Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani

Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani, born in 1932, emir of Qatar (1972-1995). Khalifa was born in Ar Rayyān, the fourth son of Hamad bin Ali al-Thani of the ruling Thani dynasty. Khalifa's grandfather Ali bin Abdallah al-Thani was emir (ruled 1913-1949) during Britain's rule of Qatar, and Khalifa's father was heir apparent before dying in 1947. Khalifa received a traditional Islamic education from tutors.

In 1960 Khalifa was appointed minister of finance and was responsible for planning the country's economic development. In 1968, three years before Qatar gained independence from Britain, Khalifa served as president of the Provisional Federal Council, the forerunner of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). In this role he was influential in the establishment of the UAE, though Qatar declared independence in 1971 rather than join the UAE. In 1972 Khalifa deposed his cousin, the reigning emir Ahmad bin Ali al-Thani, and became emir himself. Khalifa oversaw tremendous economic growth, supported by revenues from oil and other natural resources. He also established a more modern, bureaucratic governmental system, replaced foreigners working in the government with Qataris, created a 10-year development plan, and distributed oil moneys to the state treasury rather than the royal family. In June 1995 Khalifa was deposed by his son, Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, in a bloodless coup.