Emile Morched Bustani (; 1907- March 15, 1963) was a Lebanese entrepreneur, philanthropist and politician.

Early life and education

Bustani was born in 1907 in Dibbiyeh –

Chouf Chouf (also spelled Shouf, Shuf or Chuf; ) is a historic region of Lebanon, as well as an administrative district in the governorate ( muhafazat) of Mount Lebanon. Geography Located south-east of Beirut, the region comprises a narrow coastal stri ...

. After he lost his father at age of six, Bustani was raised by American missionaries at the Gerard Institute in

Sidon Sidon ( ) or better known as Saida ( ; ) is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast in the South Governorate, Lebanon, South Governorate, of which it is the capital. Tyre, Lebanon, Tyre, t ...

– South Lebanon. Later, Bustani received help from a wealthy Lebanese businessman to study engineering at the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...

, from where he received a BS in that field by 1929. In 1930, he rejoined AUB as an instructor in Physics and as a Graduate student he received his MA in Astro-Physics by 1932. A year later in 1933, he obtained a BS in civil engineering 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 ...

, USA.

Career

Back in Beirut after MIT, Bustani worked for a time with the

Iraq Petroleum Company The Iraq Petroleum Company (IPC), formerly known as the Turkish Petroleum Company (TPC), is an oil company that had a virtual monopoly on all oil exploration and production in Iraq between 1925 and 1961. It was jointly owned by some of the world ...

, but soon founded his own Contracting and Trading Company, CAT – a company involved in laying and constructing oil pipelines, building roads and constructing cities throughout the Middle East. Bustani was elected a Member of Parliament in Lebanon in 1951, an office he held until his death in 1963. In 1962, he purchased the 1930 hotel called the Grand Hotel, where he and his wife used to go dancing before they married in the 1930s. He had bought the building with the intention of developing it. In order for redevelopment to happen, they needed to demolish the old hotel. Construction for the new hotel started in 1962. Bustani died before its completion. However, his wife and daughter Myrna Bustani continued the development of the project, which was finished in 1967 and named Al Bustan Hotel.

Death and legacy

Bustani died on March 15, 1963 (age 56) when his airplane crashed off the coast of Beirut in a heavy storm.Death of Laura Bustani, widow of the late Emile Bustani - founder of the Dormitory and the Physics Halls at AUB (http://www.aub.edu.lb/news/2012/Pages/laura-bustani.aspx) He is the father of Mirna Bustani, first woman to be elected in the

Lebanese Parliament The Lebanese Parliament (, ) is the unicameral national parliament of the Lebanon, Republic of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year term in Electoral district, multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's divers ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bustani, Emile 1907 births 1963 deaths Lebanese politicians Lebanese philanthropists Lebanese Maronites 20th-century philanthropists Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in Lebanon People from Chouf District Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1963 American University of Beirut alumni