Three Presidents of the Republic

    One Speaker of the House 

    One Prime Minister

    Eleven Ministers

    Thirteen MPs

 

1- Presidents of the Republic

Eighteen presidents succeeded to the presidency of the Lebanese republic between 1920 and 2015, three of whom remained single:

 

Ayoub Jerjes Thabet (1874-1947): A Maronite who specialized in internal medicine in the United States of America. Upon his return to Lebanon, he opposed the Ottoman rule, which drove him to flee the country once again. He was appointed representative of Beirut in the First Representative Council in 1922 and then member of the Senate. He was elected MP representing Beirut in 1943 and reached the pinnacle of politics on March 18, 1943 when he assumed the posts of President of the Republic and Prime Minister on an interim basis pursuant to the decision of the French High Commissioner General Catroux. Thabet remained in his position until his resignation on June 15 against the backdrop of Muslim demonstrations refusing the distribution of seats by sect. 

 

Petro Trad (1876-1948): An Orthodox who obtained his law degree from France, Petro Trad returned to Lebanon in 1918 and was appointed member of the Administrative Committee in 1920. Trad was elected to Parliament in 1925, 1929, 1934 and 1937 and served as Speaker of the House in 1934 and 1937. On July 21, 1943 the French High Commissioner Jean Helleu appointed him President of the Lebanese Republic and he assumed office until September 1943. 

 

Elias Sarkis (1924-1985): A Maronite who studied law and graduated in 1948. In 1953, he was appointed a judge at the Audit Court and he became a Director General of the presidency of the republic in 1962 under President Fouad Chehab. In 1967, Sarkis was appointed governor of Banque du Liban. He ran for president in 1970 but lost to Suleiman Frangieh by only one vote. Sarkis was elected President later in 1976. 

 

2- Speaker of the House

Twelve speakers chaired the Lebanese Parliament since 1920, one of whom remained single:

 

Habib Abou Shahla (1902-1957): Contrary to the norm which stipulates that the Speaker of the House should be Shia’a, Habib Abou Shahla was Greek Orthodox. 

 

He pursued his law studies in France and returned to Lebanon in 1925. He was elected member of the Municipality of Beirut in 1927 and as of 1937, he assumed different ministerial portfolios over different periods of time including education, economy, finance and interior. Between 11 and 22 November 1943, he served as President of the Republic and Prime Minister until the release of Bechara Khoury and the government. He was elected MP representing Beirut in 1943 and Speaker of the House later in 1946. Abou Shahla also won the parliamentary elections held in 1947 and 1951. 

 

3- Prime Ministers: 

Between 1926 and 2015, twenty five Prime Ministers succeeded to office, one of whom refrained from marriage:

 

Rashid Abdul Hamid Karami (1921-1987): He obtained his law degree in 1948 and practiced for a short while before shifting into politics. He won all the parliamentary rounds he contested in 1951, 1953, 1957, 1960, 1964, 1968 and 1972. He held several ministerial portfolios and served in 1955 as Prime Minister for the first time, a position which he held seven times later in 1958, 1961, 1965, 1966, 1969, 1975 and 1984.

 

4- Ministers 

557 ministers have so far come to power, 235 of which are also MPs. Bachelor ministers totaled eleven all of whom are Christian (5 Maronites, 3 Greek Orthodox and 3 Greek Catholics)

 

Raymond Emile Eddé (1913-2000): A Maronite, son of President Emile Eddé, Raymond Eddé obtained his law degree in 1934. He was elected Head of the National Bloc Party after his father in 1949 and MP representing Jbeil for the first time in 1953. He was re-elected in the electoral rounds of 1957, 1960, 1968 and 1972 as well as in the by-elections of 1965. He was appointed Minister of Interior in 1958 and Minister of Public Works and of Water and Electric Resources in 1968. He headed for France after the attempt on his life in 1976 and remained living there until 2000. He was always nominated as a presidential candidate.

 

Jean Joseph Aziz (1917-1988): A Maronite who obtained his law degree in 1938 and served as lawyer.  In 1947, he moved to the judiciary where he worked briefly before returning to the practice of law. He was elected MP representing Jezzine for the first time in 1957 and was re-elected to office in 1960, 1964 and 1968. He was appointed Minister of Social affairs and Labor in 1963 and Minister of Education, Information and Planning in 1964.

 

Youssef Antonios Estfan (1890-1947): A Maronite who was involved in commerce, Youssef Antonios Estfan was appointed member of the Senate in 1926 and was re-elected in 1929, 1937 and 1943. He was appointed Minister of Interior and National Defense in 1938.

 

Albert Salim Mukhaiber (1912-2002): A Greek Orthodox, he worked as a physician and engaged in politics after his election as MP representing northern Matn in the 1957 elections. He was re-elected to office in 1960, 1964, 1972 and 2000. During his term in Parliament, he was appointed Minister of Health in 1958 and Minister of Housing and Cooperatives and Deputy Prime Minister in 1972. He also served as Minister of National Education and Fine Arts and Minister of State in 1973. He was also elected Deputy Speaker in several rounds between 1987 and 1990. Mukhaiber joined the National Bloc Party chaired by Raymond Eddé.

 

Farid Youssef Khuzma (1910-1959): A Maronite, he obtained a degree in law in 1930 and was elected Head of the Bar Association in 1954. In 1957, he was elected to represent Jezzine in Parliament. That same year, he was appointed Minister of National Education and Information. He served as Minister of Information in 1958. Mukhaiber was also elected Head of the Maronite League. 

 

George Doumit Mrad (1905-1979): A Maronite, he practiced law and was appointed Judge and General Prosecutor. In 1943, he was appointed Minister of Interior and cooperated with President Emile Eddé, which led to his exclusion from politics later. However, Mrad maintained a good relationship with Eddé through his engagement in the National Bloc Party headed by the latter. 

 

Pierre Fadlallah Dagher (1916-1976): A Greek Orthodox, Dagher practiced as a barrister and then as a judge. He assumed several judicial posts and was appointed Minister of Planning in 1966. 

 

Michel George Sassine (1916-1976): A Greek Orthodox, Saasine was elected MP representing Beirut in the electoral rounds of 1968 and 1972. He was also elected Deputy Speaker five times and assumed several ministerial posts including the Ministry of Tourism in 1972, the Ministry of Housing and Cooperatives several times and the Ministry of Labor in 1989 and 1990. Sassine served also as Deputy Prime Minister. 

 

Jean Khalil Skaff (1908-1983): A Greek Catholic, Jean Khalil skaff worked in banking and hotel industry. He joined the Phalanges Party as of 1940 and was elected MP representing Beqa’a in 1951. In 1953, he was appointed Minister of Agriculture and he was known for his political rivalry against MP and Minister Joseph Skaff.

 

Antoine Mikhael Sehnaoui (1899- 1989): A Greek Catholic, Sehnaoui worked in both industrial and banking sectors. He was elected MP representing Beirut in 1960 and won uncontested in the same district in 1964. He was appointed Minister of Post, Telegraph and Telephone in 1964. 

 

Nicolas Michel Fattoush (1943-): Greek Catholic Fattoush has been an attorney at law since 1970. He was elected MP in the Zahle district in 1992, 1996, 2000, 2005 and 2009. He was appointed Minister of Tourism between 1992 and 1998 and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs in 2011.                       

 

5- MPs

Since the launch of parliamentary activity in 1920 until 2015, 814 MPs held office of which 13, mostly Christian (9 Maronites, 2 Druze, 1 Greek Catholic and 1 Greek Orthodox) never tied the knot. 

 

Fouad Majid Erslan (1873-1930): Uncle of Mir Majid Toufic Erslan, Fouad Majid Erslan belonged to the Druze community and was known for confronting the Ottomans, which resulted in his exile to Anatolia. He became MP for the first time in 1922 and again in 1925. During this period, his stances were against the French Mandate authorities. 

 

Sami Abbas Erslan (1871-1943): A Druze who was appointed Qaimaqam of Shouf in 1904 and member of the Mount Lebanon Administrative Council in 1915. In 1926, he was appointed member of the Senate. 

 

Fouad Asaad Al-Bort (1905-1981): He was Greek Orthodox. He worked in commerce and was elected MP representing the north in 1951, 1957, 1960, 1964 and 1968.

 

Said Melhem Tawk (1900-1982): He was a Maronite interested in agriculture. He was elected MP representing Bsharri in the elections held between 1953 and 1960. 

 

Jean Boutros Harb (1903-1971): He was a Maronite who engaged early on in politics. He was elected Head of the Municipality of Tannourin and was among the supporters of President Camille Chamoun. He contributed to the establishment of the National Liberal Party headed by Chamoun and was elected MP representing Batroun in the elections of 1953, 1957, 1960 and 1964. Jean Boutros Harb is the uncle of MP and Minister Boutros Harb. 

 

Salim Khalil Khoury (1894-1989): Maronite and brother of President Bechara Khoury, Salim Khalil Khoury played a significant role during the rule of his brother and was nicknamed “Sultan Salim.” He was elected MP in the elections of 1947 and 1951. After the expiration of his brother’s rule in 1952, Salim Khalil Khoury quit politics and retreated to his house in Awkar. 

 

Fakhr Abdo Fakhr (1910-1996): Maronite and brother of MP Rushdi Abdo Fakhr (MP in Akkar in 1960 and 1964), Fakhr Abdo Fakhr worked in the army and won the parliamentary seat he contested in Akkar in 1968 after his retirement.  

 

Michel Abdullah Farhat (1914-1989): He was a Maronite who worked early on in his life as a translator for the French military court. He then moved to the trade sector in both France and Africa. After returning to Lebanon in 1950, he began his political and journalistic career and was elected MP representing the Qada’a of Baabda in 1964. 

 

Sami Suleiman Kanaan (1900-1979): A Maronite who studied law and entered the judiciary. He was elected MP representing the South in 1929. Sami Suleiman Kanaan is the brother of MP Maroun Kanaan. 

 

George Deeb Nehmeh (1932-): A Maronite who was elected Head of the Municipality of Deir el-Qamar in 1963 and remained in office until 1998. He was elected MP representing the Qada’a of Shouf in the elections held in  1992, 1996 and 2000 on the list of MP Walid Jumblatt. 

 

Salem Abdul Nour (1911-2001): A Greek Catholic who engaged in politics alongside Kamal Jumblatt. He was elected MP representing Shouf in the by-elections of 1959 (after the death of MP Naim Mghabghab) and the elections of 1960 and 1972. 

 

Ghassan Assad Achkar (1937-): A Maronite who joined the Syrian Social Nationalist Party in 1953 and is still a member. He was elected MP in the district of Matn in the elections of 1992, 1996 and 2000 but could not gain a seat in later elections. 

 

Father Semaan Khalil Doueihi (1921-1982): A Maronite who became a priest in 1948. He was elected MP representing the Qada’a of Zgharta in 1964, 1968 and 1972. 

 

NB: We could not obtain the autobiography of 46 political figures and we therefore do not know whether they were all married or not. Any additional input to enrich and complete this research is most welcome.