Amir Abbas Hoveyda
The longest serving prime minister of Iran, 1965-1977
Amir Abbas Hoveyda
Amir Abbas Hoveyda was born in Tehran on February 18, 1919 to Habibollah Hoveyda, a diplomat, and Afsar ol-Moluk, a descendant of the royal family. The Hoveyda family was never fixed in one residence for any prolonged length of time. His father became the first Iran's General Consulate in Beirut, Lebanon. Therefore, Hoveyda’s family moved to Beirut and he started his formal education at the Lycée Français in Beirut, Lebanon.
At the age of fourteen Hoveyda lost his father which had a huge financial impact on his family. Her mother had to take care of her two sons, Amir Abbas and Fereydoun, by renting rooms to Iranian students in Beirut. After obtaining his high school diploma Hoveyda moved to London to learn English language. After two years in London, he decided to continue his education in France, but due to the dispute and broken ties between Iran and France Hoveyda had no choice but to go to Belgium in 1938 and continue his study at Université Libre de Brussels. The occupation of Belgium by Nazi Germany briefly interrupted Hoveyda's study. Eventually, he completed his studies in Political Science and Economics and headed back to Iran as war torn Europe was no place for him to stay.
Young Hoveyda (left) with his family in Beirut, 1929
After returning to Iran in 1942, Hoveyda voluntarily enlisted in Iran's national army and at the same time applied for employment in the Iranian Foreign Ministry. Hoveyda in Foreign Ministry served in Paris (1945-47), Bonn (1947-51), Ankara (1957), and at the United Nations in New York City (1951-57). In 1958 he was appointed to the board of the National Iranian Oil Company. In 1964, Hoveyda joined the cabinet of Prime Minister Hassan Ali Mansour as Minister of Finance.
After assassination of Prime Minister Hassan Ali Mansour in 21 January 1965, Hoveyda was ordered by Mohammad Reza Shah to formulate cabinet. The early years of Hoveyda's premiership is marked by a sense of optimism, but he was constantly and systematically marginalized by the autocratic Mohammad Reza Shah. He organized the October 1971 festivities at Persepolis commemorating the 2,500th anniversary of the founding of the Persian Empire.
As leader of the ruling Iran Novin Party, he won a landslide victory at the 1971 general elections. Iran's financial strength enabled Hoveyda to strike advantageous bargains with Western customers for Iranian oil in order to promote Iran's own economic development. But the Shah on August 7, 1977, replaced Hoveyda with Jamshid Amouzegar. Hoveyda continued to serve as minister of court within the new cabinet of Jamshid Amouzegar.
Hoveyda in revolutionary court sitting close to Hojjatoleslam Hadi Ghaffari, Tehran, 1979
In November 1978 Hoveyda was detained by the Shah's short-lived military government. Hoveyda refused requests by friends and relatives to flee Iran before it was too late, and instead he stayed in Iran and at of the February 1979 uprising he gave himself up to the new government appointed by Ayatollah Khomeini. Hoveyda that he personally had done nothing wrong, he would be acquitted by the court. Two months later he was sentenced to death by the clerical judge, Sadeq Khalkhali, appointed by Khomeini. On 7 April 1979, Hoveyda was transported to Qasr Prison, immediately Khalkhali announced his death sentence by firing squad. On the way to prison’s yard, before reaching the designated area of executions, Hoveyda was shot twice in the neck from the back by Hojatoleslam Hadi Ghaffari.
On 19 July 1966, Hoveyda married Laila Emami in a small ceremony. The marriage ended five years later in 1971. Hoveyda spoke English, French, German and Arabic and wrote articles for various Persian publications. His favorite recreations include golf, tennis, reading and cultivating roses. Among the honors that he has received are Iran's highest civilian award, the order of the Taj, first class, and the rank of Commander of the French Légion d'Honneur, as well as decorations from many Western, Asian and Middle Eastern countries.
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