Manouchehr Eghbal (; September 1909 – 25 November 1977) was an Iranian physician and

royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

politician. He was the

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 ...

from 1957 to 1960.

Early life and education

Eghbal was born in

Mashhad Mashhad ( ; ), historically also known as Mashad, Meshhed, or Meshed in English, is the List of Iranian cities by population, second-most-populous city in Iran, located in the relatively remote north-east of the country about from Tehran. ...

in September 1909, and his family was from Khorasan. He had an older brother, Ali. Eghbal studied at Darolfonoon. He finished his advanced studies in medicine at the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

in 1933.

Career and activities

Following his graduation in 1933 Eghbal was employed as a physician in Mashhad. During the 1940s he was made deputy health minister. He was a member of the French Academy of Medicine. He was named as the undersecretary of the Ministry of Health in 1943. In 1950, Eghbal was appointed chancellor of Tabriz University. He was named as the governor of Azerbaijan in 1950 and held the post until 1952. He became chancellor of

Tehran University The University of Tehran (UT) or Tehran University (, ) is a public collegiate university in Iran, and the oldest and most prominent Iranian university located in Tehran. Based on its historical, socio-cultural, and political pedigree, as well as ...

in 1954. Five years later he became Iran's envoy to

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

. He then taught at Sorbonne for a while and became a member of the French Académie Nationale de Médecine. During this period he founded the Nationalists' Party and served as the party's chair. Eghbal was appointed minister of health in the cabinet led by

Mohammad Sa'ed Mohammad Sa'ed Maraghei (; 28 April 1881 – 1 November 1973) was the 23rd Prime Minister of Iran. Early life Sa'ed was born in Maragheh, and studied at the University of Lausanne. Prime minister Sa'ed became prime minister after the fall of Al ...

in 1944. He also held the same post in the cabinet led by Ahmad Qavam (1946). Then he served as the minister of education in the cabinet of

Abdolhossein Hazhir Abdolhossein Hazhir (‎; 4 June 1902 – 5 November 1949) was an Iranian politician who served as the Prime Minister of Iran under Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Mohammad Reza Pahlavi (26 October 1919 – 27 July 1980) was the last List of ...

(1948), minister of transportation in the cabinet led by

Ali Mansur Ali Khan Mansur (, also known as ''Mansur ul-Mulk'' ()‎; 1886 – 8 December 1974) was the prime minister of Iran for two terms between 1940 and 1941 and in 1950. Biography Born in Tehran, he served as Governor of Khorasan and Azarbaija ...

, and interior minister in the cabinet of Mohammad Sa'ed between 1948 and 1950. In April 1957, Eghbal became prime minister, replacing

Hossein Ala' Hosein Alā (; 13 December 1881 – 13 July 1964) was a prominent Iranian diplomat and statesman who held several key positions during the early 20th century, including two terms as Prime Minister. Background He was born in 1881 in Tehran and s ...

in the post. Eghbal was also named as the chief of Plan Orgazination in February 1959 when Abol Hassan Ebtehaj resigned from office. His cabinet lasted until September 1960, and he was replaced by

Jafar Sharif-Emami Jafar Sharif-Imami (; 17 June 1912 – 16 June 1998) was an Iranian politician who was prime minister from 1960 to 1961 and again in 1978. He was a cabinet minister, president of the Iranian Senate, president of the Pahlavi Foundation and the ...

as prime minister. Until his death, he served as the chairman of the

National Iranian Oil Company The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC; ) is a government-owned national oil and natural gas producer and distributor under the direction of the Ministry of Petroleum of Iran. NIOC was established in 1951 and restructured under The Consorti ...

. He was also one of the close aides to the Shah and also, served as a board member of the royal organization of social welfare headed by

Ashraf Pahlavi Ashraf ol-Molouk Pahlavi (, , 26 October 1919 – 7 January 2016) was the twin sister of Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, the late Shah of Iran (Persia), and a member of the Pahlavi dynasty. She was considered the "power behind her brother" and was instru ...

Personal life and death

Eghbal married a French woman, Alice, during his studies in France. They had three daughters. The eldest Nicole became a nun. The second, Monique, married a Swiss surgeon and had a daughter, Muriel Pedrazzini. The youngest daughter, Maryam Francoise, first married Prince Mahmoud Reza Pahlavi in October 1964 when she was 18 years old, but the marriage ended in divorce and she married Shahriar Shafiq. Eghbal died of a heart attack on 25 November 1977 in Tehran, aged 68.

Honors

Eghbal was given the title of honorary doctorate by the University of Paris in 1959. He was also awarded the same title by the

University of Bordeaux The University of Bordeaux (, ) is a public research university based in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. It has several campuses in the cities and towns of Bordeaux, Dax, Gradignan, Périgueux, Pessac, and Talence. There are al ...

References

External links