Riad Al Solh (; 17 August 1894 – 17 July 1951) was a Lebanese politician and statesman who served as the first and fifth

prime minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...

from 1943 to 1945 and from 1946 to 1951, respectively.Pdf.
Solh was one of the most important figures in Lebanon's struggle for independence, who was able to unite the various religious groups, and is considered to be one of the founders of Lebanon.

Early life

Riad Al Solh, also written Riad el Solh or Riad Solh, was born 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 and of

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origin, on 17 August 1894. His father, Reda Al Solh, was Vice-governor in Nabatiyyah and in

and a leading nationalist Arab leader. In 1915 Reda Al Solh was tried by Ottoman forces and went into exile in

Smyrna Smyrna ( ; , or ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek city located at a strategic point on the Aegean Sea, Aegean coast of Anatolia, Turkey. Due to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence, and its good inland connections, Smyrna ...

Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empire, was an empire, imperial realm that controlled much of Southeast Europe, West Asia, and North Africa from the 14th to early 20th centuries; it also controlled parts of southeastern Centr ...

. He also served as Minister of the Interior in Emir Faisal's government in

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

. Riad Al Solh studied law and political science 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 ...

. He spent most of his youth in

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, as his father was a deputy in the

Ottoman Parliament The General Assembly (; French romanization: "Medjliss Oumoumi" or ''Genel Parlamento''; ) was the first attempt at representative democracy by the imperial government of the Ottoman Empire. Also known as the Ottoman Parliament ('' Legislation o ...

Career

Solh served as prime minister of Lebanon twice. His first term was just after the Lebanon's independence (25 September 1943 – 10 January 1945). Solh was chosen by president Bishara Al Khouri to be his first Prime Minister. Solh and Khouri achieved and implemented the National Pact (''al Mithaq al Watani'') in November 1943 that provided an official framework to accommodate the confessional differences in Lebanon. The National Pact was an unwritten gentleman's agreement. The Pact stated that president, prime minister and Speaker of the Parliament in Lebanon should be allocated to three major confessional groups based on the 1932 census, namely the Maronite Christians, the Sunni Muslims and the Shiite Muslims, respectively. During his first term, Solh also served as the

Minister 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 portfolio ...

from September 1943 to July 1944, and the minister of supplies and reserves from 3 July 1944 to 9 January 1945. Solh held premiership again from 14 December 1946 to 14 February 1951Kamil Dib, "Warlords and Merchants, The Lebanese Business and Political Establishment", p. 89 again under the presidency of Bishara Al Khouri. Solh was critical of King Abdullah and played a significant role in granting the blessing of

the Arab League The Arab League (, ' ), officially the League of Arab States (, '), is a regional organization in the Arab world. The Arab League was formed in Cairo on 22 March 1945, initially with seven members: Egypt, Iraq, Transjordan, Lebanon, Saudi ...

's political committee to the All-Palestine Government during his second term.

Assassination

Solh escaped unhurt from an assassination attempt in March 1950. It was perpetrated by a member of the

Syrian Social Nationalist Party The Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP; ) is a Syrian nationalist party operating in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. It advocates the establishment of a Greater Syrian nation state spanning the Fertile Crescent, including present-day Syria, Leb ...

(SSNP). However, several months after leaving office, he was gunned down on 17 July 1951 at Marka Airport in

Amman Amman ( , ; , ) is the capital and the largest city of Jordan, and the country's economic, political, and cultural center. With a population of four million as of 2021, Amman is Jordan's primate city and is the largest city in the Levant ...

by members of the SSNP. The attack was perpetrated by three gunmen, who killed him in revenge for the execution of Anton Saadeh, one of the party's founding leaders.

Personal life

He secretly converted to Shia Islam since, compared to Sunni Islam, its inheritance laws meant that his daughters, his only children, could inherit a greater share of his wealth. Al Solh was married to Fayza Al Jabiri, the sister of two-time

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, Saadallah al-Jabiri. They had five daughters and a son, Reda, who died in infancy. His eldest daughter, Aliya (1935–2007), continued in her father's path in the struggle for a free and secure Lebanon. Lamia Al Solh (born 1937) was married to the late

Prince Moulay Abdallah of Morocco Prince Moulay Abdallah of Morocco (31 May 1935 – 20 December 1983) was the brother of Moulay Hassan, later King Hassan II of Morocco and the son of King Mohammed V of Morocco (1909–1961), and his second wife Princess Abla bint Tahar (1909� ...

, King Mohammed VI's uncle. Her children are Moulay Hicham, Moulay Ismail and a daughter Lalla Zineb. Mona Al Solh (-2025) was formerly married to the Saudi Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz. She is the mother of the Prince Al Waleed bin Talal, Prince Khalid bin Talal and Princess Reema bint Talal. Bahija Al Solh Assad is married to Said Al Assad who is the former Lebanese ambassador to

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and a former member of parliament. They have two sons and two daughters. His youngest daughter,

Leila Al Solh Leila Al Solh (; born 1946) is the vice president of Alwaleed Bin Talal Foundation, Alwaleed bin Talal Humanitarian Foundation and a former Lebanese minister of industry. Early life and education Born in Beirut in 1946, Leila Al Solh is the youn ...

Hamade, was appointed one of the first two female ministers in Omar Karami's government.

Legacy

Patrick Seale's book ''The Struggle for Arab Independence'' (2011) deals with the history of the

Middle East The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq. The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...

from the final years of the

up to the 1950s and focuses on the influential career and personality of Solh. A square in downtown Beirut, Riad al-Solh Square,Young, M., ''The Ghosts of Martyrs Square: An Eyewitness Account of Lebanon's Life Struggle'' (

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

Simon & Schuster Simon & Schuster LLC (, ) is an American publishing house owned by Kohlberg Kravis Roberts since 2023. It was founded in New York City in 1924, by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. Along with Penguin Random House, Hachette Book Group US ...

, 2010)
p. 129
is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solh, Riad 1894 births 1951 deaths Riad Prime ministers of Lebanon Finance ministers of Lebanon Justice ministers of Lebanon People from Sidon Assassinated Lebanese politicians 20th-century Lebanese politicians People murdered in Jordan Lebanese people murdered abroad Lebanese people from the Ottoman Empire Lebanese Shia Muslims People murdered in 1951 Converts to Shia Islam from Sunni Islam University of Paris alumni Lebanese independence activists Assassinated prime ministers Politicians assassinated in the 1950s People of the 1948 Arab–Israeli War Assassinations in Jordan