Mehdi Qoli Khan Hedayat (; 1863 – September 21, 1955), also known as Mokhber-ol Saltaneh (Persian: ), was

Prime Minister of Iran The prime minister of Iran was a political post that had existed in Iran (Persia) during much of the 20th century. It began in 1906 during the Qajar dynasty and into the start of the Pahlavi dynasty in 1923 and into the 1979 Iranian Revolution ...

and an author of several books on Iranian music, modern education, poetry, current affairs, and most notably a memoir covering his political tenure under the last 6 kings of Iran.

Early life

He was the third son of Ali Qoli Khan, “Mokhber-ol Douleh I” and grandson of

Reza-Qoli Khan Hedayat Reza-Qoli Khan Hedayat (; 8 June 1800 – 29 June 1871) was an Iranian literary historian, administrator, and poet in 19th-century Qajar Iran. Biography Hedayat was born in Tehran on 8 June 1800 to a renowned family which was descended from the ...

(historian of the Qajar era and director of Iran's first polytechnic institute, the Dar-ol Fonun in Tehran). Mehdi Qoli Hedayat received a broad traditional education, including courses in western science. In 1878, he was sent to Berlin to visit a school, although he soon left the school for private tutelage. His stay in Germany (from which he returned, fluent in German, in 1879) was a formative experience in his future perception of western influence on Iranian culture.

Qajar era

In 1885 Hedayat taught at the Dar-ol Fonun, and was made special chamberlain (''pishkhedmat-e khass'') by

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 ...

in 1893. After the death of his father in 1897

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 ...

bestowed the title ''Mokhber-os Saltaneh'' on Hedayat, and he accompanied the monarch as a German interpreter on his trip to Europe in 1901. After a year Hedayat returned to Iran and worked as a translator at the imperial court, influencing Mozaffar-ol Din Shah's granting of the constitution in 1906. Prior to that, being a member of the circle close to

Mirza Ali Asghar Khan Amin al-Sultan Mirza Ali Asghar Khan (; 6 January 1858 – 31 August 1907), also known by his honorific titles of Amin al-Soltan and Atabak, served as Prime Minister of Iran from 1887 to 1896 under Naser ed-Din Shah Qajar, from 1898 to 1904 under Mozaffar ...

, an influential aristocrat and several time prime minister of Iran, he joined the aforementioned on an around the globe tour in 1903, becoming one of the first Iranians in modern times to visit the Russian Far East, Imperial China, Meiji Japan, Hawaii, and the United States. The intention of the trip was to reach Mecca for performing "Hajj", albeit through an exotic route, and apparently the group derived sheer pleasure from sending postcards and telegrams to rival aristocrats in Tehran, from destinations previously unheard of. He meticulously recorded the events of this escapade in a travelogue which was later published in Tehran. On his return, after briefly serving as Governor General of Azerbaijan in 1908, he was appointed Governor of Azerbaijan from 1909 until his resignation in August 1911 due to Russian pressure on the central government in Tehran. As Governor General of

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 ...

1912, the central government had to cede to the British insistence to replace him and recalled Hedayat on 13 September 1915. As Minister of Justice, the Interior, Public Instruction, Finance and Public Works, Hedayat headed a number of ministries in several short-lived cabinets.

Rezā Shāh era

In 1926, Mostowfi became prime minister for the sixth time. Hedayat was appointed to the

Ministry of Commerce A ministry of trade and industry, ministry of commerce, ministry of commerce and industry or variations is a ministry that is concerned with a nation's trade, industry and commerce. Notable examples are: List *Algeria: Ministry of Industry and ...

and appointed public benefits and statesmanship; he was later elected president of the

Supreme Court In most legal jurisdictions, a supreme court, also known as a court of last resort, apex court, high (or final) court of appeal, and court of final appeal, is the highest court within the hierarchy of courts. Broadly speaking, the decisions of ...

under Ali Akbar Davar,

Minister of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

. Hedayat served nearly six-and-a-half years as prime minister to

Rezā Shāh 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 ...

Pahlavi; his premiership was conservative (laying a foundation for dictatorship), and he was dismissed in September 1933. Hedayat died on 21 September 1955 at the age of 92.

References

{{Authority control 1863 births 1955 deaths Politicians from Tehran Revival Party politicians Prime ministers of Iran People of the Persian Constitutional Revolution 19th-century Iranian politicians Democrat Party (Persia) politicians People from Mazandaran province 20th-century Iranian politicians