Hasan Polatkan

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Hasan Polatkan
Minister of Finance of Turkey
In office
3 December 1956 – 27 May 1960
Prime MinisterAdnan Menderes
Preceded byNedim Ökmen
Succeeded byEkrem Alican
Minister of Finance of Turkey
In office
14 December 1950 – 9 December 1955
Prime MinisterAdnan Menderes
Preceded byHalil Ayan
Succeeded byNedim Ökmen
Minister of Labor of Turkey
In office
22 May 1950 – 22 December 1950
Prime MinisterAdnan Menderes
Preceded byMustafa Münir Birsel
Succeeded byAhmet Hulusi Köymen
Personal details
Born1915
Eskişehir, Ottoman Empire
DiedSeptember 16, 1961(1961-09-16) (aged 46)
İmralı Prison, İmralı, Turkey
Cause of deathExecution by hanging
NationalityTurkish
Political partyDemocrat Party
SpouseMutahhare
Children1 daughter - Nilgün
Alma materIstanbul University
Signature

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[edit]

He was born 1915 in Eskişehir, Ottoman Empire (now Turkey) to a family of Crimean Tatar descent. 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[edit]

Polatkan entered politics and was elected in the 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 – 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]

Polatkan, Sıtkı Yırcalı and Fatin Rüştü Zorlu were investigated by a Parliamentary commission in January 1956 due to the allegations of their involvelment in importing East German trucks and tires of no value and a general neglect of their duty.[2]

Trial and execution[edit]

He was arrested with Menderes in Kütahya, charged with corruption and violating the constitution along with some other party members, and arraigned at the Yassıada trials. Polatkan was sentenced to death and hanged on the island of İmralı on 16 September 1961,[3] 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.[4]

He was survived by his wife Mutahhare Polatkan and daughter Nilgün Polatkan.[3]

Legacy[edit]

A boulevard in Eskişehir is named after him.[5] His name is given to a high school in Bakırköy, Istanbul,[6] as well as to a secondary school,[7] and a cultural center in Odunpazarı, Eskişehir.[8] The airport in the city of Eskişehir is also named after him.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Biyografi - Hasan Polatkan". Es Haber 26 (in Turkish). Archived from the original on 2014-05-02. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  2. ^ "Developments of the Quarter: Comment and Chronology". The Middle East Journal. 10 (2): 193. 1956. JSTOR 4322801.
  3. ^ a b "Hasan Polatkan'ın ailesi isyan etti". Bugün (in Turkish). 2013-01-25. Archived from the original on 2014-04-18. Retrieved 2014-04-20.
  4. ^ Aktürk, İbrahim; Süleyman Kaya (2013-09-18). "52. yıl anması". Hürriyet (in Turkish). Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  5. ^ "Hasan Polatkan Caddesi Haritası" (in Turkish). Harita Map. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  6. ^ "Ana Sayfa" (in Turkish). Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı - İstanbul - Bakırköy - Hasan Polatkan Anadolu Lisesi. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  7. ^ "Ana Sayfa" (in Turkish). Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı - Eskişehir - Odunpazarı - Hasan Polatkan Ortaokulu. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
  8. ^ "Hasan Polatkan Kültür Merkezi Açıldı". Haberler (in Turkish). 2014-03-02. Archived from the original on 2014-05-02. Retrieved 2014-04-30.
Political offices
Preceded by Minister of Labor of Turkey
22 May 1950–22 December 1950
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Finance of Turkey
14 December 1950–9 December 1955
Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of Finance of Turkey
3 December 1956–27 May 1960
Succeeded by