Ferruh Bozbeyli

Politician and statesman (b. 1927 in Pazarcık district of Kahramanmaraş - d. 28 July 2019, Ankara). Because of his father’s office he completed the primary and secondary schools in Islahiye and İskenderun. He completed in 1947 Antakya Boys School and 1957 Istanbul University, Faculty of Law. Bozbeyli arrived at Istanbul after numerous adventures in order to study law. His academic years and struggle to survive in a metropolis resemble to efforts of other youth from the countryside. Bozbeyli was one of them and he worked as a supernumerary in Yeşilçam and night watchman for İETT (Istanbul Electric Tramway and Tunnel Establishments) to be able to study.

At university he nourished from the great professors of his period such as Abdülaziz Bekkine, M. Zahit Kotku, Nurettin Topçu and Ali Fuat Başgil who belonged to the environment of “Hareket”; and an intellectual environment which consisted of artists such as Necip Fazıl Kısakürek, Samiha Ayverdi and Yücel Çakmaklı. Ferruh Bozbeyli who associated and had conversations with elder people followed all literati at that time.  Sabahattin Ali was one of the authors who left a trace on him. In his books he saw people of Anadolu, sufferings, complaints, but also solutions. Even if he did not agree with the author’s suggestions of solution, he adopted his diagnose.

Ferruh Bozbeyli worked as a lawyer in Istanbul after graduating from the faculty (1958-64). At the age of thirty-three he undertook the defense of Osman Turan as one of the lawyers defending Adnan Menderes and his friends in Yassıada. Yassıada courts opened him the way to active politics within Justice Party. In 1961 he entered Justice Party (AP) and took part in politics. He was elected as a parliament member from Istanbul in general elections. He served as AP Parliamentary Group Leader (1961-62) and Vice President of Grand National Assembly of Turkey (TBMM) (1962-65). In general elections of 1965 his party received the most votes and became the ruling power. He was assigned to Presidency of TBMM (1965-70). He kept this duty in 1967 and 1969 elections of Parliament Presidency (1965-1970). 

In 1970 he became one of the group members within AP which was against the party leader Süleyman Demirel and left AP and Parliament Presidency. He was appointed as party leader of Democratic Party (DP) he established with his friends who left the party (1971). DP which was not very different from AP aimed at laying claim to political heritage of former Democratic Party. Bozbeyli in general elections after two years was reelected from this party and entered the parliament as a PM from Istanbul (1973). However the Democratic Party was fragmentized in March 1975 during the foundation negotiations of 1^st Nationalist Front Government and lost its power. Bozbeyli was not elected PM in 1977 general elections. He resigned first from party leadership of DP and later from active politics (1978). In the next years he became executive board member of a bank and then its chairman.

While he was in active politics, he witnessed governments of İsmet İnönü, Celal Bayar, Cemal Gürsel, Cevdet Sunay and Fahri Korutürk and experienced three military coups. All these experiences gave him the possibility to reflect on “the rightist view”. According to him the rightist view exited in these lands before the leftist view. The most important is that the rightist view has a nationalist accent.

Ferruh Bozbeyli published his political views and memories as a book. In his book titled “Alaca Siyaset” he drew the panorama of our near history as a political master. This book also explained the failing sides of our politics in a brave and adorable language. The book titled “Yalnız Demokrat” in which he told his memories within a biographical interview and which was prepared by İhsan Dağı and Fatih Uğur was published in 2009. Bozbeyli’s speeches in TBMM were also published as a book.

WORKS:

Tür­kiye’de Siyası Partilerin Ekonomik ve Sosyal Görüşleri (1969), Kalkınma ve Parlamentoda AP, Kalkınma ve Parlamentoda CHP, Kalkınma ve Parlamentoda Diğer Partiler, Türkiye Parti Programları (1970), Kalkınma ve Planlama (1970), Demokratik Sağ (1976), Birinci Cemre (siyasi anılar, 1977), Politika Sınavı (1980), Alaca Siyaset (2000), Siyasi Hikâyeler (2000).

REFERENCE: Yurt Ansiklopedisi (8.cilt, 1981), Büyük Larousse Sözlük ve Ansiklopedi (c. 4, 1986), İhsan Işık / Yazarlar Sözlüğü (1990, 1998) - Türkiye Yazarlar Ansiklopedisi (2001, 2004) - Resimli ve Metin Örnekli Türkiye Edebiyatçılar ve Kültür Adamları Ansiklopedisi (2006, gen. 2. bas. 2007) – Ünlü Devlet Adamları (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, C. 1, 2013) - Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013), İhsan Dağı – Fatih Uğur  / Ferruh Bozbeyli: Yalnız Demokrat (2009), Eski Meclis Başkanı Bozbeyli için tören düzenlendi (aa.com.tr, 29.07.2019).