Hassan Pirnia

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Hassan Pirnia
Rēzā Pahlavi
Personal details
Born1871
Nain, Iran
Died20 November 1935(1935-11-20) (aged 64)
Tehran, Iran
Political partyModerate Socialists Party[1]
Parent

Hassan Pirnia (Persian: حسن پیرنیا ‎; 187120 November 1935), was a prominent Iranian politician of 20th-century Iran. He held a total of twenty-four posts during his political career, serving four times as Prime Minister of Iran. He was also a historian, co-founding the Society for the National Heritage of Iran.

Personal life

Hassan was the eldest son of

Parliament of Iran
.

Career

Hassan became Iran's Minister to the Russian Court before returning to Iran, where he founded the

Tehran School of Political Science
in 1899.

Upon his father's death, he assumed the title of Moshir al Dowleh, playing an important role in drafting the

Anglo-Russian Entente
, which would divide Iran into zones of imperial influence, as null and void.

He later became Minister of Justice before becoming Prime Minister for the first time in 1915. He would re-assume the office in 1920, and again in 1922 and 1923. One of Pirnia's key actions during his time as Prime Minister saw him help prevent the introduction of the Anglo-Persian Agreement of 1919.

During his final period as prime minister, Pirnia appointed

Reza Khan
as his minister of war.

Books and cultural contributions

Following his retirement, he published a three-volume history of pre-Islamic Iran, entitled Tarikh-e Iran-e Bastan (History of Ancient Iran). An abridged version, Tarikh-e Mukhtasar Iran-e Qadim, published in 1928, became a standard textbook for students. Pirnia's other significant contributions to the cultural life of Iran included helping to set up the Society for the National Heritage of Iran along with Abdolhossein Teymourtash and Mohammad Ali Foroughi in 1922.

Hassan's younger brother, Hossein Pirnia, was also a notable statesman during this period. Known as Mo'tamen al Molk, he served as Minister of Education in 1918 and Minister without portfolio in 1920. He was elected to every session of the parliament (Majlis) from 1906 and served as its speaker for many years. In 1943 he was elected from Tehran to the 14th session of Parliament but declined to serve.

References

Political offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of Iran
1915
Succeeded by
Preceded by
Vossug ed Dowleh
Prime Minister of Iran
1920
Succeeded by
Preceded by Prime Minister of Iran
1922
Succeeded by
Preceded by Prime Minister of Iran
1923
Succeeded by
Reza Khan