Hasan Polatkan

Hasan Polatkan
Minister of Finance of Turkey
In office
3 December 1956  27 May 1960
Prime Minister Adnan Menderes
Preceded by Nedim Ökmen
Succeeded by Ekrem Alican
Minister of Finance of Turkey
In office
14 December 1950  9 December 1955
Prime Minister Adnan Menderes
Preceded by Halil Ayan
Succeeded by Nedim Ökmen
Minister of Labor of Turkey
In office
22 May 1950  22 December 1950
Prime Minister Adnan Menderes
Preceded by Mustafa Münir Birsel
Succeeded by Ahmet Hulusi Köymen
Personal details
Born 1915
Eskişehir, Turkey
Died September 16, 1961 (aged 46)
Nationality Turkish
Political party Democrat Party
Alma mater Istanbul University

Hasan Polatkan (1915 16 September 1961) was a Turkish politician and Minister of Labor and Finance, who was executed by hanging after the coup d'état in 1960 along with two other cabinet members.

Early years

He was born 1915 in Eskişehir, Turkey to a Crimean Tatar descendent family. He studied political science at Istanbul University.[1] After his graduation in 1936, Polatkan worked at the state-owned Ziraat Bank as inspector.

Political career

He entered politics and was elected in 1946 general election deputy of Eskişehir into the Turkish Grand National Assembly for the Democratic Party. He secured his seat in the parliament after the 1950, 1954 and 1957 general elections. He served in the cabinet of Prime Minister Adnan Menderes as Minister of Labor (22 May 1950 - 14 December 1950) and later twice as Minister of Finance (14 December 1950 - 9 December 1955 and 3 December 1956 - 27 May 1960) until the Turkish Armed Forces staged a coup and ousted the 19th government.[1]

Trial and execution

He was arrested with Menderes in Kütahya, charged with corruption and violating the constitution along with some other party members, and put on trial on the island of Yassıada. Polatkan was sentenced to death and hanged on the island of İmralı on 16 September 1961,[2] as were Adnan Menderes and Fatin Rüştü Zorlu. Many years after his death, his grave was moved to a mausoleum in Istanbul on 17 September 1990 along with Menderes' and Zorlu's remains.[3]

He was survived by his wife Mutahhare Polatkan and daughter Nilgün Polatkan.[2]

Legacy

A boulevard in Eskişehir is named after him.[4] His name is given to a high school in Bakırköy, Istanbul,[5] as well as to a secondary school,[6] and a cultural center in Odunpazarı, Eskişehir.[7]

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Biyografi - Hasan Polatkan". Es Haber 26 (in Turkish). Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "Hasan Polatkan'ın ailesi isyan etti". Bugün (in Turkish). 2013-01-25. Retrieved 2014-04-20.
  3. Aktürk, İbrahim & Süleyman Kaya (2013-09-18). "52. yıl anması". Hürriyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  4. "Hasan Polatkan Caddesi Haritası" (in Turkish). Harita Map. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  5. "Ana Sayfa" (in Turkish). Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı - İstanbul - Bakırköy - Hasan Polatkan Anadolu Lisesi. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  6. "Ana Sayfa" (in Turkish). Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı - Eskişehir - Odunpazarı - Hasan Polatkan Ortaokulu. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  7. "Hasan Polatkan Kültür Merkezi Açıldı". Haberler (in Turkish). 2014-03-02. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
Political offices
Preceded by
Mustafa Münir Birsel
Minister of Labor of Turkey
22 May 195022 December 1950
Succeeded by
Ahmet Hulusi Köymen
Preceded by
Halil Ayan
Minister of Finance of Turkey
14 December 19509 December 1955
Succeeded by
Nedim Ökmen
Preceded by
Nedim Ökmen
Minister of Finance of Turkey
3 December 195627 May 1960
Succeeded by
Ekrem Alican