Şahap Kocatopçu (1916–2012) was a Turkish engineer, politician and businesspeople. He was the minister of industry for two times in the cabinets established after the military coups. He headed several state and private companies.

Early life and education

He was born in Istanbul on 17 February 1916. He was educated in

Galatasaray High School Galatasaray High School (, ), established in Istanbul in 1481, is the oldest and Selective school, highly selective high school in Turkey. It is also the second-oldest Turkish educational institution after Istanbul University, which was establi ...

until 1936. He graduated from

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

in 1954 receiving a degree in metallurgical and materials engineering. He also obtained a Ph.D. in the same field.

Career

Kocatopçu started his career at Sümerbank in 1945. Then he joined the General Directorate of Cement Industry as a planning manager. On 11 May 1954 he was named as the director general of the state-owned Turkey Bottle and Glass Factories and held this post until 22 September 1980. Following the military coup in 1960 he was elected to the

Constituent Assembly A constituent assembly (also known as a constitutional convention, constitutional congress, or constitutional assembly) is a body assembled for the purpose of drafting or revising a constitution. Members of a constituent assembly may be elected b ...

. Between 1960 and 1961 he served as the minister of industry and technology in the cabinet formed by

Cemal Gürsel Cemal Gürsel (9 June 1894 – 14 September 1966) was a Turkish military officer and politician who was the fourth president of Turkey, serving from 1960 to 1966 after taking power in a coup d'état. Early life Gürsel was born in the town ...

. He resigned from the post on 14 July 1961. Kocatopçu became the first chairman of the Turkish Employer Unions Confederation in 1962 of which he was one of the founders. He held the post until 1967. In 1963 he became the chair of the council at Istanbul Chamber of Industry. He was appointed minister of industry in 1980 after the military coup and remained in office until 13 December 1981 when he resigned from office. He was the chairman of the Turkish Industry and Business Association between 1985 and 1986.

Membership and activities

Kocatopçu was confounder of various foundations and served in their boards. He was a member of the Galatasaray S.K.

Personal life and death

Kocatopçu was married and had two children. He died in Istanbul on 25 April 2012 at age 96. Kocatopçu was interred in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery in Istanbul.

Awards

Kocatopçu was the recipient of

Ordre national du Mérite The (; ) is a French order of merit with membership awarded by the President of the French Republic, founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle. The reason for the order's establishment was twofold: to replace the large number of ...

(1984).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kocatopcu, Sahap 20th-century Turkish businesspeople 21st-century Turkish businesspeople 20th-century Turkish engineers 1916 births 2012 deaths Burials at Zincirlikuyu Cemetery Engineers from Istanbul Galatasaray High School alumni Businesspeople from Istanbul Industry ministers of Turkey Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Members of the 24th government of Turkey Members of the 25th government of Turkey Members of the 44th government of Turkey Independent politicians Politicians from Istanbul Members of the Constituent Assembly of Turkey