Today in History – 5 August

Hasan Âli Yücel leaves the Ministry

İsmet İnönü’s close colleague and Turkey’s champion of education, culture, and civilization Hasan Âli Yücel resigned from his post as the Minister of National Education after nearly seven years of service on August 5, 1946 and returned to his career in journalism.

Hasan Âli Yücel was born in İstanbul on December 17, 1897. He studied, in consecutive order at Mekteb-i Osmani (Ottoman School), Vefa High School, and the Darülmuallimin-i Âli (Teacher’s Training College) in Ca?aloğlu. He graduated from the Department of Philosophy at İstanbul University’s Faculty of Letters and began teaching on December 19, 1922. Following the establishment of the Society for Research on the Turkish Language on July 12, 1932, Hasan Âli Yücel was appointed as the Chairman of the Etymology Department. He entered the Grand National Assembly as the İzmir Deputy of CHP in 1935 and served four consecutive terms.

On December 28, 1938, Yücel was appointed Minster of National Education in the second Celal Bayar Government. University reforms, the founding of İstanbul Technical University, the inauguration of Ankara School of Medicine, the Village Institute initiative, the translation of world classics into Turkish, and the preliminary studies of the first copyrighted Turkish encyclopedia İnönü Ansiklopedisi were all executed during his term at the Ministry. The establishment of the State Conservatory (May 20, 1940) and Turkey’s admission into UNESCO are all accomplished through his efforts. The Law on Universities was enacted after four years of hard work on June 25, 1946. Ankara University was founded as a result of the law.