Hajji Hossein-Gholi Khan Noori (1849–1937), also known as Hajji Washington (), was an Iranian

politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...

, cabinet minister, and

diplomat A diplomat (from ; romanization, romanized ''diploma'') is a person appointed by a state (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, nongovernmental institution to conduct diplomacy with one ...

and belonged to one of the oldest aristocratic families in Iran - the Khajeh Nouris, tracing their history back to over one thousand years.

Early life and education

Hajji Hajji (; sometimes spelled Hajjeh, Hadji, Haji, Alhaji, Al-Hadj, Al-Haj or El-Hajj) is an honorific title which is given to a Muslim who has successfully completed the Hajj to Mecca. Etymology ''Hajji'' is derived from the Arabic ' (), which i ...

Hossain-Gholi Khan was the second son of the Iranian grand vizier, Mirza Aqa Khan Nuri. He was educated by his father. He then entered the service of the

Ministry of finance A ministry of finance is a ministry or other government agency in charge of government finance, fiscal policy, and financial regulation. It is headed by a finance minister, an executive or cabinet position . A ministry of finance's portfoli ...

, and later the

ministry of foreign affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and relations, diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral r ...

Political career

He was appointed the first ambassador to the United States in 1889, where he kept a scrapbook of newspaper cuttings from the American press about the reigning monarch

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 ...

. He objected to how the Shah’s official visit to England in 1889 was covered by the press and he resigned from his post in protest. After his return from the United States, he served as the minister of public works ("favaayed-e aamme") and married Naser al-Din Shah’s daughter.

Diplomatic career

Haji Hossain-Gholi Khan was the Iranian Consul General to India. In 1885, when the Democratic Party took over the administration,

Benjamin Benjamin ( ''Bīnyāmīn''; "Son of (the) right") blue letter bible: https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h3225/kjv/wlc/0-1/ H3225 - yāmîn - Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (kjv) was the younger of the two sons of Jacob and Rachel, and Jacob's twe ...

, the first US ambassador in Iran, resigned his post conforming with diplomatic practice. On 20 November 1885, President

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

appointed Fredrick H. Winston as Benjamin's successor. On 3 August 1886,

Spencer Pratt Spencer William Pratt (born August 14, 1983) is an American reality television personality. In 2007, he began dating Heidi Montag, a primary cast member of the reality television series '' The Hills''. Subsequently, he came to prominence after ...

was appointed as the third US Consul General in Tehran. At this time, Naser al-Din Shah decided to open a permanent Iranian embassy in Washington. Haji Hossain-Gholi Khan was appointed as Minister Plenipotentiary and Envoy Extraordinary to Washington He selected his staff of ten of the English-speaking members of the Iranian Foreign Ministry. It took him and his staff 2 months and a very difficult journey to arrive in Washington. He had a friendly attitude and a sociable nature. His reports were positive and illuminating. He managed to spark interest in Iran among American orientalogists.''The first Diplomatic Relations Between Iran and America, Abbas Eghbal, Yadegar Magazine, 1944]''

Later years

He returned to live in Tehran after his mission to the US. * Haji Washington had one son named Nasrullah and two daughters named Mehr Mah and Taj al Molook who married Hossein Ghods-Nakhai, the Iranian

minister of foreign affairs In many countries, the ministry of foreign affairs (abbreviated as MFA or MOFA) is the highest government department exclusively or primarily responsible for the state's foreign policy and foreign relations, relations, diplomacy, bilateralism, ...

and ambassador to Washington in the

Pahlavi era The Imperial State of Iran, officially known as the Imperial State of Persia until 1935, and commonly referred to as Pahlavi Iran, was the Iranian state under the rule of the Pahlavi dynasty. The Pahlavi dynasty was created in 1925 and lasted ...

Notes

References

*'Alí Rizā Awsatí (عليرضا اوسطى), ''Iran in the Past Three Centuries'' (''Irān dar Se Qarn-e Goz̲ashteh'' - ايران در سه قرن گذشته), Volumes 1 and 2 (Paktāb Publishing - انتشارات پاکتاب, Tehran, Iran, 2003). (Vol. 1), (Vol. 2). {{DEFAULTSORT:Haji Washington Government ministers of Iran Iranian governors 1849 births 1937 deaths Ambassadors of Iran to Germany Ambassadors of Iran to France Ambassadors of Iran to the United States Ambassadors of Iran to Japan Ambassadors of Iran to Afghanistan People from Nur, Iran

Early life and education

Political career

Diplomatic career

Later years

See also

Notes

References