Ali Jawdat Al-Ayyubi

Ali Jawdat Al-Ayyubi (علي جودت الأيوبي; November 11, 1886 – March 3, 1969) was Prime Minister of Iraq from 1934–1935, 1949–1950, and in the latter half of 1957. His father was of Kurdish origin and his mother of Arab origin.

Early education and careers
Ali Jawdat Al-Ayyubi was born in Mosul in 1886 while Iraq was under Ottoman rule. His father served as a police sergeant, and upon retirement owned a grocery store. He was also purportedly a descendant of Saladin. At a young age, Ali was dispatched by his parents from the town of Beaji where they lived, on a ten-day boat trip to Baghdad, where he stayed in the care of an aunt and attended the Rashidiyeh military school. Upon graduation, he went by camel and ship to Istanbul where he attended the Military College with other Iraqis, including Ja'far al-Askari, Nuri al-Said, Jamil al-Midfai and Yasin al-Hashimi. With these latter, he fought during the First World War throughout the Arab lands for independence from Ottoman rule. Upon establishment in 1921 of the Kingdom of Iraq, with King Faisal I as its ruler, each served in turn in positions of leadership.

Political career
Ali Jawdat served as Military Governor for Aleppo and Homs, during the short-lived tenure of the first Arab Kingdom of Syria, under King Faisal, and thereafter served in turn as Governor of Hillah, Najaf, Karbala, Mosul, Diyala, and Basra and variously as Minister of Finance, Minister of the Interior, Foreign Minister and Iraqi Ambassador to France and Washington, where he established the first Iraqi embassy in the United States. He served three times as Prime Minister (1934, 1949 and 1957), successively under King Faisal I, King Ghazi, and King Faisal II. He was the president of the Chamber of Deputies from March 1935 to August 1935.

The name “Jawdat” was given to him by his teachers and colleagues, and it means “quality” in Arabic. An ardent Arab nationalist, he espoused an inclusionary, non-sectarian vision of Iraq, encompassing its various ethnicities, sects and tribes. He strove to achieve greater autonomy from the influence of the British Empire, as embodied principally in the acquiescent behavior of the Regent, Abd al-Ilah and occasionally of his friend Nuri al-Said, and once resigned as Minister of Finance in Nuri Pasha's cabinet in protest at a treaty of cooperation with Great Britain to which Nuri agreed.

The Iraqi monarchy, represented by King Faisal II, was toppled in the 14 July Revolution led by Abd al-Karim Qasim, driven by months of intensive radio propaganda by Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser's Voice of the Arabs. Ali Jawdat survived the coup, but Nuri al-Said and other leaders did not.

Personal life
While Military Governor of Aleppo and Homs in 1919, he met and married Nazik Tahseen, and they had three children, Nizar, Selwa and Nameer. Ali Jawdat lived simply and modestly, and was recognized for his integrity, courage and dedication to Arab nationalism.

Death
He died in Beirut on March 3, 1969, shortly after completing his memoire.