Hasan Polatkan

Hasan Polatkan (1915 – September 16, 1961) was a Turkish politician and Minister of Labor and Finance, who was executed by hanging after the coup d'état in 1960 along with two other cabinet members.

Biography

He was born 1915 in Eskişehir, Turkey. He studied political science at Istanbul University. After his graduation in 1936, Polatkan worked at the state-owned Ziraat Bank as inspector.

He entered politics and was elected in 1946 deputy of Eskişehir into the Turkish Grand National Assembly for the Democratic Party. He served in the cabinet of Prime Minister Adnan Menderes as Minister of Labor (May 22, 1950 - December 14, 1950) and later twice as Minister of Finance (December 14, 1950 - December 9, 1955 and December 3, 1956 - May 27, 1960) until the Turkish Armed Forces staged a coup and ousted the 19th government.

He was arrested with Menderes in Kütahya, charged with corruption and violating the constitution along with some other party members, and put on trial on the island of Yassıada. Polatkan was sentenced to death and hanged on the island of İmralı on September 16, 1961, as were Adnan Menderes and Fatin Rüştü Zorlu. Many years after his death, his grave was moved to a mausoleum in Istanbul on September 17, 1990 along with Menderes' and Zorlu's remains.

He was survived by his wife and a child. A boulevard in Eskişehir is named after him. Note: The name of this boulevard was changed as Atatürk Boulevard by Yılmaz Büyükerşen in 2001.

References

• The Atatürk Institute for Modern Turkish History - Biography of Hasan Polatkan

Political offices
Preceded by Halil Ayan	Minister of Finance of Turkey December 14, 1950–December 9, 1955	Succeeded by Nedim Ökmen
Preceded by Nedim Ökmen	Minister of Finance of Turkey December 3, 1956–May 27, 1960	Succeeded by Ekrem Alican