{"record":{"aliases":["Muhammad Ali al-Abid","Mohammad Ali al-Abed","Mohammed Ali el-Abed","محمد علي العابد"],"appointmentIds":["turkey-ce97d7cda127b4"],"appointmentsDataset":"https://chanceries.org/diplomats.json","archivalSources":[],"canonicalUrl":"https://chanceries.org/diplopedia/people/mehmed-ali-bey-bc60497fea/","countrySlug":"turkey","entityId":"https://chanceries.org/diplopedia/people/mehmed-ali-bey-bc60497fea/#person","eventIds":[],"expandedParagraphs":["Mehmed Ali Bey, later known as Muhammad Ali al-Abid, was born in Damascus in 1867 into a wealthy family closely connected to the Ottoman palace. His father, Ahmad Izzat al-Abid, served Abdülhamid II. Educated in Istanbul and Paris, Mehmed Ali entered Ottoman service and worked as a legal adviser before his Washington appointment. His diplomatic career preceded his Syrian presidency.","The Ottoman government sent him to Washington in 1907. The Turkish mission’s roster dates his service from November 1907 to August 1908. His appointment belonged to the final period of Abdülhamid’s rule, and the constitutional revolution brought his recall in August 1908.","After returning to Damascus in 1919, al-Abid entered politics under the French Mandate. A Syrian Federation decree of 25 August 1922 appointed him director of finance. Parliament elected him president on 11 June 1932. In his inaugural address he promised to stand above parties, reconcile political differences, and develop the country’s economy and education, while explicitly accepting cooperation with France.","His presidency ended on 21 December 1936. In his resignation message to the newly elected parliament, he welcomed the recent treaty negotiations with France and the electoral mandate of the succeeding leadership, presenting his departure as a transfer of responsibility at a new political stage. He died in 1939."],"id":"turkey:mehmed-ali-bey","identifiers":{},"legacyPersonIds":[],"legacyUrl":"https://chanceries.org/diplomat-bc60497fea759fdad538.html","name":"Mehmed Ali Bey","notes":[],"paragraphSources":[["ali-syrian-bio","ali-kuneralp"],["ali-roster","ali-kolay","ali-kuneralp"],["ali-syrian-bio","ali-finance","ali-inaugural"],["ali-resignation","ali-syrian-bio"]],"profileUrl":"diplomat-bc60497fea759fdad538.html","relatedEvents":[],"relatedPeople":[],"relationships":[],"researchStatus":"reviewed","reviewedOn":"2026-10-28","revision":"5f8e053156011744","sources":[{"accessedOn":"2026-10-28","date":"","id":"ali-syrian-bio","locator":"10 February 2019, full biographical entry","publisher":"Syrian Modern History","title":"Suleiman Abd al-Nabi, Muhammad Ali al-Abid","type":"secondary_biography","url":"https://syrmh.com/2019/02/10/محمد-علي-العابد/"},{"accessedOn":"2026-10-28","date":"","id":"ali-kuneralp","locator":"2011, p. 102","publisher":"Cambridge Scholars Publishing; American Turkish Encounters","title":"Sinan Kuneralp, Ottoman Diplomatic and Consular Personnel in the United States of America, 1867–1917","type":"scholarly_chapter","url":"https://dokumen.pub/american-turkish-encounters-politics-and-culture-1830-1989-1nbsped-9781443832601-9781443832052.html"},{"accessedOn":"2026-10-28","date":"","id":"ali-roster","locator":"Mehmed Ali Bey: 9 November 1907–12 August 1908","publisher":"Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs","title":"Mission Chief History: Embassy of Türkiye in Washington","type":"official_roster","url":"https://vasington-be.mfa.gov.tr/Mission/MissionChiefHistory"},{"accessedOn":"2026-10-28","date":"","id":"ali-kolay","locator":"2017, p. 197","publisher":"Türkiyat Mecmuası 27/1 (2017)","title":"Arif Kolay, II. Meşrutiyet Döneminde Hariciye Nezaretinde Tensikat ve Bürokratik Değişim","type":"scholarly_article","url":"https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/337090"},{"accessedOn":"2026-10-28","date":"","id":"ali-finance","locator":"Decree no. 2, 25 August 1922; Decisions of the Government of the Syrian Federation, 1922–1924","publisher":"Syrian Modern History","title":"Decree appointing Muhammad Ali al-Abid director of finance of the Syrian Federation, 1922","type":"primary_document_transcription","url":"https://syrmh.com/2020/05/09/قرار-تعيين-محمد-علي-العابد-مديراً-لمال/"},{"accessedOn":"2026-10-28","date":"","id":"ali-inaugural","locator":"Text reproduced from Abd al-Rahman al-Kayyali, al-Marahil, vol. 1 (1958), p. 173","publisher":"Syrian Modern History","title":"Muhammad Ali al-Abid’s address after election as president, 11 June 1932","type":"primary_speech_transcription","url":"https://syrmh.com/2024/04/11/كلمة-محمد-علي-العابد-بعد-انتخابه-رئيسا/"},{"accessedOn":"2026-10-28","date":"","id":"ali-resignation","locator":"21 December 1936; reproduced from Filastin, 23 December 1936, no. 222–3413","publisher":"Syrian Modern History","title":"Text of President Muhammad Ali al-Abid’s resignation, 1936","type":"primary_document_transcription","url":"https://syrmh.com/2024/01/11/نص-استقالة-الرئيس-محمد-علي-العابد-عام-1936/"},{"accessedOn":"","date":"Accessed 23 October 2026","id":"mission-8640388fff0b15c07ec2","locator":"Full displayed historical chronology 1867–2024; current chancery commissioned 1997, completed/used 1999, inaugurated April 23, 1999.","publisher":"","title":"Mission history and former chiefs of mission","type":"Mission record","url":"https://washington-emb.mfa.gov.tr/Mission/MissionChiefHistory"},{"accessedOn":"","date":"Accessed 26 October 2026","id":"mission-340426425ad7225dc035","locator":"","publisher":"","title":"Historical representation: Ottoman Empire","type":"Mission record","url":"https://history.state.gov/countries/turkey"}],"topics":["Ottoman diplomacy","Syria","French Mandate","public finance","presidency"]},"schemaVersion":1}