Said al-Ghazzi

Said al-Ghazzi was born in Damascus in 1893 to a prominent family of scholars and jurists. He studied law at the Ottoman Law School in Istanbul and the Syrian University in Damascus. He opened a law office and joined the National Bloc, a coalition of nationalist parties that opposed the French mandate. He was appointed as the justice minister in 1936, 1945 and 1947, and also served as the finance minister and the national economy minister in 1946 and 1947. He was elected to the parliament several times and participated in drafting the first constitution of Syria in 1928. He became the prime minister of Syria twice, in 1954 and 1955, and also held the foreign affairs portfolio. He was involved in the negotiations for the withdrawal of the last French troops from Syria and the establishment of the United Arab Republic with Egypt. He was also a vocal supporter of the Algerian independence movement and condemned the French colonialism in Africa. He was elected as the speaker of the parliament in 1962, but was ousted by the Ba'athist coup in 1963. He was banned from political activity and returned to his law practice. He died in Damascus in 1967 at the age of 74. He is remembered as a liberal and independent politician who played a significant role in the history of modern Syria.