Behiç Erkin
| Behiç Erkin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Ambassador of Turkey to France | |
|
In office 1939–1943 |
|
| President | İsmet İnönü |
| Ambassador of Turkey to Hungary | |
|
In office 1928–1939 |
|
| President | Mustafa Kemal Atatürk |
| Minister of Public Works | |
|
In office January 14, 1926 – October 15, 1928 |
|
| Prime Minister | İsmet İnönü |
| Preceded by | Süleyman Sırrı Gedikoğlu |
| Succeeded by | Recep Peker |
| Director General of the TCDD | |
|
In office December 1, 1921 – January 11, 1926 |
|
| Succeeded by | Vasfi Tuna |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Hakkı Behiç 1876 Constantinople(modern-day Istanbul), Ottoman Empire |
| Died | 1961 (aged 84–85) Istanbul, Turkey |
| Resting place | Eskişehir |
| Nationality | Turkish |
| Alma mater | Ottoman Military Academy, Ottoman Military College |
| Occupation | Army officer, director general, government minister, ambassador, politician |
| Awards |
Iron Cross 1st Class (Germany) Medal of Independence (Turkey) |
| Military service | |
| Rank | Colonel (Miralay) |
| Battles/wars |
World War I Turkish War of Independence |
Behiç Erkin (1876 in Constantinople,Ottoman Empire-November 11, 1961 in Istanbul, Turkey) was a career Army officer; first director (1920–1926) of the Turkish State Railways, nationalized under his auspices; and statesman with the Turkish government who helped save almost 20,000 ethnic Jews in France during World War II. He was Minister of Public Works, 1926–1928, and deputy for three terms; and an ambassador. He served as Turkey's ambassador to Budapest between 1928–1939, and to Paris and Vichy between August 1939-August 1943. As Turkish ambassador in France under the German Occupation after June 1940, Erkin used the power of his office and nation's neutrality to save Jews who could document a Turkish connection, however slight, from the Holocaust.
Other Turkish diplomats in France and elsewhere, were also active in this rescue effort. The consulate staff under Necdet Kent in Marseille was particularly involved.
Starting in the early 1910s, Erkin was a close friend and early collaborator of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Mustafa Kemal and Colonel Behiç Bey (Erkin) played crucial roles in the success of the battles at the Dardanelles front, where both men commanded during World War I. Erkin earned a high reputation and the German Iron Cross 1st Class military decoration, which served him when he needed to impress Germans during the Occupation. He also played a foremost part in the Turkish War of Independence. He took the family name "Erkin" after Turkey's 1934 Law on Family Names was passed. His surname "Erkin," which means "free man" was personally suggested by Atatürk in honor of his ability to make objective decisions in the face of outside pressure.
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Wikipedia