Abdolreza Ansari (1925–2020) was an Iranian engineer, bureaucrat and politician who held various government posts. He served as minister of labor (1959–1960) and minister of interior (1966–1969).
Abdolreza Ansari | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Interior | |
| In office 1966–1969 | |
| Monarch | Mohammad Reza Pahlavi |
| Prime Minister | Amir-Abbas Hoveyda |
| Preceded by | Javad Sadr |
| Succeeded by | Ataollah Khosravani |
| Minister of Labor | |
| In office 1959 – September 1960 | |
| Monarch | Mohammad Reza Pahlavi |
| Prime Minister | Manouchehr Eghbal |
| Preceded by | Agha Khan Bakhtiar |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1925 |
| Died | December 2020 (aged 94–95) Paris |
| Nationality | Iranian |
| Alma mater | |
Early life and education
editAnsari was born in 1925.[1] His father was Colonel Mohammad Hossein Khan who was killed at age 26 in a battle against rebels before his birth.[2] He graduated from the University of Tehran and Utah State University,[1] receiving degrees in agricultural engineering.[2] He obtained his PhD in law from the University of California, Los Angeles.[2]
Career
editFollowing his return to Iran in 1951 Ansari started his career at the Ministry of Labor.[1] Then he joined the Ministry of National Economy and served as the deputy director of Iran-American Joint Fund for Economic Development and as the deputy minister of state for foreign assistance.[1] He was also the treasurer general of Iran.[1] He became a member of the Nationalists' Party led by Manouchehr Eghbal.[3] In 1959 he was appointed minister of labor to the cabinet of Prime Minister Manouchehr Eghbal, replacing Agha Khan Bakhtiar in the post.[4] Ansari held the post until September 1960.[4] He was appointed minister of interior in 1966 to the cabinet led by Prime Minister Amir-Abbas Hoveyda.[3] Ansari's term ended in 1969,[3] and he was replaced by Ataollah Khosravani in the post.[5] Ansari's other positions included the managing director of Khuzestan Water and Power Authority, governor general of the Khuzestan province and managing director of the Imperial Organization for Social Services.[1] In the latter post Ansari was the deputy of Princess Ashraf Pahlavi.[3]
Later years, personal life and death
editAnsari left Iran after the regime change in 1979 and settled in Paris, France.[6] He was one of the founding trustees of the Persia Education Foundation based in Paris.[7] In 2016 he published a book entitled The Shah’s Iran - Rise and Fall Conversations with an Insider of which English edition was printed by I.B. Tauris.[3]
Ansari was married and had three children: Nazanin, Ketayoun and Mohammad Reza.[2] He died in Paris in December 2020.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b c d e f "The Shah's Iran - Rise and Fall". bokus. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ a b c d "درگذشت عبدالرضا انصاری؛ آنکه نخست وزیر نشد". BBC Persian (in Persian). December 2020. Retrieved 19 February 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Gholam Reza Afkhami. "The Shah's Iran - Rise and Fall Conversations with an Insider". Bloomsbury Collections. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ a b Abdolreza Ansari (2016). The Shah's Iran - Rise and Fall: Conversations with an Insider. London; New York: Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 97. ISBN 978-1-78673-164-7.
- ^ "Interview with Khosrovani, Ataollah: Tape 01" (Project material). Harvard University. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ a b Amir Taheri (11 December 2020). "An Outstanding Iranian Statesman: Remembering Mr. Abdolreza Ansari". Kayhan Life. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
- ^ "Abdolreza Ansari". Persia Education Foundation. Retrieved 24 April 2022.