Turan Güneş (25 June 1921 – 9 April 1982) was a Turkish academic and politician who served as the minister of foreign affairs and deputy prime minister in the 1970s. He started his political career in the Democrat Party (DP), but soon he joined the Republican People's Party (CHP).

Turan Güneş
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State
In office
21 June 1977 – 27 July 1977
PresidentFahri Korutürk
Prime MinisterBülent Ecevit
Minister of Foreign Affairs
In office
1974–1974
Prime MinisterBülent Ecevit
Personal details
Born(1921-06-25)25 June 1921
Kandıra, Ottoman Empire
Died9 April 1982(1982-04-09) (aged 60)
Çanakkale, Turkey
Resting placeZincirlikuyu Cemetery, Istanbul
Political party
SpouseNermin Güneş
Children2
Alma mater

Early life and education edit

Güneş was born in Kandıra, Kocaeli, on 25 June 1921.[1] He graduated from Galatasaray High School in 1941.[2][3] He received a bachelor's degree in law from Istanbul University and also, obtained his PhD in political science from the University of Paris.[2][3] In 1947 he joined the Democrat Party.[2]

Career edit

Following his graduation Güneş began to work at the law faculty of Istanbul University and became an associate professor in 1954.[2] The same year he ran for a seat from Kocaeli and won the election becoming a member of the parliament for the DP.[4] However, he was expelled from the party along with others in 1955.[4] Then he contributed to the establishment of the Liberty Party which joined the CHP in 1958.[2] Güneş also became a member of the CHP in 1959.[2] During this period he was one of the contributors of the Forum magazine.[5]

Following the military coup on 27 May 1960 Güneş was appointed to the Constitutional Commission which was established by the Constituent Assembly in January 1961.[6] The Commission was headed by Turhan Feyzioğlu and Enver Ziya Karal and drafted a new constitution.[6] From 1961 to 1972 Güneş taught at the Ankara University's Faculty of Political Sciences, and became a professor of administrative law in 1965.[2]

Güneş was a member of the CHP's assembly in the mid-1960s and was part of the left of center group.[7] He served as the deputy general secretary of the CHP between 1969 and 1972.[4] He won a seat from Kocaeli in the general election in 1973.[8] The same year he also ran for the secretary general of the CHP along with Orhan Eyüpoğlu and Deniz Baykal.[9] He and Baykal lost the election, and Eyüpoğlu became the secretary general of the party.[9]

Güneş was appointed minister of foreign affairs in 1974 in the coalition cabinet led by Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit.[8] Although his term was short, it witnessed a significant event, namely Turkey's military intervention in Cyprus.[10] Güneş was again elected to the parliament in the general election from Kocaeli in 1977.[8][11] He was named as the deputy prime minister and minister of state in the cabinet headed by Bülent Ecevit on 21 June 1977.[12] The cabinet could not get a vote of confidence at the Parliament on 3 July,[12] and Güneş's term as deputy prime minister and minister of state ended on 27 July.[11]

Personal life and death edit

Güneş was married to Nermin Güneş who was a French language teacher.[13] She died in Ankara on 28 July 2021 at age 95.[14] They had two children: Ayşe and Hurşit Güneş who are both academics.[14]

Turan Güneş died in Çanakkale on 9 April 1982 due to cardiac arrest while traveling from Istanbul to Izmir on a ship.[8] He was buried in Zincirlikuyu Cemetery in Istanbul.[8]

References edit

  1. ^ "Türk Parlamento Tarihi TBMM - X . Dönem 1954 - 1957" (PDF) (in Turkish). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "Biography of Turan Güneş" (in Turkish). Dergi Park. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  3. ^ a b M. Asım Karaömerlioğlu; İlkay Kirişçioğlu (2022). "Political travelers in a polarized country: the Freedom Party experience in Turkish history". Middle Eastern Studies. 58 (6): 969. doi:10.1080/00263206.2022.2034148.
  4. ^ a b c Yunus Emre (2014). "The role of academics in Turkey's politics: the Mülkiye Junta and the transformation of the Republican People's Party". Southeast European and Black Sea Studies. 14 (1): 112. doi:10.1080/14683857.2014.882079. S2CID 145740379.
  5. ^ Özlem Kırlı Baydur. "Forum Dergisi". Atatürk Encyclopedia (in Turkish).
  6. ^ a b Ayşegül Kars Kaynar (2018). "Making of military tutelage in Turkey: the National Security Council in the 1961 and 1982 Constitutions". Turkish Studies. 19 (3): 476. doi:10.1080/14683849.2017.1387055.
  7. ^ Yunus Emre (2007). The genesis of the left of center in Turkey: 1965-1967 (MA thesis). Boğaziçi University. p. 126.
  8. ^ a b c d e "Bir Kandıra efsanesi Turan Güneş". Kocaeli Gazetesi (in Turkish). 15 May 2017. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  9. ^ a b Ahmet Metin Oktay (1998). The Left of Center Politics in Turkey: The Republican People's Party 1965-1980 (MA thesis). Bilkent University. p. 60. ISBN 9798426860049. ProQuest 2665130753.
  10. ^ Alper Kalıber (2005). "Securing the Ground Through Securitized 'Foreign' Policy: The Cyprus Case". Security Dialogue. 36 (3): 326. doi:10.1177/0967010605057019. hdl:11693/23989. S2CID 154840015.
  11. ^ a b Suavi Aydın; Yüksel Taşkın (2016). 1960'tan Günümüze Türkiye Tarihi (in Turkish). Istanbul: İletişim Yayınları. p. 231. ISBN 978-975-05-2062-4.
  12. ^ a b "Chronology May 16, 1977-August 15, 1977". The Middle East Journal. 31 (4): 481. 1977. JSTOR 4325678.
  13. ^ "Eski Dışişleri Bakanı Turan Güneş'in eşi Nermin Güneş vefat etti!". Bölge Gündem (in Turkish). 30 July 2021. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Nermin Güneş hayatını kaybetti". T24 (in Turkish). 29 July 2021. Retrieved 24 November 2021.

External links edit