Morteza Gholi Khan Hedayat
Morteza Gholi Khan (Sani-ol Douleh) (Persian: مرتضیقلیخان صنیعالدوله; 1856–1911) of the Hedayat family, son of Ali Gholi Khan (Mokhber-ol Douleh), was a key leader of the Persian Constitutional Revolution who then became the first Chairman of the first Majlis (Assembly or House of Representatives).
Morteza Gholi Khan Hedayat | |
|---|---|
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| 1st Speaker of the Parliament of Iran | |
| In office 6 October 1906 – 23 June 1907 | |
| Preceded by | First holder |
| Succeeded by | Mirza Mahmoud Khan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1856 Tehran, Iran |
| Died | 6 February 1911 (aged 55) Tehran, Iran |
| Resting place | Hedayat Mosque |
| Political party | Moderates |
| Spouse(s) | Ehteram as-Saltaneh |
| Children | 10 |
He was the first Finance Minister for seven months when he was assassinated on 6 February 1911 by two Georgian nationals in Tehran. 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 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.[2]
References
- Shuster, W. (2013). Strangling of Persia. Read Books Ltd. pp. 48, 119, 179. ISBN 1-4474-8603-X. OCLC 936199372.
- 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." 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), .
