FUAD KOPRULU , Ord. Prof.       

       His first article was published in "Musavver Terakki" when he was a high school student in his 15 in 1905. Köprülü, who graduated from the high school brilliantly went on studying at Law Faculty between 1907 and 1909. However, since he thought that such education would not be useful for the path he wanted to maintain, he left Law Faculty before graduation. He had reached an advanced level in Persian and intermediate level in Arabic when he graduated from the high school. At the same time, he developed his French with private lessons from Prof. Anjel. In 1908, after proclamation of 2nd Constitutional Monarchy, he entered the opinion life of the country when he was a very young person.

       Köprülü, who was among the members of Turkish Association established in 1908 December and the Turkish Land Association activated in August 1911, served also on the culture delegation of Turk Ocağı too. Now his national and patriotic poems, his articles on literature, sociology and his critics were being published constantly on magazines "Mehasin", "Servet-i Fünun" and on the newspaper "Tanin". In those years, he made several translations from French too.

       He served as a Turkish and Literature teacher in Mercan, Kabataş, Galatasaray and Istanbul high schools between 1910 and 1913. His first scientific article was published in "Bilgi" magazine under the title "Türk Edebiyatı Tarihinde Usül" in 1913. Köprülü tried to show how Turkish literature history was to be investigated using European scientific methods in accordance with our national spirit, and determined the foundations of his prospective studies. On 20 December 1913, he was appointed as a professor of Turkish Literature History in Istanbul University. He undertook the duties of general secretary of Turkish Knowledge Association founded in 1914 and of the council of Islamic Works and National Investigation in 1915, and directorate of "Milli Tetebbular Mecmuası" magazine.
Fuad Köprülü's major monograph, which made him worldwide famous, named "First Sufis in Turkish Literature", was written in 1918 and published in 1919.

       He was elected as the dean of Faculty of Letters in 1923. He participated in the Congress on History of Religions gathered in Paris with his speech titled "The origins of Bektaşi sect and a magic tradition in Former Turks: Rain Stone". He was appointed as the undersecretary of Minister of Education in 1924 upon will of Ghazi Mustafa Kemal. During his undersecretariat which lasted for eight months, radical changes were made with his proposals. Returning to his post in Faculty of Letters, he was appointed as the director of Turks Institute established with the decision of the Board of Ministers. He taught Turkish Religious History (1924) in Faculty of Theology, Political History (1923-1929) in Istanbul Civil Service School, Civilization History (1926-1929) in School of Industry. In 1925, he took part in the celebration ceremony of two hundredth year of Russian Sciences Academy on behalf of our country. He was elected as the correspondent member of Soviet Sciences Academy upon joint proposal of Russian scientists such as W. Barthold, Kraçkovsky and Oldenburg.

       Köprülü, who attended Turks Congress arranged in Baku in 1926, was entitled one year later as honorary philosophy doctor by Heidelberg Universit (Germany) due to his services to the science. When Istanbul University took his name within the framework of reforms made in 1933, Köprülü took part in these reforms and was brought to the deanery of Faculty of Letters with Ord. Prof. Title. In 1934, upon the invitation of Sorbonne University (France), he delivered three conferences in French in this university, thus attracting the attention of French scientists. He attended the celebration of 1000th year of birth of, Firdevsi, being sent to Iran on behalf of our country.

       Because Ataturk wanted to gather a group of scientists and opinion leaders in his close environment under the Turkish parliament, he was elected as Kars deputy with a intermediary election held in 1935. During his office as a deputy, he also conducted the post of chairman of not only professorship of Turkish Literature History in Istanbul university, but also Medieval Times Turkish History in Ankara Faculty of Language History and Geography and Turkish Institutions History in Political Sciences Institute. Due to his contribution to science, he was awarded as a honorary doctor by Athens University in 1937 (Greece) and Sorbonne University in 1939.

       FUAD KÖPRÜLÜ, Ord. Prof.

       Prof. F. Köprülü, who conducted his professorship activities in Istanbul and Ankara jointly until 1941 academic year, upon the decision reached that being a deputy and university instructor at the same time was not possible, had to leave his professorships in late 1941. His political life, which began in 1935 did not go beyond being a deputy in form despite his being the chairman of Education Commission in the parliament for some period. In 1943 February, in a talk he made in Republican People's Party group meeting, he advocated that Turkey's entering the war against the Germans would be harmful in terms of the high interests of the country and prevented such decision together with some of his friends including Bayar.

       In 1945, he voted negatively for the budget together with 4 of his friends. When Second World War came to an end, the "Quartet Motion" suggesting a more democratic order with CHP in line with constitutional spirit he gave together with three of his friends was rejected pursuant to a 7-hour negotiation on 12 June 1945. Menderes joined Fuad Köprülü, who assaulted severely on multiparty political life in his articles published on Vatan newspaper, later on. The four people who had undersigned the "Quartet Motion" founded Democratic Party on 7 January 1946 after a long struggle. In the deputy elections held in 1946 in July, Köprülü was elected as Istanbul deputy from Democrat Party list.

       Köprülü, who attended as the only Turkish scientist to the first edition of Encylopedie de L'Islam in three languages, to La litterature Turque Othamanlı (Leiden, 1931, IV. 988-1010) and other 10 articles, took part in the same study when the same encyclopedia was published in Turkish as from 1940 being chaired by Dr. Adnan Adıvar. In 1948, he was excluded from Soviet Sciences Academy because of his articles against Russia and Communism when Soviet Union demanded Kars and Ardahan. In 1950, after his becoming the Foreign Minister they wanted to admit him to the academy for the second time, but Köprülü rejected.

       Köprülü, who had to discontinue his scientific studies upon Democrat Party's coming to power on 14 May 1950, tried to have Turkey admitted to NATO during the period he served on foreign ministry. He ensured our country's taking part in Korean War on United Nations' side with brigade power and winning of Turkish brigade Kunuri epic, and our being admitted to North Atlantic Pact in 1952 as a result of intense political efforts. He strove to revive Ataturk's Balkan policy and establishment of Balkan Pact, and managed -partially- to do that .Since he did not find some of the decisions of Democrat party appropriate, he resigned from foreign ministry in 1956.

       He resigned from political life in 1957 by leaving Democrat Party. He worked in Harvard University (America) in 1958-1959 academic year being invited by this university. Köprülü turned back to Turkey in 1959, and pursuant to 1960 Revolution, was arrested on the pretext that he was the foreign minister during 6-7 September events in 1955, and despite in the first session it was proved with the Official Gazette that he was not the foreign minister during these events, he remained arrested in Yassiada for three months until his acquittal. Ord. Prof. Fuad Köprülü, who has 4 honorary doctor's degrees and 8 correspondent or honorary membership as well as 8 nişans from various countries, France, Germany, Argentina and Yugoslavia in particular, because of his political duties for approximately 6 years, passed away on 28 June 1966.

       His Books:
       Hayat-ı Fikriye (Istanbul, 1909), Nasreddin Hodja (Istanbul, 1918), Tevfik Fikret ve Ahlakı (Istanbul 1918), Türk Edebiyatında İlk Mutasavvıflar (Istanbul, 1919, Türkiye Tarihi, Kanaat Kütüphanesi (Istanbul, 1923), Bugünkü Edebiyat (Istanbul, 1924), Türk Tarih-i Dinîsi (Istanbul, 1925), Türk Edebiyatı Tarihi (Istanbul, 1926), Millî Edebiyat Cereyanının İlk Mübeşşirleri ve Divan-ı Türkî-i Basit (Istanbul, 1928), Kayıkçı Kul Mustafa ve Genç Osman Hikâyesi (Istanbul, 1930), Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı Hakkında Araştırmalar (Istanbul, 1934), Eski Şairlerimiz Divan Edebiyatı Antolojisi (Istanbul, 1934), Leş Origines de I'Empire Ottoman (Paris, 1935, Turkish in 1959), İslam Medeniyeti Tarihi (Istanbul, 1940), Türk Saz Şairleri, Antolojisi, II ve III (Istanbul, 1940, 1941), Demokrasi Yolunda-On The Way to Democracy (The Hauge, 1964), Edebiyat Araştırmaları (Ankara, 1966), Bizans Müesseselerinin Osmanlı Müesseselerine Tesiri (Istanbul, 1981), İslâm ve Türk Hukuk Tarihi Araştırmaları ve Vakıf Müessesesi (Istanbul, 1983)