Hussein Refki Pasha

Sahib-ul-Ma'ali Hussein Refki Pasha
25th War and Marine Minister of Egypt
In office December 1937 – April 1938
Monarch	Farouk
Prime Minister	Muhammad Mahmoud Pasha
Preceded by	Ahmed Hamdi Seif al-Nasr Pasha
Succeeded by	Hassan Sabry Pasha
Member of the Senate of Egypt
In office 1939 – ?
Chief Aide-de-Camp to the King of Egypt
Monarch	Fuad I Farouk
Succeeded by	Omar Fathi Pasha
Personal details
Born	1876 Cairo, Egypt
Died	1950 (aged 73–74) Cairo, Egypt
Nationality	Egyptian
Spouse(s)	Zeinab Khanum Said Agha
Children	Hafez
Alma mater	Royal Military School
Religion	Sunni Islam
Military service
Allegiance	Kingdom of Egypt Sultanate of Egypt Khedivate of Egypt
Service/branch	Egyptian Army
Rank	Major-General
Commands	King's Military Household (Egypt)

Hussein Refki Pasha Ahmed Hafez Mohammed Hafez (Arabic: حسين رفقي باشا ‎; 1876–1950) was an Egyptian military general and politician who served as Egypt's 25th Minister of War and Marine.

Career

Hussein Refki Pasha served as Egypt's Minister of War and Marine from December 1937 to April 1938, during the early reign of King Farouk of Egypt.^[1] Refki later became a senator in the Egyptian Senate (Arabic: مجلس الشيوخ‎; Majlis-al-Shuyukh), the upper-house of the Egyptian Parliament (dissolved in 1956).^[2] Prior to his political career, Refki served in the royal court as Chief Aide-de-Camp (Arabic: كبير الياوران‎; Kebeer-al-Yawaran) to kings Fuad I and Farouk. As Chief Aide-de-Camp, Refki commanded the King's Military Household (predecessor to the Republican Guard of Egypt), which included the royal guard and other elite military formations.^[3] A street is named for Refki in the Sarayat El-Quba neighbourhood of Heliopolis, Cairo.^[4]

Family

Hussein Refki Pasha is a member of the Hafez family of Egypt, an aristocratic Turco-Egyptian family with a prominent history, having produced many pashas and beys before the Egyptian Revolution of 1952.^[3] Refki's father, Ahmed Hafez Pasha, and his brothers Major-Generals Hassan Hafez Pasha and Mohammed Hafez Pasha, all held high commands in the Egyptian Army.^[3] The family has also produced several eminent Egyptian judges. Refki's only child, Chancellor Hafez Refky, was a member of Egypt's Supreme Judicial Council (Arabic: مجلس القضاء الاعلى ‎; Majlis al-Qada' al-A'la), and Vice-President of Egypt's Court of Cassation (Arabic: محكمة النقض‎; Mahkamat-al-Naqd), Egypt's highest appellate court. Refki's nephew, Chancellor Fouad Hafez, was President of the Egyptian Court of Appeals in Cairo (Arabic: محكمة استئناف القاهرة ‎; Mahkamat Isti'naf al-Qahirah).

Hussein Refki Pasha is related to the Muhammad Ali dynasty of Egypt through his mother, who is directly descended from the dynasty's founder, Muhammad Ali of Egypt. Since the 1930s Refki and his patrilineal descendants have used the surname "Refky" or "Refki."

Awards and Honours

• Grand Cordon Order of Ismail ^[2]
• Grand Cordon Order of the Nile ^[2]
• Knight Grand Cross Order of the Crown of Italy ^[2]
• Knight Grand Cross Order of the Star of Ethiopia
• Honour Medal of Syrian Merit, First Class ^[2]
• Honour Medal of Lebanese Merit, First Class ^[2]
• Grand Officer Order of Leopold II
• Chief ADC to King Fuad I of Egypt ^[2]
• Chief ADC to King Farouk of Egypt ^[2]

References

1. Preston,Paul. Partridge, Michael. Woodward, Peter. British Documents on Foreign Affairs: Reports and Papers from the Foreign Office Confidential Print. 1999. Great Britain. Foreign Office.
2. Soria, L. Blattner, E.J. Le Mondain Egyptien (The Egyptian Who's Who): L'Annuaire De L'Elite D'Egypte. 1941. Cairo: [s.n.]
3. Soria, L. Blattner, E.J. Le Mondain Egyptien (The Egyptian Who's Who): L'Annuaire De L'Elite D'Egypte. 1936. Cairo: Thuilot Vincent & Cie.
4. El-Lewa Hussein Refki Street. Sarayat El Koba, Cairo, Egypt. Map of El-Koba, Cairo. 2009. Google Maps.