Reşit Galip
(1897-1934)
Reşit Galip was a Turkish doctor and politician. He was born on the Isle of Rhodes in 1897 and went to school to become a doctor in Istanbul. After a brief assistantship at the university, he started getting involved with the youth movements of the time. He went to Tavşanlı to serve for the rural development program. Following a Greek attack, he went to the Kütahya region to serve by establishing the ‘Müdafaai Hukuk Cemiyeti’. Following the War of Independence, he worked as a doctor in Mersin.
In 1925 he was elected as a parliamentarian, in the first TBMM. In 1932 he became the Minister of Education. He published many articles in newspapers about the new Turkish Republic’s reforms and is known to have played an important role in the 1933 University reform movement. Before passing away at the very early age of 37, he left a great mark on the modern educational formation of our republic. Reşit Galip avenue, in the heart of Ankara, with its many nice buildings and classy restaurants, serves as an homage to this great influence on our educational system.

Hande Kaya (IR/III)