Mehmet Müni̇r Ertegün's life and his role in contemporary Turkish history

This study aims to portray the historical biography of Mehmet Munir Ertegun who played an important role both in late Ottoman Empire and in foundation of the Turkish Republic as a prominent jurist and diplomat. In the study Ertegun's life, mentality and his tasks in government are tried to be studied with the historical events of his period by making use of family archive, archival records, books, articles and newspapers in Turkish and English and also oral interview method. As a legal adviser at Sublime Porte in late Ottoman Empire he took part in Brest Litovsk treaty, then Bucharest Peace negotiations and finally Sevres Treaty. He took part in Ahmet İzzet Pasha's (Furgaç) delegation named Bilecik Mülakatı. This was also a turning point of his life because he made an important decision and joined National Struggle here. He immediately started to serve to the national cause attending London Conference. Then he played an important role in Turkish-French Treaty and the Lausanne Peace Conference as the adviser and the translator next to İsmet Pasha (İnönü). After serving as an Ankara-based official, he was posted as Minister to Berne, then to Paris, London and Washington as ambassador. After serving ten years in Washington, he died there in 1944. His remains were temporarily buried in Arlington Cemetery in Washington to await war's end. Then in 1946, in extraordinary gesture, his body was brought back to Turkey on the Battleship Missouri as a demonstration of American support against Soviet Russian demands concerning the Straits. Keywords: Mehmet Munir Ertegun, Historical Biography, Jurist Diplomat