Hassan-Ali Mansur

Hasan-ali Mansur (April 13, 1923 – January 27, 1965) was an Iranian liberal and politician who was Prime Minister from 1963 to 1965. He served during the White Revolution of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and was assassinated by a member of the Fadayan-e Islam.

Education

Hassan Ali was born in Tehran in 1923 to Prime Minister Ali Mansour (Mansour-al-Molk) and daughter of Zahir-ol-Molk Raiss. Attended school in Tehran and graduated from Firooz-Bahram High School. During the World War II era, he entered Law School in University of Tehran and graduated with a degree in Political Science.

Early Public Career

In the post World War II era, young Mansour started his political career by entering the Foreign ministry and completed several internal and foreign assignments including tours of Germany and France. In the 1950s, this thirty year old was twice appointed as Chief of Prime Minister's Office, first for a brief period because of change in government, and second lasted for 2 years. In 1957, Prime Minister Manuchehr Eghbal appointed him as Chairman of the Economics Council and Vice Prime Minister. He also held positions as Minister of Labor, and Minister of Trade. Prime Minister Asadollah Alam appointed him as Chairman of "Bimeh Iran" insurance company.

Election to Majlis and Birth of IRAN-NOVIN Party

The Progressive Party or "Kanoon Motaraghion" was founded by Mansour to conduct economic policy research as well as the launching pad for his future prime ministership. In 1962 Mansour ran for the 21st Majlis and was elected as the second representative from Tehran, after Abdollah Riazi, Speaker of the Majlis. A few dozen of his party members were also elected to Majlis, with the exception of Hoveyda and Kashefian who were more interested in executive branch. Mansour then expanded his power base by forming a coalition and founded "IRAN NOVIN" party with a majority of 175 out of 230 deputies, and was elected the Majority Leader of Parliament.

Premiership during the White revolution

After Alam resigned his premiership in 1963, the forty-four-year-old Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi appointed forty-year-old Mansour prime minister. Like passing of the torch to a younger generation in America during the forty-year-old Kennedy, young Mansour introduced many young new faces, such as Amir Abbas Hoveyda, Jamshid Amuzegar, Ataollah Khosravani, Dr. Nahavandi, Alinaghi Alikhani, Manouchehr Rohani, and many other Iran Novin members. Since most of his cabinet were young and American/European educated, Mansour had pro-American tendencies in his politics and enjoyed the support of American government. Clearly the Shah now felt more comfortable working with people from his own generation than older generation who also served his father and called him "Shah Javan" or the "Young Shah". The torch was passed from the old war heroes to younger educated technocrats to carry out the "White Revolution" and an explosive decade of growth.

Mansour passed the Geneva Convention American Force Protection Act, also known as the highly controversial Capitulation Law. This led to a fiery attack by Ayatollah Khomeini from Qom, and resulted in his historical exile to Turkey, and many subsequent riots. Mansour also raised the price of gasoline from 5 to 10 Rials to meet budget deficits, but later retreated after strikes by taxi drivers.

Assassination

At 10am Jan 22, 1965, a few days before the first anniversary of the White Revolution, Mansour was entering the gates of Majlis to present his first State-of-the-Union speech. After Mansour stepped out of his car in Baharestan Square, a bystander, Mohammad Bokharaii, approached him and fired three shots. Four members of the Fadayan-e Islam were later executed for the murder.

He was put back into the car and rushed to the hospital, where he remained in critical condition for 5 days before he finally died. During the crisis, Shah quickly appointed Mansour's friend, Amir-Abbas Hoveida as the acting prime minister, which he inherited for the next 13 years. Mansour's assassination occurred a few years after assassination of prime minister Ali Razmara.

Mansour was buried in "Shah-Abdol-Azim" near Reza Shah Mausoleum, and a Kennedy-like Black Granite Eternal Flame was constructed at his grave site. After the Islamic Revolution, the Mansour gravesite was destroyed by Ayatollah Khalkhali, the Hanging Judge, and his remains were dug up and scattered. Islamic President Rafsanjani later bragged about ordering the assassination of Mansour and providing the pistol to the assassin, which he has kept as a personal memento.

Mansour was briefly engaged to Noushie Teymourtash, but subsequently married Farideh Emami and was survived by a son, the jazz guitarist Ahmad Mansour (1960-2011). Farideh's sister Leyla Emami, later married prime minister Amir Abbas Hoveyda. Javad Mansour, his brother, also served as a consultant to Prime Minister Hoveyda. His sister Touran was briefly engaged to Fereydoun Hoveyda but subsequently married Manouchehr Teymourtash

See also

• Pahlavi Dynasty
• List of Prime Ministers of Iran
• Ali Mansour
• Amir Abbas Hoveyda
• Fereydoun Hoveyda
• Abdolhossein Teymourtash

References used

• '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). ISBN 9-649340-661 (Vol. 1), ISBN 9-649340-653 (Vol. 2).
• Biography of Recent Political and Military People of Iran, Bagher Agheli, Volume 3, p.1548, in Persian, Tehran 2001