Sıtkı Yırcalı
- Democrat Party (1946–1960)
- Justice Party
- Istanbul University
- University of Paris
Sıtkı Yırcalı (1908–1988) was a Turkish jurist and politician who served in various cabinet posts during the period between 1950 and 1958. He was a member of the Democrat Party (DP) and then of the Justice Party (AP).
Early life and education
Yırcalı was born in Balıkesir on 13 September 1908.[1] He hailed from a well-known family, and his father, Yırcalızade Şükrü, was a member of the Committee of Union and Progress being active in its local branch.[2]
Sıtkı graduated from Kabataş Erkek Lisesi in 1928.[1] He received a bachelor's degree in law from Istanbul University and a PhD in law from the University of Paris.[2]
Career and activities
Following his graduation Yırcalı worked as a lawyer in his hometown.[1][2] He joined the DP in 1946 and became its head in Balıkesir.[1] He was elected to the Parliament in 1950 and served there for three terms.[3] In the cabinets led by Prime Minister Adnan Menderes Yırcalı held the following ministerial posts: minister of customs and monopolies (1951–1952), minister of industry (1952–1954; 1958), minister of economy and commerce (1954–1955) and minister of press and tourism (1957–1958).[2] He resigned from office while serving as minister of economy and commerce in 1955.[4] His tenure as minister of industry ended in 1958 when he resigned from the post.[5]
Yırcalı, Fatin Rüştü Zorlu and Hasan Polatkan 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.[6]
From 1957 to 1960 Yırcalı was among the DP members who opposed the hegemony of the founders of the party, including Adnan Menderes.[7] The group included 150 DP members and headed by him.[8]
Yırcalı was arrested after the military coup ending the rule of DP on 27 May 1960 and jailed in Yassıada for a while.[3] He was not charged with a crime possibly due to his overt criticisms over the policies of the DP.[9] He continued to work as a lawyer and was elected, as a senator for the AP in 1975.[3]
Personal life and death
Yırcalı was married and had a son and a daughter.[3] His younger brother, Sırrı, was also a lawyer and a politician from the DP who was a member of the Parliament between 1954 and 1960.[2]
Sıtkı Yırcalı died in Ankara on 29 September 1988 and was buried in Cebeci cemetery.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d "Sıtkı Yırcalı" (in Turkish). Biyografya. Retrieved 22 July 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Alexandros Lamprou (2020). "Local Politics and State-Society Relations: State Officials, Local Elites, and Political Networks in Provincial Urban Centres in the 1930s and 1940s in Turkey". Turkish Historical Review. 10 (2–3): 258, 260. doi:10.1163/18775462-01002010. S2CID 216457510.
- ^ a b c d e Berat Alacı (2020). "Demokrat Parti Balıkesir Mebusu İbrahim Sıtkı Yırcalı'nın 27 Mayıs Sonrası Yargılanması: Anayasayı İhlal Davası". Yüzüncü Yıl Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Enstitüsü Dergisi (in Turkish). 49: 77–102.
- ^ Hakan Özdemir; Cevdet Çoşkun (2021). "Investigation of Adnan Mendered from the Elite Theory Perspective". Kafkas Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi. 12 (24): 1098. doi:10.36543/kauiibfd.2021.044.
- ^ İdris Yücel (Spring 2016). "Turkish Experiments in Democracy: The Democratic Party and Religion in Politics Through the Eyes of French Diplomats". Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies. 15 (43). ProQuest 1779192485.
- ^ "Developments of the Quarter: Comment and Chronology". The Middle East Journal. 10 (2): 193. 1956. JSTOR 4322801.
- ^ Kemal H. Karpat (2003). Studies on Turkish Politics and Society: Selected Articles and Essays. Leiden: Brill. p. 114. ISBN 978-90-474-0271-8.
- ^ Yitzhak Oron, ed. (1960). Middle East Record. Vol. 1. London: George Weidenfeld & Nicolson Limited. p. 432.
- ^ İdris Yücel (Summer 2019). "Turkey's May 27, 1960 Coup through The French Diplomatic Reports". Bilig. 90: 46. ProQuest 2273101878.