Ismet Inonu

Mustafa Ismet Inönü (1884 - December 25, 1973) was a soldier, statesman and the second President of Turkey. He was born in Izmir, finished the Military Academy in 1903 and received his first military assignment in Ottoman army. He won his first military victories by suppressing two major revolts against the struggling Ottoman Empire, first in Roumelia and second in Yemen. During the First World War, he fought in the East fronts (in Syria) and then he was appointed as the commander of the western fronts. He was promoted to brigadier general after the Inönü Wars, in which he successfully defended the central Anatolia territory against the Greek Army. He made a career change by being chosen as the chief of the Turkish team in the Lausanne Negotiations. After the death of Atatürk he was the only name to replace him and he was elected as the second President of the Republic of Turkey. Subsequently, Inonu was Prime Minster of Turkey for several terms maitaining the system Ataturks had put in place. In 1950 his party lost the general election and presided over the peaceful transfer of power to the Democratic Party. Inonu served for ten years as leader of the opposition before returning to power after the coup of 1960. He died on the 25th of December, 1973.