Reşat Muhlis Erkmen (1891-1985)

In the Republic of Türkiye, which was established after the end of the Ottoman Empire, innovations and revolutions were made in many areas. Among these innovations and revolutions, great importance was also given to the field of agriculture. For this reason, in 1931, the Ministry of Agriculture was separated from the Ministry of Economy and became a single ministry. The first minister of the Ministry of Agriculture, established in 1931, was Reşat Muhlis Erkmen. Muhlis Erkmen, who had the opportunity to become a minister during the Atatürk period in the history of the Republic, contributed to agriculture in many areas and became the pioneer of modern agriculture. Muhlis Erkmen served as Minister of Agriculture between 1931-1937 and 1939-1942. In addition to his duties as Minister of Agriculture, Muhlis Erkmen served as a teacher, Agricultural Science Consultant, Member of Parliament for Bursa, Member of Parliament for Kütahya, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ziraat Bank. Muhlis Erkmen was most active in her professional life during her time at the Ministry of Agriculture. Muhlis Erkmen, who gave great importance to science and agriculture both as a minister and a teacher, also pioneered the establishment of the Ankara Higher Agricultural Institute for the development of agricultural education. In this study, in which we tried to cover all aspects of the life of Muhlis Erkmen, the first Minister of Agriculture in the history of the Republic, the values that Muhlis Erkmen contributed to agriculture and scientific life were included. Therefore, the Presidency of the State Archives of the Republic of Turkey, the Presidency of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Library and Archive Services, the National Library Periodicals Branch and the Digital Agriculture Specialization Library of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Turkey were used.