Ahmed Vefik Pasha

Ahmed Vefik Pasha (1819-1891), Ottoman statesman, born in Constantinople (now İstanbul, Turkey) and educated in Paris, France. Ahmed began his political career as first secretary to the Turkish embassy in Paris during the reign of French king Louis Philippe, and subsequently he served as first secretary to the Ottoman embassy in Saint Petersburg, Russia. In 1848 he became commissioner of the Danubian Principalities (Moldavia and Walachia), and from 1851 to 1855 he served as ambassador to Persia (now Iran). He was appointed minister of justice in 1857 and did much to reform legal procedure in the Ottoman Empire.

In 1860 Ahmed was sent to Paris as ambassador. His appointment coincided with the Syrian massacres, the massacre of around 10,000 Maronites (Syrian Christians) by Druze forces, and the following year the French requested his recall. In 1877, during one of the Russo-Turkish Wars (1877-1878), Ahmed was governor general of Adrianople (now Edirne) in Turkey and became president of the first Turkish chamber of deputies. He was appointed prime minister by Sultan Abd al-Hamid II in 1878, but with the signing of the Treaty of San Stefano, which effectively ended the Russo-Turkish conflict, he was removed to Brusa (now Bursa) in northwestern Turkey. As vali (governor general) there from 1878 to 1882, Ahmed made many improvements in local agricultural, economic, and educational conditions. In 1882 he was imprisoned for treason by political enemies. Upon his release by Abd al-Hamid II, Ahmed was again appointed prime minister, but just three days later was replaced. He spent the remainder of his days at his country home on the Bosporus, a strait on the Black Sea. In addition to his political skill, Ahmed was a scholar of renown and a remarkable linguist. He edited several dictionaries and translated works by French dramatist Molière, German poet Friedrich von Schiller, and William Shakespeare.