Abdul Muhsin al-Sa'dun

Sir
Abdul Muhsin al-Sa'doun
KCMG
Sir Abdul Muhsin al-Sa'doun KCMG
عبد المحسن السعدون
Prime Minister of Iraq
	In office; 19 September 1929 – 13 November 1929
Monarch	Faisal I
Preceded by	Tawfiq al-Suwaidi
Succeeded by	Naji al-Suwaydi
	In office; 11 January 1928 – 28 April 1929
Monarch	Faisal I
Preceded by	Ja'far al-Askari
Succeeded by	Tawfiq al-Suwaidi
	In office; 26 June 1925 – 21 November 1926
Monarch	Faisal I
Preceded by	Yasin al-Hashimi
Succeeded by	Ja'far al-Askari
	In office; 20 November 1922 – 22 November 1923
Monarch	Faisal I
Preceded by	Abd Al-Rahman Al-Gillani
Succeeded by	Jafar al-Askari
Personal details
Born	Abd al-Muhsin bin Fahad al-Sa'doun; 1879; Nasiriyah, Basra Vilayet, Ottoman Empire
Died	13 November 1929 (aged 49–50); Baghdad, Kingdom of Iraq
Political party	The Progressive Party
Children	2
Alma mater	Ottoman Military Academy
Military service
Allegiance	Ottoman Empire
Branch/service	Ottoman Army
Rank	Binbashi (1905–1909); Second Lieutenant (1909)
Unit	Infantry

Sir Abdul Muhsin al-Sa‘doun, KCMG (Arabic: عبد المحسن السعدون;‎ 1879 – 13 November 1929) was an Iraqi politician who served as Prime Minister of Iraq on four occasions between 1922 and 1929.

Background and early career

Abd al-Muhsin al-Sa'doun hailed from a family descended from the Sa'douns, the most powerful tribe within the Muntafiq Confederation.^[1]^: 188 In the mid-nineteenth century, the Ottoman Empire fostered rivalries between the dominant Sa'dun chiefs by offering enticing land deals to the highest bidders among them, pursuant to a policy of tribal weakening and division. In 1871 Midhat Pasha finally split the chiefs in two between "Ottomanizers" and their opponents by offering some chiefs permanent ownership of once communal tribal lands, when, previously, they could only exact tribute from farmers. The tribal chiefs then grew very wealthy by converting the rest of the tribe into tenant farmers for their exploitation.^[1]^: 74–75

When the United Kingdom took Iraq from the Ottomans following World War I, it pursued a policy whereby it lavished political and economic favours on tribal leaders in order to encourage them to exert their influence in ways conducive to British economic designs in the country. Al-Sa'doun was one of many to consistently obtain seats in Parliament in exchange for this service. Notably, however, while many tribal leaders at the time were provincial in outlook, al-Sa'doun was distinguished by being a sayyid (a descent from the Prophet Muhammad), and by having broadened his horizons at the Military Academy in Istanbul. Al-Sa'doun served as a military officer during Ottoman control of the country, as an aide-de-camp to Sultan Abd-ul-Hamid II, and as a ten-year member of the Ottoman Parliament.^[2]^: 34 Afterward, he returned to Iraq and embarked on a career as an influential politician.

Time in Parliament

Al-Sa'dun was a shrewd politician with many tribal and British connections, as demonstrated by his control over the Parliamentary alliance known as the Progressives. This made him one of King Faisal's most bitter rivals, as he frequently acted as an instrument of British supremacy over the Iraqi interests Faisal was trying to pursue.^[1]^{: 190–191} In 1923, he suppressed a Shi'a movement calling for election boycotts.^[1]^: 190 He was President of the Constituent Assembly in 1924.^[3]^: 12 Then, in 1926, he assured the application of the unequal twenty-five-year "Financial and Military Agreement" between Iraq and Britain in spite of its unpopularity.^[1]^{: 190–191}

He was elected as the president of the Chamber of Deputies from 1926 to 1928 and in 1929.^[4]^: 12^[5]^: 12

During his third term as prime minister, al-Sa'doun also negotiated the Treaty of Ankara in which Iraq promised to pay Turkey 10% of its revenues from the Mosul oil fields in return for Turkish recognition of Iraqi control of the area.^{[citation needed]} By December 1928, popular protest over British domination of Iraq had become more fervid, and al-Sa'doun began to support King Faisal's demands for more autonomy. He resigned in protest in January 1929.^[1]^{: 191–192}

Death

On 13 November 1929, during his fourth term in office, al-Sa'doun died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. His actions were considered to be a consequence of the criticism he had received from the Iraqi population and, subsequently, the British and international community for his "disloyalty". He left behind a letter to his son stating, "I have suffered with forbearance all possible insults and contempt".^[6]^: 102-103

Legacy

In his memory, the street where he was killed became known officially as "al-Sa'doun Street" and a bronze statue dedicated to him was built in the street.^[7]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f Batatu, Hanna (1978). The Old Social Classes and the Revolutionary Movements of Iraq. Princeton University Press. ISBN 0691052417. OL 21622322M.
^ Suwaydi, Tawfiq (1987). وجوه عراقية عبر التاريخ [Iraqi Faces from the Past] (in Arabic). Riyadh al-Rayyis Publishers. ISBN 9781869844431. OL 8649495M.
^ Report by His Britannic Majesty's Government to the Council of the League of Nations on the Administration of Iraq (Report). Colonial Office. 1923–1924.
^ Report by His Britannic Majesty's Government to the Council of the League of Nations on the Administration of Iraq (Report). Colonial Office. 1926.
^ Report by His Britannic Majesty's Government to the Council of the League of Nations on the Administration of Iraq (Report). Colonial Office. 1929.
^ Sinderson, Sir Harry Chapman (1973). Ten Thousand and One Nights: Memories of Iraq's Sherifian Dynasty. Hodder and Stoughton Press. ISBN 9780340176184. OL 10616469M.
^ Limited, Elaph Publishing (11 February 2008). "شارع السعدون شجرة الحزن تمطر مواويل بكاء". Elaph - إيلاف (in Arabic). Retrieved 16 September 2023. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)

Political offices
Preceded by Abd Al-Rahman Al-Gillani	Prime Minister of Iraq 18 November 1922 – 21 November 1923	Succeeded by Jafar al-Askari
Preceded by Yasin al-Hashimi	Prime Minister of Iraq 19 June 1925 – 1 November 1926	Succeeded by Jafar al-Askari
Preceded by Jafar al-Askari	Prime Minister of Iraq 14 January 1928 – 20 January 1929	Succeeded by Tawfiq al-Suwaidi
Preceded by Tawfiq al-Suwaidi	Prime Minister of Iraq 19 September 1929 – 13 November 1929	Succeeded by Naji al-Suwaidi