Ali Amini

Ali Amini (Persian: علی امینی; 12 September 1905–12 December 1992) was an Iranian politician who was the Prime Minister of Iran from 1961 to 1962. He held several cabinet portfolios during the 1950s, and served as a member of parliament between 1947 and 1949.

Ali Amini
67th Prime Minister of Iran
In office
5 May 1961 – 19 July 1962
MonarchMohammad Reza Shah
Preceded byJafar Sharif-Emami
Succeeded byAsadollah Alam
Ambassador of Iran to the United States
In office
24 January 1956 – 22 May 1958
MonarchMohammad Reza Shah
Preceded byNasrollah Entezam
Succeeded byAli Gholi Ardalan
Minister of Justice
In office
7 April 1955 – 24 January 1956
Prime MinisterHossein Ala
Minister of Finance
In office
19 August 1953 – 6 April 1955
Prime MinisterFazlollah Zahedi
Preceded byNezam-ed-din Emami
Succeeded byNasrollah Jahangir
Minister of Economy
In office
5 August 1951 – 16 July 1952
Prime MinisterMohammad Mosaddegh
Preceded byShamseddin Amir-Alaei
Succeeded byBagher Kazemi
In office
23 March 1950 – 26 June 1950
Prime MinisterAli Mansur
Member of the National Consultative Assembly
In office
12 June 1947 – 28 July 1949
ConstituencyTehran
Personal details
Born12 September 1905
Tehran, Persia
Died12 December 1992(1992-12-12) (aged 87)
Paris, France
Political party
Spouse
Batoul Voosough
​
​
(m. 1932; died 1992)​
ChildrenIraj
Parents
RelativesMozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar (grandfather)
Vossug ed Dowleh (father-in-law)
Alma materUniversity of Grenoble
University of Paris

Amini was widely regarded as "a protégé of the United States"[1] and a "pro-American liberal reformer".[2]

Early life and education

Amini was born on 12 September 1905 in Tehran.[3] He was a grandson of Mozaffar ad-Din Shah Qajar through his mother, Fakhr-ol-dowleh.[4] His father was a significant statesman during the Qajar period, Mohsen Amin-ol-dowleh.[4]

He completed his studies first in Darolfonoon and then in France where he graduated with a degree in law from Grenoble University,[5] followed by his PhD in economics from Paris. His PhD thesis was concerned with the foreign trade monopoly in Iran.[6]

Upon his return to Iran, he was employed at the Ministry of Justice by Ali Akbar Davar.[3]

Career
See also: Cabinet of Ali Amini

Amini was a founding member of the Democrat Party of Iran, and entered the 15th term of parliament with the party's ticket.[3] His first ministerial portfolio was in the cabinet of Ali Mansur.[3]

He served as a minister in the cabinet of Mohammad Mosaddegh, but broke away from Mosaddegh in July 1952. He was later regarded as a "traitor" by the National Front, because of his collaboration with the post-1953 Iranian coup d'état government.[5] He became minister of economic affairs in the cabinet of Fazlollah Zahedi and remained in office until 1955.[5] He was then appointed as the justice minister under Hossein Ala in 1955.[3][7] He was named the ambassador to the US in 1956 which he held until 1958.[3][7]

His tendencies were pro-American to the extent that made the Shah uncomfortable. Mohammad Reza Shah in particular distrusted Amini's popularity and friendship with then-senator John F. Kennedy.[6] Therefore, his tenure ended in 1958.[5]

In the 1950s, Amini was a candidate for the premiership. He was appointed prime minister in 1961. In July 1962, however, he was replaced by the Shah's close friend and a major Birjand landowner Asadollah Alam. In the late 1970s, Amini attempted a comeback into Iranian politics at the age of 70. He served as an advisor to the Shah during the final days of the Pahlavi dynasty.

Personal life

Amini married Batoul Voosough (died 1992) in 1932 and they had a son, Iraj.[8] She was the daughter of Hasan Voosough Al Dawlah whose brother was Ahmad Qavam.[4]

Honours

Amini was awarded Grand Croix of the Legion of Honor in 1962.[9]

Later years and death

In 1979, Amini moved to Paris, France. There he headed the Front for the Liberation of Iran, a monarchist opposition group.[10] He complained about internal struggles among the exiled Iranian monarchists, saying "We're not even back in Tehran [and] they quarrel over the name of the country's future prime minister."[10] He wrote his biography published by Harvard University.

He died in Paris on 12 December 1992, aged 87.[8] His body was buried in Passy Cemetery.

References
  1. Avery, P.; Bayne Fisher, William; Hambly, G. R. G.; Melville, C., eds. (1990). The Cambridge History of Iran. Vol. 7. Cambridge University Press. p. 275. ISBN 9780521200950.
  2. Parvin Paydar (1995). Women and the Political Process in Twentieth-Century Iran. Cambridge University Press. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-521-59572-8.
  3. Abbas Milani (2008). "Ali Amini". Eminent Persians: The Men and Women who Made Modern Iran, 1941-1979. Vol. 1. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press. pp. 63–71. ISBN 978-0815609070.
  4. James A. Bill (1988). The Eagle and the Lion. The Tragedy of American-Iranian Relations. New Haven and London: Yale University Press. pp. 107–108. doi:10.12987/9780300159516-006. ISBN 978-0-300-04412-6. S2CID 246116954.
  5. Barry Rubin (1980). Paved with Good Intentions (PDF). New York: Penguin Books. p. 106. Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 October 2013.
  6. Ehsanee Ian Sadr (2013). To whisper in the king's ear: Economists in Pahlavi and Islamic Iran (PhD thesis). University of Maryland, College Park. p. 36. ProQuest 1432765052.
  7. Michael J. Willcocks (2015). Agent or Client: Who Instigated the White Revolution of the Shah and the People in Iran, 1963? (PhD thesis). University of Manchester. pp. 49–50.
  8. Moin, Baqer (17 December 1992). "Obituary: Ali Amini". The Independent. Archived from the original on 16 December 2009. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  9. "Ali Amini; Foe of Iran's Islamic Government". Los Angeles Times. 17 December 1992. Retrieved 2 August 2013.
  10. "Rivalry complicates Iranian exile struggle". The Christian Science Monitor. 3 July 1986. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
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