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

Mohammad Taqi Sepehr Mirza Mohammad Taqi Sepehr (), also known as Mirza Mohammad Taqi Kashani, or with the honorific Lesan ol-Molk (; 1801–1880), was an Iranian court historian and littérateur of the Qajar era. He wrote with the pen name Sepehr ("celestial sphere" ...

, a historian during the rule of

Naser al-Din Shah Qajar Naser al-Din Shah Qajar (; ; 17 July 1831 – 1 May 1896) was the fourth Shah of Qajar Iran from 5 September 1848 to 1 May 1896 when he was assassinated. During his rule there was internal pressure from the people of Iran, as well as external ...

. 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 (‎; 21 January 1898 – 21 February 1930) was the List of monarchs of Iran, shah of Iran (Name of Iran, Persia) from 16 July 1909 to 15 December 1925, and the seventh and final ruling member of the Qajar dynasty. Ahmad Shah ...

. 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 or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

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 (; 1895 – 1 May 1958) was an Iranian diplomat. He served as Prime Minister of Iran for two terms in the early 1940s. Biography Soheili was born in Tabriz in 1895. He studied at Saint Louis school in Tehran. Soheili served as p ...

. 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; ), also known as Qavam os-Saltaneh (), was an Iranian politician who served as Prime Minister of Iran five times. Early life Qavam was born in 1873 to the prominent Iranian Qavam family. His un ...

who succeeded

Mohammad Mosaddegh Mohammad Mosaddegh (, ; 16 June 1882 – 5 March 1967) was an Iranian politician, author, and lawyer who served as the 30th Prime Minister of Iran from 1951 to 1953, elected by the 1950 Iranian legislative election, 16th Majlis. He was a membe ...

prime minister A prime minister 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

. 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 (; ) is a city in the Central District (Kashan County), Central District of Kashan County, in the northern part of Isfahan province, Isfahan province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district. History Earlies ...

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 language, Persian: نشان سلطنتی شیر و خورشید) was instituted by Fat′h Ali Shah Qajar, Fat’h Ali Shah of the Qajar dynasty in 1808 to honour foreign officials (later extend ...

. 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 Iranian translators 1889 births 1976 deaths Burials at Behesht-e Zahra Government ministers of Iran Iranian exiles Politicians from Tehran People of Qajar Iran People of Pahlavi Iran