User:Elias Ziade/sandbox9

Georges Lutfallah (جورج لطف الله) was a Lebanese socialite eccentric who sought to buy his way to the Lebanese presidency, and thereafter style himself "King of Lebanon".

Movements In the Summer of 1921, Lutfallah arrived to Haifa where he was received with great pomp and a banquet attended by the head of the Baháʼí Faith ʻAbdu'l-Bahá. In April 1923 Lutfallah visited Jerusalem with his wife Princess Laurice.

In 1934 he visited the mausoleum of the Musa Kazim Pasha al-Husayni the ex-mayor of Jerusalem.

Lebanese monarchy
After the fall of the Ottoman Sultanate in the aftermath of World War I, Habib Bustany, a Lebanese Maronite intellectual wanted a treaty to ensure the continuity of the entity of Greater Lebanon. He founded a party calling for the establishment of a monarchy in the country and suggested installing a foreign Christian ruler of royal descent at the helm of the country. His unpopular monarchist party remained a one-man affair.

https://academic.oup.com/book/2425/chapter-abstract/142662039?redirectedFrom=fulltext

early yrs of the mandate, plans to establisg in Lebanon a princedom were mooted  by Habib Bustani's party https://books.google.nl/books?id=P11tAAAAMAAJ 114

Fam
Georges was born to Michel Lutfallah, a Lebanese expat in Egypt, who associated himself to Khedive.... and the King of Hijaz. Michel was given the honorific title of emir by... fueling the man's megalomaniac aspirations, which ultimately transpired to his sons, Georges in particular. Michel acquired the Gezirah Palace from the heavily indebted Khedive Ismail and made it his private residence. He regularly hosted international dignitaries, literary salons, and grand banquets to further his network of ...

Presidential candidacy
In 1929, Georges hosted a lavish dinner party at his Cairo palace, hosting some of that time’s (contempo) most prominent literary figures, regional politicians, and journalists. One of invitiees, ... Gemayel, musingly suggested the establishment of a monarchy in Lebanon after the upcoming end of the presidential term of then-President Charles Debbas. Lutfallah entertained the idea, and was reported to precipitately and grandiosely hit the dinner table, and announced to his invitees that he would if nobody suggests the establishment of a monarchy, he would do so himself, and proclaimed himself the perfect candidate

At the time however, no one presented their candidature, as it was known that the French Mandate authorities held facade elections, that the Lebanese parliament had nominal authority, and that the president was named by the plenipotentiary French high-commissioner himself.

Showering gifts
Lutfallah set out bribing journalists, politicians, and writers.

Unbeknownst to Lutfallah was that the journalist's musings turned to a race to dupe the megalomaniac millionaire, and to fleece him of his fortune. ,.,

Death
Famed Lebanese poet Gibran Khalil Gibran dedicated a 29 verse eulogy poem to Lutfallah's memory.