Orhan Birgit

Minister, Member of Parliament, Statesman, Journalist, Politician, Writer

Death
16 October, 2019
Education
Istanbul University Faculty of Law

Journalist-writer, politician and statesman (b. 1928, Kars - d. 16 October 2019, Istanbul). His father was a civil servant, so he received training in different cities. He graduated from Istanbul Faculty of Law (1950). He began with his journalism career in 1945, and during this time he also worked as a lawyer. In 1946, when the multiparty period began, he became a member of RPP. During the Events of September 6-7.He was arrested as member of Cyprus is Turkish Society, was put on trial and he was acquitted. He was impleaded by the Investigation Commission with the claim of being the secretary of Revolution Committee.

He worked at different ranks in RPP. He was elected as Istanbul deputy in 1965. He took responsibility in “leftist tendency period” of the party with Bülent Ecevit. He was the Parliamentary Group member and spokesperson of RPP. He was the Tourism and Promotion Minister and government spokesperson in the first government established by Ecevit.

 Birgit started to work as a journalist again after September 12 interventions and worked as the editorial director at Dünya newspaper and consultant at Hürriyet newspaper. He wrote columns in Yeni Günaydın newspaper, and then he became the editorial director and lead writer in the same newspaper. Birgit was the Executive Board president of Hürriyet Foundation and Aydın Doğan Foundation. He worked as a lecturer at the communication faculties in Eskisehir Anadolu, Istanbul and Galatasaray universities. He received the honorary doctorate from the Senate of Anadolu University. He was the DSP Istanbul Fifth Region deputy candidate in 1991. He continued to write columns in Cumhuriyet newspaper and at taught lectures at Istanbul Bilgi University on Media Communication Systems. He compiled part of his memories in a book named Evvel Zaman İçinde (2005).

REFERENCE: Türkiye Ansiklopedisi 4 (1974), Emin Çölaşan / Orhan Birgit’in Kitabı (Hürriyet, 24.12.2005), Sefa Kaplan / Fahri Korutürk Nasıl Cumhurbaşkanı Seçildi (Hürriyet, 25.12. 2005), Usta gazeteci Orhan Birgit vefat etti (hürriyet.com.tr, 16 Ekim 2019), Orhan Birgit ve Ali Topuz son yolculuklarına uğurlandı (aa.com.tr, cnnturk.com,17.10.2019), Ali Topuz ve Orhan Birgit defnedildi  (gazeteduvar.com.tr, 17.10.2019).

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