. Sepehr then held the following positions: head of the North Tehran Registry Office, head of the Ministry of Finance, minister of state, and head of the Administrative Courts at the Ministry of Finance. In 1942 Sepehr was elected as a deputy and became acting minister of crafts and arts in the cabinet of

Ali Soheili Ali Soheili ( fa, علی سهیلی; 1896 – 1 May 1958) was a Prime Minister of Iran. Born in Tabriz, he served as Prime Minister in 1942, and Ambassador to Britain in 1953. He has studied at Saint Louis school in Tehran. The Tehran Confe ...

. In the 1940s he was again made the chair of the Fisheries Board and played a significant role in the nationalization of fisheries. Sepehr was one of the supporters of

Ahmad Qavam Ahmad Qavam (2 January 1873 – 23 July 1955; fa, احمد قوام), also known as Qavam os-Saltaneh ( fa, قوام السلطنه), was a politician who served as Prime Minister of Iran five times. Early life Qavam was born in 1873 to a p ...

who succeeded

Mohammad Mosaddegh Mohammad Mosaddegh ( fa, محمد مصدق, ; 16 June 1882 – 5 March 1967) was an Iranian politician, author, and lawyer who served as the 35th Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953, after appointment by the 16th Majlis. He was a member of ...

prime minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...

. Sepehr served as the minister of trade and industry in the first cabinet of Qavam in 1946. However, Sepehr was fired by Qavam soon and was sent to exile in

Kashan Kashan ( fa, ; Qashan; Cassan; also romanized as Kāshān) is a city in the northern part of Isfahan province, Iran. At the 2017 census, its population was 396,987 in 90,828 families. Some etymologists argue that the city name comes from ...

Work, recognition and death

Sepehr was the author of several books, including ''Iran in the Great War''. In 1918 Sepehr was awarded by Ahmad Shah the

Order of the Lion and the Sun The Imperial Order of the Lion and the Sun ( Persian: نشان سلطنتی شیر و خورشید) was instituted by Fat’h Ali Shah of the Qajar dynasty in 1808 to honour foreign officials (later extended to Iranians) who had rendered disting ...

. He died in Tehran in 1976 and was buried in the Beheste Zahra cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sepehr, Ahmad Ali 20th-century Iranian historians 20th-century translators 1889 births 1976 deaths Burials at Behesht-e Zahra Government ministers of Iran Iranian exiles Politicians from Tehran Iranian translators People of Qajar Iran People of Pahlavi Iran