Ahmad Ali Sepehr

Ahmad Ali Sepehr
Born
Movarrekh Al Dowleh

1889
Tehran, Qajar Iran
Died1976 (aged 86–87)
Tehran, Pahlavi Iran
Resting placeBehesht e Zahra cemetery
NationalityIranian

Ahmad Ali Sepehr, also known as Movarrekh Al Dowleh, (1889–1976) was an Iranian historian and politician.[1] He held several government posts during both the Qajar and Pahlavi rule.

Early life and education

Sepehr was born in Tehran in 1889.[2] His grandfather was Mirza Taghi Khan Sepehr, a historian during the rule of Naser al-Din Shah Qajar.[2]

Sepehr graduated from the Jewish Alliance school, a secondary education institution in Iran.[2][3] He received higher education under French professors hired by Ahmad Shah Qajar.[2] Sepehr was fluent in several European languages, including German and French.[2]

Career

During the Qajar era Sepehr worked as a translator at the customs office and became the head of the translation office.[2] In 1914 he was appointed first secretary of the German Embassy in Tehran, and with the outbreak of World War I he began to shape Germany's policies in relation to Iran.[2] At the same time, he chaired the board of directors of the Iran-Russia Fisheries Company.[2] He then emigrated from the country and returned after the end of the war.[2] In 1916 he was awarded the title of Movarrekh Al Dowleh due to his family's services to the history studies.[2] Sepehr then held the following positions: head of the North Tehran Registry Office, head of the Ministry of Finance, minister of state, and head of the Administrative Courts at the Ministry of Finance.[2]

In 1942 Sepehr was elected as a deputy and became acting minister of crafts and arts in the cabinet of Ali Soheili.[2] In the 1940s he was again made the chair of the Fisheries Board and played a significant role in the nationalization of fisheries.[2] Sepehr was one of the supporters of Ahmad Qavam who succeeded Mohammad Mosaddegh as prime minister.[4] Sepehr served as the minister of trade and industry in the first cabinet of Qavam in 1946.[5] However, Sepehr was fired by Qavam soon and was sent to exile in Kashan.[5]

Work, recognition and death

Sepehr was the author of several books, including Iran in the Great War.[6] In 1918 Sepehr was awarded by Ahmad Shah the Order of the Lion and the Sun.[2] He died in Tehran in 1976 and was buried in the Beheste Zahra cemetery.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Interview with Pirasteh, Mehdi: Tape 04". Harvard University. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o "احمدعلی، سپهر (1267 ـ 1354)" (in Persian). Beheste Zahra. Archived from the original on 7 January 2022. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Anti-Semitism and Neglect Have Destroyed a Historical Jewish School in Isfahan". IranWire. 26 June 2019. Retrieved 7 January 2022.
  4. ^ Fakhreddin Azimi (2015). "Unseating Mosaddeq the Configuration and Role of Domestic Forces". In Mark J. Gasiorowski; Malcolm Byrne (eds.). Mohammad Mosaddeq and the 1953 Coup in Iran. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. p. 47. ISBN 978-0-8156-3017-3.
  5. ^ a b Ali Akbar Dareini (1998). The Rise and Fall of the Pahlavi Dynasty: Memoirs of Former General Hussein Fardust. Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass Publishers Ltd. p. 58. ISBN 978-81-208-1642-8.
  6. ^ Ahmad Fazli Nejad; et al. (2017). "Cultural Relations between Germany and Iran and its Impacts on Intellectual Movement in Iran". Journal of History Culture and Art Research. 6 (6): 62. doi:10.7596/taksad.v6i6.1322.