Ali Fuat Başgil

Intellectual and politician (b. 1893, Çarşamba / Samsun - d. 17 April 1967). He completed his primary education in Çarşamba. After attending high school in İstanbul for a while, he fought at the Caucasian Front during World War I. After the war, he firstly attended Paris Buffone High School (1921) and Grenoble Law Faculty and then he graduated from Sorbonne University, Department of Philosophy and the Paris School of Political Sciences (1929). After he returned to Turkey, he was appointed as the Vice General Director for Higher Education at the Ministry of National Education. One year later, he was appointed as assistant professor at Ankara University, Faculty of Law due to his success in the faculty’s examination. In 1932, he was promoted to professor. Appointed to İstanbul University, Faculty of Law in 1933, Başgil served as an academician for a long time as well as being the dean of the faculty during 1838.

He was promoted to distinguished professor in 1939. He founded the Society of Promoting Free Thought. He prepared the Constitution of Hatay when Hatay was declared an independent state. Returning to Ankara, he served as professor in the faculties of Political Sciences and Law (1943). He was removed from the university under article 147 of the Constitution following the 27 May Coup d’etat. In the elections held in October 1961, he was elected Senator of the province of Samsun for the Justice Party, the foundation of which he was also involved in. Later on, he was nominated as a candidate for the office of President. However, due to pressure put upon him, he gave up, resigned as Senator and went to Switzerland (1962). He lectured on Turkish Language and History at Geneva University in Switzerland. Participating in the 1965 elections, he was elected a parliamentary deputy for İstanbul for the Justice Party.

MAIN WORKS:

La Question des Detrois (The Question on Rights, Origin, Evolution and Solution at the conference of Lausanne, 1928), Esas Teşkilât Hukuku Dersleri (Lectures on the Law of the Constitution, 1934), Klasik Ferdî Hak ve Hürriyetler Nazariyesi ve Muasır Devletçilik Sistemi (The Classical Theory of Individual Rights and Freedoms and the System in Civilized States, 1938), La Vie Juridique des Peuples (The Juridical Life of the People, Belgium, 1939; Political Regime and the Constitutional Principles of Turkey, translated into Turkish, 1957), Esas Teşkilat Hukuku Dersleri (Lectures on the Law of the Constitution, 3 volumes, 1940), Türkiye İş Hukuku (Turkish Labor Law, 1940), Vatandaşın Büyük Millet Meclisi' ne Müracaat Hakkı (The Citizens’ Right to Appeal to the Grand National Assembly, 1944), Hukukun Ana Mesele ve Müesseseleri (The Main Issues and Institutions in Law, 1948), Türkçe Meselesi (The Issue of the Turkish Language, 1948), Vatandaş Hürriyeti ve Bunun Teminatı (Civil Freedom and Assurance of This Freedom, 1948), Demokrasi ve Hürriyet (Democracy and Freedom, 1949), Gençlerle Başbaşa (Face to Face with the Youth, 1949), Din Nedir? Din Hürriyeti ve Laiklik Ne Demektir? (What is Religion? What Does Religious Freedom and Secularism Mean?, 1954), Din ve Laiklik (Religion and Secularism, 1955), Dinde Reformcular (Reformists in Religion, with Eşref Edib, N. Topçu, İ. H. Danişmend and M. R. Ogan, 1959), Esas Teşkilat Hukuku (The Law of the Constitution, 1960), İlmin Işığında Günün Meseleleri (Contemporary Issues in the Light of Science, 1960), Vatandaş Hak ve Hürriyetlerinin Korunması ve Anayasamızın Eksiklikleri (Protection of Civil Rights and Freedoms and the Shortcomings in Our Constitution, 2 volumes, 1960), Demokrasi Yolunda / Siyasî Hukuk Etüdleri (On the Way to Democracy/ Studies on Political Law, 1961), Din Nedir, Din Hürriyeti ve Laiklik Ne Demektir? (What is Religion, What Does Religious Freedom and Secularism Mean? 1962), 27 Mayıs İhtilali ve Sebepleri (The 27 May Coup d’Etat and Its Reasons, 1963), A. Fuat Başgil'in Hatıraları (Memories of A. Fuat Başgil, 1990), Cihan Sulhu ve İnsan Hakları, Seçim Sistemimizin Kıymeti ve Eksiklikleri (World Peace and Human Rights, the Value and Shortcomings of Our Electoral System).

REFERENCE: Mücellidoğlu Ali Çankaya / Yeni Mülkiye Tarihi ve Mülkiyeliler (c. II, 1968), Yurt Ansiklopedisi (c. VIII, 1982-83), M. Niyazi Özdemir / Zaman (16.5.1989), Ezel Erverdi / TDE Ansiklopedisi (c. 1, s. 343), A. Selçuk Özçelik / TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (c. 5, 1992), Ali Fuat Başgil’i Kimler Tehdit Etti (Sabah, 6.1.2000), Ahmet Kabaklı / Kubbealtı Akademisinde Ali Fuat Başgil (4.10.2000), İhsan Işık / Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (2006) - Ünlü Fikir ve Kültür Adamları (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 3, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013), Engin Ardıç / Siz Dayatma Görmemişsiniz (Akşam, 11 Nisan 2007).