Zeki Mesut Alsan: Life, ideas and political activities (1889-1984)

In our study, a journalist, scientist and politician who witnessed the last period of Ottoman Empire and the establishment and later periods of Turkish Republic, Zeki Mesut Alsan's Life, Ideas and Political Activities (1889-1984) were examined. So, Devlet Arşivleri Başkanlığı Cumhuriyet ve Osmanlı Archival documents contains datas about the life of Alsan, writings in Ahenk, Hâkimiyeti Milliye, Milliyet, Tan, Vakit newspapers and Muallimler Birliği Mecmuası, Maarif Vekâleti Mecmuası, Ülkü Halkevleri Mecmuası, Hayat, Türk Yurdu, İnsan Hakları were used. Alsan was born in Aydin in 1889, completed first education here and then continued high school education in Izmir High school. He entered School of Mulkiye for higher education and wrote about foreign policy in newspaper Ahenk during education there. After graduating from Mülkiye, he went to Paris on October 24, 1910, for European education. Returning to Turkey, he spent short period in Mulkiye School as an assistant of international law and political history, and then spent WWI years in various positions at the Ministry of Finance. He started to work in the Ministry of Education in 1918, performed various duties in this ministry. He was elected as Edirne deputy from CHP in 1927, so entered politics, then continued this duty as Diyarbakır deputy until 1943. In addition, maintained his journalistic identity in Hâkimiyeti Milliye and Milliyet during time as a member of parliament. In 1943, he was appointed to Mulkiye, which was named the School of Political Sciences, as the professor and director of General International Law, and continued professorship until retirement in 1956. He died on September 24, 1984, in Istanbul.