Salim Haidar

Salim Haidar (1911–1980) was a Lebanese jurist and politician who held several cabinet posts during the 1950s, including minister of defense. He was also a member of the Lebanese Parliament.

Salim Haidar
Minister of Agriculture
In office
16 September 1953  17 September 1955
Prime MinisterSami Solh
Minister of Telegraph and Telephone
In office
16 September 1953  17 September 1955
Prime MinisterSami Solh
Minister of Defense
In office
30 September 1952  6 February 1953
Prime MinisterKhaled Chehab
Personal details
BornMay 1911
Baalbek, Beqaa, Lebanon
Died3 October 1980 (aged 6869)
SpouseSamiha Suleiman Haidar
Children3
Alma materSorbonne University

Early life and education

Haidar hailed from a Shiite family based in Baalbek, Beqaa.[1] His family was among the leading landlords of the region.[2] He was born in Baalbek in May 1911.[2][3] His father was Najib Haidar.[3]

He was a graduate of Lycée Française and then obtained a PhD in law from Sorbonne University.[2][3][4]

Career and activities

Following his graduation Haidar returned to Lebanon and became a public prosecutor in 1938 and an investigative judge in 1943.[3] He began to serve as an advisor at the Court of Appeal from 1945.[3] He was named as the ambassador of Lebanon to Iran in 1946.[3]

Haidar was appointed minister of defense to the cabinet led by Prime Minister Khaled Chehab on 30 September 1952.[5][6] Haidar's term lasted until 6 February 1953 when he resigned from the post.[7] He was first elected to the Parliament from his hometown in the 1953 elections ousting his cousin Ibrahim Haidar who had been serving at the Parliament for thirty years.[8] Following his election as a deputy Salim Haidar involved in drafting the Lebanon's first anti-corruption law in 1953.[4] On 16 September 1953 he was appointed minister of agriculture and minister of telegraph and telephone to the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Sami Solh.[3] Haidar's term lasted until 17 September 1955.[3]

During the turmoil in Lebanon in 1958 Haidar was part of the anti-government coalition.[1] He was appointed ambassador of Lebanon to Morocco in 1958 and to the Soviet Union in 1963.[3] In 1968 he was again elected as a deputy.[3]

Personal life and death

In addition to his political activities Haidar also published books on Arabic literature and poetry.[2] He was married to Samiha Suleiman Haidar with whom he had three children: Hayyan Haidar, a civil engineer,[4] Hassan and Hammad.[3] Salim Haidar died on 3 October 1980.[3][4]

References

  1. R. Hrair Dekmejian (1975). Patterns of Political Leadership: Egypt, Israel, Lebanon. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. p. 48. ISBN 978-1-4384-0076-1.
  2. Jalal Zuwiyya (1972). The Parliamentary Election of Lebanon 1968. Leiden: Brill. p. 47. ISBN 978-90-04-03460-0.
  3. "Salim Haidar (1911-1980). A Preacher of Reform and Development" (PDF). The Monthly. No. 159. October 2015. p. 27. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  4. Tom Perry; Imad Creidi (27 August 2020). "From golden age to war and ruin: Lebanon in turmoil as it hits 100". Reuters. Beirut. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
  5. Irene L. Gendzier (2019). Notes From The Minefield: United States Intervention In Lebanon And The Middle East, 1945-1958. London; New York: Routledge. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-429-71129-9.
  6. "Foreign Relations of the United States, 1952–1954, The Near and Middle East". Office of the Historian. 26 January 1953. Retrieved 6 July 2022. Volume IX; Part 1 Document 549
  7. Elie Salem (Autumn 1967). "Cabinet Politics in Lebanon". Middle East Journal. 21 (4): 494. JSTOR 4324201.
  8. Clyde G. Hess, Jr.; Herbert L. Bodman, Jr. (Winter 1954). "Confessionalism and Feudality in Lebanese Politics". Middle East Journal. 8 (1): 21. JSTOR 4322562.
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