Bahi Ladgham ( ar, الباهي الأدغم; 10 January 1913 – 13 April 1998) was a Tunisian politician who served as the Secretary of Presidency from 1957 to 1969 (

de facto ''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...

prime minister) and the Prime Minsiter of

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from 7 November 1969 to 2 November 1970.

Biography

He is the son of Ahmed Ladgham, himself the son of a Libyan immigrant from

Misrata Misrata ( ; also spelled Misurata or Misratah; ar, مصراتة, Miṣrāta ) is a city in the Misrata District in northwestern Libya, situated to the east of Tripoli and west of Benghazi on the Mediterranean coast near Cape Misrata. With ...

to settle in Tunisia in the mid-nineteenth century because of a local revolt against the Ottoman presence, and a Tunisian woman the Kachoukh family of the Sahel, Zohra Ben Aouda, daughter of

Algerian Algerian may refer to: * Something of, or related to Algeria * Algerian people This article is about the demographic features of the population of Algeria, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, econo ...

immigrants from

Médéa Médéa ( ber, Lemdiyyet, ar, المدية ''al-Madiya''), population 123,535 (1998 census) is the capital city of Médéa Province, Algeria. It is located roughly 68 km south of Algiers. The present-day city is situated on the site of ...

who fled the French repression of supporters of

Emir Abdelkader Abdelkader ibn Muhieddine (6 September 1808 – 26 May 1883; ar, عبد القادر ابن محي الدين '), known as the Emir Abdelkader or Abdelkader El Hassani El Djazairi, was an Algerian religious and military leader who led a struggl ...

; she dies when he is only eight and a half. Coming from a modest family living in the Tunisian district of Bab El Akouas, Bahi Ladgham lives in a cultural atmosphere where Tunisians of different origins mix. He studied at the kouttab of his neighborhood before entering Sadiki College in 1921 at the age of eight, on the advice of a friend of his father, Hassen Chadli. Brilliant throughout his studies, he received several awards and congratulations from his teachers, including Mohamed Tahar Ben Achour and Mohamed Salah Mzali. After the

First World War 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 ...

, the backroom of his father is a place for debate and discussion around political and cultural themes: the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the de-Islamization of Turkey by

Mustafa Kemal Atatürk Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, or Mustafa Kemal Pasha until 1921, and Ghazi Mustafa Kemal from 1921 Surname Law (Turkey), until 1934 ( 1881 – 10 November 1938) was a Turkish Mareşal (Turkey), field marshal, Turkish National Movement, re ...

, the struggle of Libyan nationalists against Italy but especially the situation of Tunisia with the foundation of Destour by Abdelaziz Thâalbi in 1920. Also an adept reader, this context leads him to want to revolt against the French occupier.

References

1913 births 1998 deaths People from Tunis Socialist Destourian Party politicians Prime Ministers of Tunisia Finance ministers of Tunisia 20th-century Tunisian people {{Tunisia-bio-stub