Wife of Mustafa Kemal (B. 17 June 1898, Izmir – 12 July 1975,
Istanbul). She is known and mentioned as Latife Uşşaki, Uşakizade Latife or
Latife Hanım in general. She came from a wealthy and well-known family emigrated
from Uşak to Izmir.
She was daughter of Uşakizade (called as Uşşaklı later) Muammer Bey, and also
relative of Halit Ziya Uşaklıgil, one of the writers of Servet-i Fünun and
Republic Period. After graduating from Izmir
High School, she studied law in Sorbonne University
in Paris, studied language in London (1921). When she returned to Turkey,
the Liberation War was not yet ended. He heard that Commander in Chief Mustafa
Kemal was in the city on the second day that the Turkish Army entered Izmir (11 September 1922).
Upon hearing, she went to Command Headquarters and offered Mustafa Kemal to stay
in their mansion in Göztepe for security reasons. Ghazi was pleased to accept
the invitation.
This meeting was the beginning of the continuous communication
between them. Mustafa Kemal and Latife Hanım got married on 29 January 1923 in
the house of Muammer Bey with a simple wedding ceremony. Marshal Fevzi Çakmak
and Kâzım Karabekir were Mustafa Kemal’s, and Abdülhalik Renda and Salih Bozok
were Latife Hanım’s marriage witnesses. Latife Hanım came to Ankara
and lived in Towered Villa (Old Villa by the current name, now it is used as Atatürk Museum), which was the first
Presidential Palace of the Republic, in Çankaya. Upon her husband’s request, she
watched the sessions in the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM). She
accompanied her husband in many national tours.
Latife Hanım, who stayed married to Atatürk for approximately two
and a half year, was the lady of the Towered Villa in Çankaya. She covered the
room at the entrance of the Old Villa with Damask sets and placed blue seats in
the guest room. Atatürk stayed in the old villa after divorcing his wife and
moved to the new Çankaya Villa in 1932. Latife Hanım returned to Istanbul after her short-lived
marriage by taking her belongings, which she brought herself.
Mustafa Kemal brought little girls to the Villa while he was married
to Latife Hanım, both for having them assisting him and for raising them. However,
Latife Hanım brought a Swedish housekeeper to the house when she realized that
both they and the villa needed to be taken care of. As soon as Madame Bauer,
who was speaking French and middle aged, came, she tried to organize the villa
in her own way. She disciplined the waiters strictly and made them wear gloves
and tailcoat. However, this arrangement did not last long because Atatürk got
bored of it. Madame Bauer started to go
visits like a lady, and when she also started to accept guests she was
discharged immediately.
Mustafa Kemal and Latife Hanım could not continue a marriage in which
they were compatible with each other. The first big conflict between them
emerged in Erzurum tour and Latife Hanım left
the table as a result of the argument they had at the dinner table, she did not
meet him, and on the following day she was sent to Ankara in company with Salih Bozok, who was the
first aide-de-camp.
This event was followed by the extreme conflicts. Fikriye Hanım, who was
near Mustafa Kemal and took care of him before, suddenly came back in a period
while Latife Hanım was in Europe for receiving
a treatment. However, when she was not accepted by Mustafa Kemal, she committed
suicide while she was leaving Çankaya Villa. Extreme sadness of Mustafa Kemal towards
this situation caused one last argument between Latife Hanım and him. After a
harsh debate and resentment, Mustafa Kemal sent Latife Hanım to her family in Izmir by train in company
with Salih Bozok. The Prime Minister and some ministers saw her off at the
train station. Atatürk did not accept to make farewell meeting. A few days later,
dissolution of marriage was notified to Latife Hanım in Izmir. News of the divorce was announced on
the radio on 5 August 1925with a government announcement. During their marriage
for two and a half year, they did not have any child. Latife Hanım lapsed into
deep silence after divorce. She did not interview with anybody about her
memories. After she lost her family, she moved to Istanbul completely.
Marriage of Atatürk and Latife Hanım, who he met
and married to in Izmir
in the period he was “Ghazi Mustafa Kemal”, lasted for 2 years, 6 months and 4
days. Latife Hanım lived in Izmir and in Istanbul time to time
until her death on 12 July 1975. She
died of breast cancer and interred at the family graveyard at Edirnekapı Martyr's
Cemetery. Despite all the insistence, she did not tell her memories related to
Atatürk. Memoirs and valuable documents that she kept are at Turkish Historical
Society.
İHSAN IŞIK
HAKKINDA:
Türkiye Ansiklopedisi (c: 1, 1974), Büyük
Larousse Ansiklopedisi (1986), İsmet Bozdağ / Gazi ve Latife (2010), Cumhuriyetin
91’inci yılında 91 sembol kadın (kadinlarkulubu.com, 30 Ekim 2014).