Kâzım Özalp

Kâzım Özalp
Speaker of the Parliament of Turkey
In office 26 November 1924 – 1 March 1935
President	Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Prime Minister	İsmet İnönü
Preceded by	Ali Fethi Okyar
Succeeded by	Mustafa Abdulhalik Renda
Minister of National Defence
In office 1 March 1935 – 18 January 1939
President	Mustafa Kemal Atatürk İsmet İnönü
Prime Minister	İsmet İnönü Celal Bayar
Preceded by	Zekai Apaydın
Succeeded by	Ahmet Naci Tınaz
In office 10 January 1922 – 21 November 1924
President	Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Prime Minister	Rauf Orbay İsmet İnönü
Preceded by	Refet Bele
Succeeded by	Ali Fethi Okyar
Personal details
Born	December 1880 Köprülü (Veles), Kosovo Vilayet, Ottoman Empire
Died	6 June 1968 (aged 87) Ankara, Turkey
Political party	Republican People's Party
Religion	Islam
Military service
Nickname(s)	Kâzım Köprülü
Allegiance	Ottoman Empire (1902–1920)  Turkey (1920–1927)
Rank	Full General
Commands	Van Gendarmerie Regiment, Van Mobile Gendarmerie Division, 36th Division, 37th Caucasian Division, VI Corps (deputy), 60th Division, 61st Division, XIV Corps (deputy), Kocaeli Area Command, III Corps, Minister of National Defense
Battles/wars	Balkan Wars World War I Turkish War of Independence

Kâzım Fikri Özalp (1880 – 6 June 1968) was a Turkish military officer, politician, and one of the leading figures in the Turkish War of Independence.

Biography

Born in Köprülü (now Veles, Republic of Macedonia), in the Kosovo Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire into an Albanian family, Kâzım Fikri graduated from the Ottoman military school in 1902 and completed the College of War in 1905.^[1] Kâzım Özalp was involved to 31 March Incident in 1909. He was a military commander during the Balkan wars. In 1917, he was promoted to the rank of the colonel. He was one of the military commanders who organized resistance groups against the occupation of Izmir. During the Turkish War of Independence, he fought at several fronts. In 1921, Kâzım Özalp was promoted to the rank General for his success at the Battle of Sakarya.

Already a member of the first term of the parliament of the newly established Republic as an MP from Balıkesir Province, Kâzım Fikri served as the Minister of Defense in several cabinets from 1921 to 1925, and later from 1935 to 1939. He was elected Speaker of the Turkish Grand National Assembly from 1924 to 1935. In 1950, he was elected to the parliament as an MP from Van Province.^[2] He retired from active politics in 1954. He was rumored to have been a Bektashi possibly because of his opposition to the decision to close Bektashi centers (Khanqah).^[2]

Kâzım Özalp wrote his memoirs in his book Milli Mücadele ("National Struggle"). He died on 6 June 1968 in Ankara. His remains were transferred to the Turkish State Cemetery.

References

1. Gingeras, Ryan (2009). Sorrowful Shores. Oxford University Press. p. 83. ISBN 0-19-160979-X.
2. Küçük, Hülya (2002). The role of the Bektāshīs in Turkey's national struggle. BRILL. p. 289. ISBN 90-04-12443-8.

• Who is who (Turkish)

See also

• List of high-ranking commanders of the Turkish War of Independence

External links

• Works by or about Kâzım Özalp at Internet Archive