Mehmet Cavit Bey (1875–1926) was a Turkish economist, newspaper editor and politician. He was a leading politician and government member during the last period of the Ottoman Empire. In the beginning of the Republican period, he was executed for alleged involvement in an assassination attempt against Kemal Atatürk.^[1]

Contents 1 Early years and career 2 Republican era 3 Bibliography 4 References

[edit] Early years and career

Cavit was born in Saloniki, then in the Ottoman Empire, to a dönmeh family. His father was Naim, a merchant in Saloniki, and his mother Pakize, both descendents of two siblings. Cavit had two younger brothers.^[2]He was educated in economics in Istanbul. Following his graduation, he worked as a bank clerk and later as a teacher.^[3]

Having returned to Saloniki, he joined the Committee of Union and Progress (CUP). After the proclamation of the Second Constitution in 1908, he was elected deputy of Saloniki and Çanakkale into the parliament in Istanbul. Following the 31 March Incident in 1909, Cavit Bey was appointed minister of finance in the cabinet of Grand Vizier Tevfik Pasha.^[3]

Until the Armistice of Mudros in 1918 following the World War I, he played an important role in the CUP. Cavit Bey represented the Ottoman Empire in financial negotiations in London and Berlin.^[3]

[edit] Republican era

In 1921, he married Aliye Nazlı, the divorced wife of a prince. In 1924, his son Osman Şiar was born. After his execution, his son was grown up by his close friend Hüseyin Cahit Yalçın. Following the enactment of the surname law in 1934, Osman Şiar adopted the family name Yalçın.^[2]

In the early period of the Republican era, he was accused of his involvement in the assassination attempt in Izmir against Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Cavit Bey was executed by hanging on August 26, 1926 in Ankara^[3] along with 13 other convicts.

The letters he wrote to his wife Aliye Nazlı during his imprisonment were handed out to her only after his execution. These letters are published later in a book titled Zindandan Mektuplar ("Letters from Dungeon").^[4]

His corpse was transferred in 1950 to the Cebeci Asri Cemetery in Ankara.^[2]

[edit] Bibliography

• Zindandan Mektuplar (2005) Liberte Yayınları, 212 pp. ISBN 9789756877913

[edit] References

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