ADNAN MENDERES               

Politician and statesman who gave his name to a period. He was born in 1895 in Aydın. His mother is the daughter of Ali Rıza Pasha and from one of the most rooted families of the environment. His father Ethem started to work as a farmer having carried out the duty of Clerk of Essays in Aydın. Aydın Menderes was the only child of his family. He took part in the resistance against the Greeks during the occupation of İzmir and Aydın as a reserve officer. He married the daughter of Evliyazâde family, which is one of the oldest families of the Aegean Region and had three sons. He entered political world by joining Serbest Fırka (Free Party) founded by Fethi Okyar in 1930. The great interest aroused by Free Party around Aegean Region caused Adnan Bey, the owner of Çakır Beyli farm, to be a supporter of this party. However, Free Party dissolved itself before long.

       Ataturk, during his travel in Aegean region which he set off to seek the main reason of the great opposition trend created by this party, when he stopped by Aydın, met young Adnan Menderes too. Ataturk, dwelled upon this youth who replied his questions in a very brave and logical manner and he was soon proposed to join Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi (Republic People’s Party) Adnan Menderes, attending People’s Party, was declared as a candidate and won a seat in the parliament as a deputy.

       His long and uninterrupted deputy being from the very first day he entered the Parliament until establishment of Demokrat Parti (Democrat Party) in 1946, was “a period of training himself” in his own words. Within these years, he both graduated from Ankara Law Faculty and dealt with the main problems of Turkish sport in the party and parliament. He was an ex-sportsman. He had been engaged in football and basketball in Karşıyaka Team during his training period in İzmir.

       In the period of Prime Ministry of Saraçoğlu when people of his generation shared the posts of the government, activities such as Land Law forced Menderes to the opposition side in the People’s Party, making his voice heard. Adnan Menderes, having undersigned the well-known quartet motion, left People’s Party in a noisy manner after Celal Bayar declared his will to found an opposition Party and joined among the founders of Democrat Party. After this date, his name started to be pronounced along with Celal Bayar, Refik Koraltan and Fuat Köprülü. 1946 elections were not won by the Democrat Party, however, Adnan Menderes had gained a reputation all over country now. When Democrat Party came to power in 1950 elections, he was commissioned to form the government by President Celal Bayar. Adnan Menderes became the first and last prime minister of 10-year lasting Democrat Party governance.

       Menderes, as an energetic prime minister, could break the usual order and could carry on good relations with the people until his last days. People’s Party, which remained in power for 27 years had become too much bureaucratized contrary to the Democrat Party. Menderes, leading a party which was able to lean on the people much more than People’s Party compared to the same undoubtedly had a great and rare chance. However, when the initial acceleration of Menderes policy attaching priority to free enterprise and private sector slowed down and several of his old friends began to get away from Menders and his party, the dynamic and energetic man getting more and more alone everyday, started to show signs of bad-temper. The economical situation was also highly different from the first days of his government. And there emerged unsurpassable obstacles between Menderes and the intellectuals of the country.

       At last, upon passing of the law restricting the freedom of speech, opinion and press, breaking out of student movements suddenly left Adnan Menderes in a difficult position. This is how one of the four founders and President of Democrat Party who conducted the post of prime ministry for 10 years arrived on 27 May 1960. As a consequence of the coup d’état on 27 May, he was transferred to the Supreme Court of Justice established in Yassıada together with all of his friends upon the accusation of breaking the constitution. He was sentenced to capital punishment being found guilty as a result of the sessions held.

       Adnan Menderes, being held arrested for 1 year 3 months and 21 days in Yassıada, was executed by being hung up on 17 September 1961 Sunday in the afternoon in İmralı, the island in which the convicts were held, 36 hours after ratification of the decision of capital punishment against himself. His tomb together with his two friends and ministers Hasan Polatkan and Fatin Rüştü Zorlu, who were sentenced to death by the Supreme Court of Justice in Yassıada, were moved to Anıt Mezar (Monument Tomb) at Vatan Avenue in Istanbul.