Hashim al-Atassi was a Syrian nationalist and statesman and the President of Syria from 1936 to 1939,1949 to 1951 and 1954 to 1955.
22 Facts About Hashim al-Atassi
2.
Hashim al-Atassi was born in Homs in 1875 to the large, landowning and politically active Atassi family.
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Hashim al-Atassi studied public administration at the Mekteb-i Mulkiye in Istanbul, and graduated in 1895.
4.
Hashim al-Atassi began his political career in 1888 in the Ottoman vilayet of Beirut, and through the years, up to 1918, served as Governor of Homs, Hama, Baalbek, Anatolia, and Jaffa, which included the then-small suburb of Tel Aviv.
5.
Hashim al-Atassi delegated Shahbandar to formulate alliances between Syria and Europe, in a vain attempt to prevent the implementation of a French Mandate.
6.
Hashim al-Atassi called for a 60-day strike to protest Abid's proposed treaty.
7.
Hashim al-Atassi visited Hashim al-Atassi in Homs and invited him to resume the presidency, assuring the veteran leader that France wanted to turn a new page in her relations with Syria.
8.
Hashim al-Atassi argued with President Quwatli over presidential authority and conditioned that it would have to be curtailed if he became prime minister, but Quwatli refused.
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Hashim al-Atassi complied and formed a cabinet that included representatives of all parties, including the leftist Baath Party of Michel Aflaq, who he appointed Minister of Agriculture.
10.
Hashim al-Atassi released Munir al-Ajlani, who was imprisoned by Husni al-Za'im, and voted him into the Constitutional Assembly.
11.
Hashim al-Atassi came into conflict with the politicians of Damascus for supporting the interests of the Aleppo nobility and their desire to unite with Iraq.
12.
Hashim al-Atassi supported the People's Party of Aleppo and appointed its leader Nazim al-Qudsi as prime minister.
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Hashim al-Atassi then demanded that one of his right-hand-men, Colonel Fawzi Selu, be appointed Minister of Defense, to ensure that pro-Iraqi influence in Syria remained under control.
14.
Hashim al-Atassi rallied the support of disgruntled officers, pro-Hashemite politicians, and members of all outlawed political parties, and called for a national uprising.
15.
Hashim al-Atassi appointed Sabri al-Assali as Prime Minister, and restored all pre-Shishakli ambassadors, ministers, and parliamentarians to office.
16.
Hashim al-Atassi tried to eradicate all traces of the four-year Shishakli dictatorship.
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Hashim al-Atassi rallied in support of Hashemite Iraq, whose leaders were competing with Nasser over pan-Arab leadership, and was allied to Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Sa'id.
18.
President Hashim al-Atassi retired from political life in September 1955, elderly and infirm.
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Hashim al-Atassi died in Homs during the union years with Egypt on 6 December 1960.
20.
Hashim al-Atassi was given a state funeral, which was the largest in the history of the city, attended by senior members of the United Arab Republic government of President Nasser.
21.
Amid the confusion and violence that often formed the background of Syrian republican history, Hashim al-Atassi stood out as a man of sound principles dedicated to constitutional methods of government.
22.
Hashim al-Atassi is respected by all players in Syrian politics and is one of the few politicians of the pre-Baath era who was not criticized by the Baathists when they came to power in 1963.