Morteza Gholi Khan Hedayat

Morteza Gholi Khan (Sani-ol Douleh) (Persian: مرتضی‌قلی‌خان صنیع‌الدوله; 1856–1911) was a leader of the Persian Constitutional Revolution and the first Chairman of the first Majlis. A member of the Hedayat family, he served as the Minister of Finance of Iran for seven months.

Morteza Gholi Khan Hedayat
1st Speaker of the Parliament of Iran
In office
6 October 1906 – 23 June 1907
Preceded byFirst holder
Succeeded byMirza Mahmoud Khan
Personal details
Born1856
Tehran, Iran
Died6 February 1911(1911-02-06) (aged 55)
Tehran, Iran
Resting placeHedayat Mosque
Political partyModerates
SpouseEhteram as-Saltaneh
Children10

Life edit

At the time, Persia was being plundered of its resources by the British and Russians who had also obtained taxation rights on all significant sources keeping the county and some of the ruling class under effective financial control. Realizing that a country cannot be independent without self sufficiency and monetary independence, he initiated financial reforms and the overhaul of the taxation system, including bringing in the American adviser W. Morgan Shuster.[1] This and his unwillingness to sell out led to his assassination by the Russians on in February 1911 by two Georgian nationals in Tehran.[2][3]

References edit

  1. ^ Shuster, W. (2013). Strangling of Persia. Read Books Ltd. pp. 48, 119, 179. ISBN 978-1-4474-8603-9. OCLC 936199372.
  2. ^ According to Shuster (p. 48), "Five days later [measured from February 1st] the Persian Minister of Finance, Saniu'd-Dawleh was shot and killed in the streets of Teheran by two Georgians, who also succeeded in wounding four of the Persian police before they were captured. The Russian consular authorities promptly refused to allow these men to be tried by the Persian Government, and took them out of the country under Russian protection, claiming that they would be suitably punished."
  3. ^ See also: Mohammad-Reza Nazari, The retreat by the Parliament in overseeing the financial matters is a retreat of democracy, in Persian, Mardom-Salari, No. 1734, 20 Bahman 1386 AH (9 February 2008).

External links edit