Ali-Akbar Dāvar (, also known as Mirza Ali-Akbar Khan-e Dāvar (); 1885 – 10 February 1937) was an
Iranian
Iranian () may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to Iran
** Iranian diaspora, Iranians living outside Iran
** Iranian architecture, architecture of Iran and parts of the rest of West Asia
** Iranian cuisine, cooking traditions and practic ...
politician and judge, and the founder of the modern
judicial system of Iran
A nationwide judicial system in Iran was first implemented and established by Abdolhossein Teymourtash under Reza Shah, with further changes during the second Pahlavi era.
After the 1979 overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty by the Islamic Revol ...
.
Early life and education
Ali-Akbar Davar was born in 1885
[DĀVAR, ʿALĪ-AKBAR]
Iranica Online in Tehran. His father, Kalbali Khan Khazen al Khalvat, was a minor court official during the reign of
Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar
Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar (; 23 March 1853 – 3 January 1907) was the fifth Qajar shah of Iran, reigning from 1896 until his death in 1907. He is often credited with the creation of the Persian Constitution of 1906, which he approved of in ...
.
In 1900, Davar enrolled in the élite school of
Dar ul-Funun to study medicine;
however, he changed his field of study to law and graduated from the University of Geneva receiving a degree in law in 1908.
Legal and Political Career
In 1909, he began his career in the judiciary in
Iran
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...
as a judge in the provincial court.
Davar rose the ranks quickly and in 1910 became the public prosecutor of
Tehran
Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...
.
He then went on to obtain his law degree in
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
. He returned to Iran in 1921 and founded the "Radical party of Iran" (''Hezb-e Radical''). He also founded the newspaper ''
Mard-e Azad'' ("The Free Man") in which he published regular comments. He was elected to the 4th, 5th, and 6th
Majles
(, pl. ') is an Arabic term meaning 'sitting room', used to describe various types of special gatherings among common interest groups of administrative, social or religious nature in countries with linguistic or cultural connections to the Mus ...
as the representative of
Varamin
Varamin (; ) is a city in the Central District of Varamin County, Tehran province, Iran, serving as capital of both the county and the district.
Etymology
The word "''Varamin''" has been recorded with the same spelling and pronunciation in P ...
from
Tehran province
Tehran province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Tehran.
Tehran province covers an area of and is located to the north of the central plateau of Iran. It was made a part of the First Region with its secretar ...
and
Lar from
Fars province
Fars Province or Pars Province, also known as Persis or Farsistan (فارسستان), is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Shiraz.
Pars province has an area of 122,400 km2 and is located in Iran's southwest, i ...
.
Along with contemporaries such as
Abdolhossein Teymourtash
Abdolhossein Teymourtash (; 25 September 1883 – 3 October 1933) was an influential Iranian statesman who served as the first minister of court of the Pahlavi dynasty from 1925 to 1932, and is credited with playing a crucial role in laying the ...
and
Farman Farmaian, Dāvar took a lead role among the politicians who voted for the abolition of the
Qajar dynasty
The Qajar family (; 1789–1925) was an Iranian royal family founded by Mohammad Khan (), a member of the Qoyunlu clan of the Turkoman-descended Qajar tribe. The dynasty's effective rule in Iran ended in 1925 when Iran's '' Majlis'', conven ...
, opposing such parliamentarians as
Sayyed Hasan Taqizadeh,
Sayyed Hassan Modarres,
Yahya Doulatabadi and
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 ...
. In 1925, Dāvar became the minister of commerce in the
Foroughi Cabinet, and a year later was appointed minister of judicial affairs in the Cabinet of
Mostowfi ol-Mamalek
Mirza Hasan Ashtiani (), commonly known by the bestowed title Mostowfi ol-Mamalek (; 1871 – 1932) was an Iranian politician who served as Prime Minister on six occasions from 1910 to 1927.
Early life
Mostowfi al-Mamalek came from an importan ...
. In March 1926, with the approval of parliament, he dissolved Iran's entire judiciary, initiating a wave of fundamental restructuring and overhauling reforms with the aid of
French
French may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France
** French people, a nation and ethnic group
** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices
Arts and media
* The French (band), ...
judicial experts.

Iran's modern judicial system was born in April 1927 with 600 newly appointed judges in Tehran. Dāvar subsequently attempted to expand the new system into other cities of Iran through a programme involving training of 250 judges.
In December 1936, he proposed a bill to Majles that would seal a large contract with two American companies. The bill came under heavy protest from the British and the Russian governments, putting intense pressure on Dāvar's ministry.
Death
On 10 February 1937, Dāvar died and the news of his apparent suicide took the capital, Tehran, by storm. Rumors spread that two days earlier Dāvar had been in private severely reprimanded and threatened by
Reza Shah
Reza Shah Pahlavi born Reza Khan (15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was shah of Iran from 1925 to 1941 and founder of the roughly 53 years old Pahlavi dynasty. Originally a military officer, he became a politician, serving as minister of war an ...
. Some newspapers wrote that he had died of a heart attack, however others suggested that his death had been related to his proposed American bill to Majlis. Davar is said to have died by an overdose of opium.
[
Four years before, in 1933, Reza Shah had arrested Davar's closest friend Teymourtash.
Teymourtash died shortly afterward in prison. Many say he was killed by the prison's physician through lethal injection on orders of Reza Shah—a method widely used at the time.
]
Legacy
Among Dāvar's many achievements are establishing Iran's "Bureau of Social Affairs" (''Edareh-ye Sabt-e Ahval''), introducing "The Law of Documentation Registration" (''Qanun-e Sabt-e Asnad''), "The Law of Property Registration" (''Qanun-e Sabt-e Amlak''), and "The Law of Marriage and Divorce" (''Qanun-e Ezdevag va Talāq'').
Dāvar also implemented some reforms as minister of finance in the Cabinet of Mohammad Ali Foroughi
Mohammad Ali Foroughi (; early August 1877 – 26 or 27 November 1942), also known as Zoka-ol-Molk ( Persian: ذُکاءُالمُلک), was an Iranian politician, writer, freemason, Azali, and diplomat who served as the Prime Minister of ...
. He further established Iran's first state insurance
Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to protect ...
company in the Cabinet of prime minister Mahmoud Djam
Mahmoud Modir al-Molk Djam (; 1880 – 10 August 1969) was a prime minister of Iran from 1935 to 1939.
Early life
Djam was born in Tabriz in around 1880. Career
Djam learned French from a Frenchman in Tabriz and began to work as a translator at ...
, taking effective steps in saving the state from near bankruptcy by modifying the tax
A tax is a mandatory financial charge or levy imposed on an individual or legal entity by a governmental organization to support government spending and public expenditures collectively or to regulate and reduce negative externalities. Tax co ...
laws.
Dāvar is regarded as one of the most productive ministers during Iran's tumultuous years of the early 20th century, who made sweeping reforms to Iran's judicial system. In commemorating Dāvar, Reza Shah is said to have told members of the Judiciary: ''"Don't ever think that you can become as good as Dāvar, by merely sitting in his chair".''[Reza Shabani. (2005). ''Iranian History at a Glance'', Alhoda UK. (), «The Post-Islamic Era», p. 291.]
References
Further reading
* Davar Ardalan, ''My Name Is Iran: A Memoir'' (Henry Holt and Co., New York, 2007). , .
External links
The Judiciary of the Islamic Republic of Iran
Islamic Republic of Iran Judiciary Public Relations Bureau
Dāvar's great-granddaughter on NPR
Source used for this article
* 'Alí Rizā Awsatí (عليرضا اوسطى), ''Iran in the past three centuries'' (''Irān dar Se Qarn-e Goz̲ashteh'' – ايران در سه قرن گذشته), Vol. 2 (Paktāb Publishing – انتشارات پاکتاب, Tehran, Iran, 2003). .
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davar, Ali Akbar
20th-century Iranian politicians
1885 births
1937 deaths
Iranian prosecutors
Members of the National Consultative Assembly
Ministers of justice of Iran
People from Sari, Iran
Revival Party politicians
University of Geneva alumni