Hassan Vossug ed-Dowleh (‎; April 1, 1868 – February 3, 1951) was an Iranian politician who served as 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 ...

twice. He was the older brother of Ahmad Qavam, who also served as Prime Minister, five times.

Life

Hassan Vossug was born to one of

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

's most famous families. His father was Mirza Ebrahim Motamed os-Saltaneh, and his grandfather was Mohammad Qavam od-Dowleh. Vossug's mother died when he was young, after which he was cared for by an uncle while his father worked as a financial manager in several provinces of Iran. He was educated at home by tutors and was fluent in French and English. As an adolescent, he accompanied his father on his travels, and took over the financial administration of

Iranian Azerbaijan Azerbaijan or Azarbaijan (, , ), also known as Iranian Azerbaijan, is a historical region in northwestern Iran that borders Iraq and Turkey to the west and Armenia, Azerbaijan, and the Azerbaijani exclave of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republ ...

at a young age. Vossug was elected as a founding member and deputy president of the inaugural

National Consultative Assembly The National Consultative Assembly (), or simply Majles, was the national legislative body of Iran from 1906 to 1979. It was elected by universal suffrage Universal suffrage or universal franchise ensures the right to vote for as many people ...

(Majles) of Iran in 1906. In the years 1911 to 1915, Vossug was the first

Foreign Minister 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 ...

and later

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 ...

. He served as Prime Minister from August 1916 to June 1917 and again from August 1918 to July 1920. Vossug played a leading role in negotiations that resulted in the 1919 Anglo-Persian Agreement, which led to allegations that he had been bribed by the British. Although Vossug denied that he had enriched himself personally and also offered to repay the money,Cyrus Ghani: Iran and the rise of Reza Shah. I.B.Tauris, 2000, p. 54. his reputation was so damaged that he left Iran. Vossug returned to the country in June 1926, not long after the accession of the new king

Reza Shah 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 ...

. He served briefly again as

and then as

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 ...

. He resigned as minister to run for a seat in the Majles, to which he was elected. After the expiry of his term in 1928, Vossug withdrew from politics, though he was still frequently consulted by Reza Shah in financial matters. In 1936 he became a member of the newly founded

Academy of Persian Language and Literature The Academy of Persian Language and Literature (APLL) (, ''Farhangestân-e Zabân-o Adab-e Fârsi'') is the regulatory body for the Persian language, headquartered in Tehran, Iran. Formerly known as the Academy of Iran (, ''Farhangestân-e Iran'' ...

. Hassam Vossug died in 1951 in

Tehran Tehran (; , ''Tehrân'') is the capital and largest city of Iran. It is the capital of Tehran province, and the administrative center for Tehran County and its Central District (Tehran County), Central District. With a population of around 9. ...

Issue

Vossugh married Maryam Badr, daughter of the prominent Qajar statesman and minister Nasir al-Dowleh. The issue from this marriage was; Asfar ul-Mulk, married Amir Aalam and had issue. Her daughter Homa would marry Gholamreza Pahlavi.

References

Sources

*'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:Vothuq Al-Dowleh, Hasan 1868 births 1951 deaths Politicians from Tehran Prime ministers of Iran Politics of Qajar Iran 20th-century Iranian politicians 19th-century Iranian politicians Democrat Party (Persia) politicians Ministers of justice of Iran Mostowfian Ashtiani family People of Qajar Iran Burials in Qom Burials at Fatima Masumeh Shrine

Life

Issue

See also

References

Sources