Ali Amini

Ali Amini
34th Prime Minister of Iran
In office
5 May 1961 – 19 July 1962
MonarchMohammad Reza Shah
Preceded byJafar Sharif-Emami
Succeeded byAsadollah Alam
Ambassador of Iran to the United States
In office
24 January 1956 – 22 May 1958
MonarchMohammad Reza Shah
Preceded byNasrollah Entezam
Succeeded byAli Gholi Ardalan
Minister of Justice
In office
7 April 1955 – 24 January 1956
Prime MinisterHossein Ala
Minister of Finance
In office
19 August 1953 – 6 April 1955
Prime MinisterFazlollah Zahedi
Preceded byNezam-ed-din Emami
Succeeded byNasrollah Jahangir
Minister of Economy
In office
5 August 1951 – 16 July 1952
Prime MinisterMohammad Mosaddegh
Preceded byShamseddin Amir-Alaei
Succeeded byBagher Kazemi
In office
23 March 1950 – 26 June 1950
Prime MinisterAli Mansur
Member of the National Consultative Assembly
In office
12 June 1947 – 28 July 1949
ConstituencyTehran
Personal details
Born12 September 1905
Tehran, Persia
Died12 December 1992(1992-12-12) (aged 87)
Paris, France
Political party
Spouse
Batoul Voosough
​
​
(m. 1932; died 1992)​
ChildrenIraj
Parents
RelativesMozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar (grandfather)
Vossug ed Dowleh (father-in-law)
Alma materUniversity of Grenoble
University of Paris

Ali Amini (Persian: علی امینی; 12 September 1905–12 December 1992) was an Iranian politician who was the Prime Minister of Iran from 1961 to 1962. He held several cabinet portfolios during the 1950s, and served as a member of parliament between 1947 and 1949.

Amini was widely regarded as "a protégé of the United States"[1] and a "pro-American liberal reformer".[2]

Early life and education

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Amini was born on 12 September 1905 in Tehran.[3] He was a grandson of Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar through his mother, Fakhr-ol-dowleh.[4] His father was a significant statesman during the Qajar period, Mohsen Amin-ol-dowleh.[4]

He completed his studies first in Darolfonoon and then in France where he graduated with a degree in law from Grenoble University,[5] followed by his PhD in economics from Paris. His PhD thesis was concerned with the foreign trade monopoly in Iran.[6]

Upon his return to Iran, he was employed at the Ministry of Justice by Ali Akbar Davar.[3]

Career

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See also: Cabinet of Ali Amini

Amini was a founding member of the Democrat Party of Iran, and entered the 15th term of parliament with the party's ticket.[3] His first ministerial portfolio was in the cabinet of Ali Mansur.[3]

He served as a minister in the cabinet of Mohammad Mosaddegh, but broke away from Mosaddegh in July 1952. He was later regarded as a "traitor" by the National Front, because of his collaboration with the post-1953 Iranian coup d'état government.[5] He became minister of economic affairs in the cabinet of Fazlollah Zahedi and remained in office until 1955.[5] He was then appointed as the justice minister under Hossein Ala in 1955.[3][7] He was named the ambassador to the US in 1956 which he held until 1958.[3][7]

His tendencies were pro-American to the extent that made the Shah uncomfortable. Mohammad Reza Shah in particular distrusted Amini's popularity and friendship with then-senator John F. Kennedy.[6] Therefore, his tenure ended in 1958.[5]

In the 1950s, Amini was a candidate for the premiership. He was appointed prime minister in 1961. In July 1962, however, he was replaced by the Shah's close friend and a major Birjand landowner Asadollah Alam. In the late 1970s, Amini attempted a comeback into Iranian politics at the age of 70. He served as an advisor to the Shah during the final days of the Pahlavi dynasty.

Personal life

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Amini married Batoul Voosough (died 1992) in 1932 and they had a son, Iraj.[8] She was the daughter of Hasan Voosough Al Dawlah whose brother was Ahmad Qavam.[4]

Honours

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Amini was awarded Grand Croix of the Legion of Honor in 1962.[9]

Later years and death

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In 1979, Amini moved to Paris, France. There he headed the Front for the Liberation of Iran, a monarchist opposition group.[10] He complained about internal struggles among the exiled Iranian monarchists, saying "We're not even back in Tehran [and] they quarrel over the name of the country's future prime minister."[10] He wrote his biography published by Harvard University.

He died in Paris on 12 December 1992, aged 87.[8] His body was buried in Passy Cemetery.

References

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  1. ^ Avery, P.; Bayne Fisher, William; Hambly, G. R. G.; Melville, C., eds. (1990). The Cambridge History of Iran. Vol. 7. Cambridge University Press. p. 275. ISBN 9780521200950.
  2. ^ Parvin Paydar (1995). Women and the Political Process in Twentieth-Century Iran. Cambridge University Press. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-521-59572-8.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Abbas Milani (2008). "Ali Amini". Eminent Persians: The Men and Women who Made Modern Iran, 1941-1979. Vol. 1. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press. pp. 63–71. ISBN 978-0815609070.
  4. ^ a b c James A. Bill (1988). The Eagle and the Lion. The Tragedy of American-Iranian Relations. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. pp. 107–108. doi:10.12987/9780300159516-006. ISBN 978-0-300-04412-6. S2CID 246116954.
  5. ^ a b c d Barry Rubin (1980). Paved with Good Intentions (PDF). New York: Penguin Books. p. 106. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2013.
  6. ^ a b Ehsanee Ian Sadr (2013). To whisper in the king's ear: Economists in Pahlavi and Islamic Iran (PhD thesis). University of Maryland, College Park. p. 36. ProQuest 1432765052.
  7. ^ a b Michael J. Willcocks (2015). Agent or Client: Who Instigated the White Revolution of the Shah and the People in Iran, 1963? (PhD thesis). University of Manchester. pp. 49–50.
  8. ^ a b Moin, Baqer (17 December 1992). "Obituary: Ali Amini". The Independent. Archived from the original on 16 December 2009. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  9. ^ "Ali Amini; Foe of Iran's Islamic Government". Los Angeles Times. 17 December 1992. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Rivalry complicates Iranian exile struggle". The Christian Science Monitor. 3 July 1986. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
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