Şükrü Kaya

Who was Şükrü Kaya?

Şükrü Kaya was an Ottoman civil servant and Turkish politician, who served as government minister, Minister of Interior and Minister of Foreign affairs in several governments.

Born in Istanköy, he finished Galatasaray High School before he graduated from Law School in 1908. He did his graduate work in Paris, France. He worked as inspector of treasury for the Ottoman Empire. He was assigned to Iraq but he resigned and moved to Izmir. He worked as a teacher in Buca Sultanisi. After the Armistice of Mudros, he worked for the Turkish national movement. Following the occupation of Istanbul by The Entente powers, he was arrested by the British administration and was exiled to Malta. He escaped to the continent from Malta and subsequently went to Anatolia and joined the Turkish War of Independence.

Şükrü Kaya served as Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Interior Minister in several cabinets between 1924 and 1938.

He died on January 10, 1959 in Istanbul.