Hamdi al-Pachachi

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Hamdi al-Pachachi

In office
June 4, 1944 – February 23, 1946
Monarch Faisal II
Preceded by Nuri as-Said
Succeeded by Tawfiq al-Suwaidi

Born 1886
Baghdad, Iraq
Died 1948

Hamdi al-Pachachi (1886 – March 1948), Iraqi politician, was born to a well-to-do family in Baghdad. He studied law at the Royal School in Istanbul, graduating in 1909. He taught at the Baghdad Law College from 1913 to 1916. While in Istanbul, he joined the Covenant Society and became active in the Arab nationalist movement. Upon his return to Baghdad, he cooperated with the nationalists, who were demanding the decentralization of the Ottoman Empire. As a result of his activities during the 1920 Iraqi revolt against the British, al-Pachachi was arrested and exiled to Hanja, an island in the Persian Gulf. After his release, he continued to take part in anti-British activities. In 1925, he dropped his opposition to the British and began cooperating with Abd al-Muhsin as-Sa'dun. Al-Pachachi served as minister of waqf in one of as-Sa'dun's cabinets (1925-26). He then retired from politics for many years. A large landowner, he concentrated on business matters and agriculture. In 1935, he was elected deputy to Parliament, but did not play a major role. He was minister of social welfare in 1941 and was elected president of the Chamber of Commerce in 1943. Al-Pachahci served as prime minister twice (1944-46) and in 1948 was appointed minister of foreign affairs. He died while in that office.

[edit] References

  • Ghareeb, Edmund A. Historical Dictionary of Iraq, p. 179. Scarecrow Press, 2004, ISBN 0810843307.