Turhan Feyzioğlu facts for kids

Turhan Feyzioğlu (born in 1922, died on March 24, 1988) was an important Turkish academic and politician. He held many high-ranking positions throughout his career. These included being a university professor, a minister, and even a Deputy Prime Minister.

Turhan Feyzioğlu's Early Life and Education

Turhan Feyzioğlu was born in Kayseri, a city in Turkey. He finished primary school there. Later, he attended the famous Galatasaray High School and studied law at Istanbul University.

After his studies in Turkey, he went to the United Kingdom for further education. When he returned to Turkey, he became a professor at Ankara University. In 1955, he was chosen to be the dean of the Political Sciences School at Ankara University. A dean is like a head of a specific department or school within a university.

He also wrote articles for his school's bulletin. However, some of his writings upset the government at the time, the Democrat Party. Because of this, he had to leave his job. For a short time in 1960–1961, he went back to academics. He served as the rector of Middle East Technical University (METU) in Ankara. A rector is the head of an entire university. But his main interest was always politics.

Joining Politics: The CHP Years

In 1957, Turhan Feyzioğlu officially entered politics. He joined the Republican People's Party (CHP). In the same year, he was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Sivas Province. An MP is a person elected to represent a group of people in a national parliament.

While he was working at METU, he also served in a special assembly that helped create the country's laws. In 1961, he became the Minister of Education in the government led by Cemal Gürsel.

After the 1961 elections, he was elected as an MP for Kayseri Province, his hometown. He served in two governments led by İsmet İnönü. In the first, he was a Minister of State, which means he was a minister without a specific department. In the second, he became a Deputy Prime Minister.

Turhan Feyzioğlu was a very important person in the CHP. But around 1965, another rising politician named Bülent Ecevit started to become more powerful in the party. Ecevit had the support of İsmet İnönü. Feyzioğlu disagreed with Ecevit's ideas, especially his "left of center" slogan.

Starting a New Party: The Reliance Party

Because of these disagreements, Turhan Feyzioğlu and 47 other members of parliament left the CHP on May 12, 1967. They decided to form their own new political party called the Reliance Party. Feyzioğlu became the leader of this new party.

Over the next few years, the party changed its name and merged with others. On January 29, 1971, it was renamed the National Reliance Party. Then, on May 4, 1973, another party called the Republican Party joined them. This new, combined party was named the Republican Reliance Party. Turhan Feyzioğlu continued to be the chairman of this new party.

Leading the Republican Reliance Party

The Republican Reliance Party continued to be active until 1980. Turhan Feyzioğlu remained an MP for Kayseri Province during this time. Even though his party's support was not as strong, Feyzioğlu served as a Deputy Prime Minister two times in coalition governments. A coalition government is formed when two or more political parties work together to govern.

He served as Deputy Prime Minister in 1975 in a government led by Süleyman Demirel. He also served in 1978 in a government led by Bülent Ecevit, even though they had disagreed in the past.

Family and Legacy

Turhan Feyzioğlu was married to Leyla Cıngıllıoğlu. They had a daughter named Saide. Saide married Mehmet Buçukoğlu. Sadly, she passed away shortly after giving birth to her son, Metin Feyzioğlu, on July 7, 1969.

Metin was then adopted by his grandparents, Turhan and Leyla, and took their last name, Feyzioğlu. Metin grew up to become a professor of criminal law. In May 2013, he was elected as the President of the Turkish Union of Bar Associations, which is a very important role for lawyers in Turkey.

Later Life and Passing

After 1980, Turhan Feyzioğlu decided to leave politics. He passed away at the age of 66 in Ankara on March 24, 1988.

Books by Turhan Feyzioğlu

Turhan Feyzioğlu was also an author. Here are some of the books he wrote:

• Kanunların Anayasaya Uygunluğunun Kazai Murakabesi (1951)
• Demokrasiye ve Diktatörlüğe Dair (1957)
• Devlet Adamı Atatürk (1963)
• Atatürk ve Milliyetçilik
• Türk Millî Mücadelesinin ve Atatürkçülüğün Temel İlkelerinden Biri Olarak Millet Egemenliği.
• Atatürk Yolu
• Un Liberateur et un Modernisateur Genial Kemal Atatürk