Erdal İnönü

Early life

Erdal İnönü was born in Ankara on June 6, 1926, as the third of four children of İsmet İnönü, the first Prime Minister and second President of Turkey, and Mevhibe İnönü. He graduated from the Physics Department of the Faculty of Sciences of Ankara University in 1947 and received his PhD from California Institute of Technology in 1951; with Eugene Wigner, he pioneered the study of group contractions. Upon his return to Turkey, İnönü worked at first as an assistant professor in Ankara University. Between 1964 and 1974, he was professor of physics and the first chairman of the Department of Theoretical Physics at the Middle East Technical University (1960–1966). He initiated research on neutron transport during that period. Between 1969 and 1971, he was the dean of the university's Faculty of Art and Sciences. He served as president of METU between 1970 and 1971. In 1974, İnönü moved to Boğaziçi University in Istanbul and lectured there until his venture into politics when he founded the Social Democracy Party (SODEP) in 1983. While at Boğaziçi, he served as the dean of the Faculty of Art and Sciences between 1976 and 1982.

Political career

Although the military government banned İnönü's party in 1983 elections, SODEP managed to survive and became the second party in 1984 local elections. In November 1985 SODEP and another party named People's Party (Halkçı Parti) formed a union, the Social Democratic Populist Party (SHP). According to consolidation agreement İnönü briefly lost his post. But he became the leader of SHP in May 1986. SHP was one of the parties which weighed the heaviest in Turkey's political scene during the late 1980s and early 1990s. İnönü challenged the liberal conservative party of Turgut Özal, ANAP, both in 1987 and 1991 elections. One of the main reasons why SHP could not win an election was the division of the moderate left votes between SHP and DSP, the party of the former CHP leader Bülent Ecevit. Erdal İnönü was also a member of the Socialist International. He joined discussions as the deputy chairman of the organization.

Erdal İnönü was deputy prime minister in the two coalition governments formed between center-right DYP and SHP, which were led by Süleyman Demirel at first (from 1991 to 1993) and when Demirel became the president, by Tansu Çiller, in a unity largely caused by their resentment at the time against the outgoing Motherland Party. (See 49th government of Turkey and 50th government of Turkey)

After resignation

In the summer of 1993 he announced that he would not run for the leadership of the party in the coming congress. During the 4th general congress of the party on 11–12 September 1993, he resigned from the leadership of the party and consequently he also resigned from his post in the government. Murat Karayalçın replaced him in both posts. In February 1995, SHP and recently refounded Republican People's Party (CHP) merged. Upon Erdal İnönü's suggestion the new party was named CHP. In CHP Erdal İnönü was given the title of honorary chairman. In 1995 he served as the minister of foreign affairs for about six months.

Later life

İnönü was the 2004 recipient of the Wigner medal, given by the Group Theory and Fundamental Physics Foundation, for his contributions to group contractions. He also contributed to the study of the history of science in the Republic of Turkey and the Ottoman Empire, coauthoring a book on the subject. He lectured at Sabancı University and the Feza Gürsey Institute from 2004 to 2007.

Death

Erdal İnönü died in Houston, Texas, United States, on 31 October 2007, where he was being treated for leukaemia. His body was flown to Turkey and was buried at the Zincirlikuyu Cemetery in Istanbul on 4 November 2007 following a state funeral held before the building of Turkish Grand National Assembly in Ankara the previous day and then an Islamic funeral in the Teşvikiye Mosque in Istanbul.

References

References

1. (5 May 2011). "METU History".
2. "Deans". Boğaziçi University Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
3. (2003). "Communication Research and Media Science in Europe: Perspectives for Research and Academic Training in Europe's Changing Media Reality". [[Walter de Gruyter]].
4. (2021). "Türkiye Cumhuriyeti’nde 1991 Genel Seçimleri ve Erdal İnönü’nün Başbakan Yardımcılığı Görevi Sırasındaki Siyasi Faaliyetleri". Yazıt Kültür Bilimleri Dergisi.
5. "List of Former Ministers of Foreign Affairs". Republic of Türkiye Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
6. Akbaş, Meltem. (2004). "Osmanlı ve Cumhuriyet Dönemi Modern Fizik Çalışmaları Üzerine Bir Deneme". Türkiye Araştırmaları Literatür Dergisi.
7. (2007). "Türkiye'de Temel Bilimlerde İlk Araştırmacılar". Büke Yayınları.
8. Erhan Üstündağ. (31 October 2007). "Politician and Physicist Inönü Has Died". [[Bianet]].