Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr

Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr
أحمد حسن البكر
Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr
1st Chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council
In office 17 July 1968 – 16 July 1979
Deputy	Saddam Hussein
Preceded by	Post established
Succeeded by	Saddam Hussein
4th President of Iraq
In office 17 July 1968 – 16 July 1979
Vice President	Saddam Hussein
Preceded by	Abdul Rahman Arif
Succeeded by	Saddam Hussein
Regional Secretary of the Regional Command of the Iraqi Regional Branch
In office October 1966 – 16 July 1979
National Secretary	Michel Aflaq
Preceded by	Saddam Hussein
Succeeded by	Saddam Hussein
In office 11 November 1963 – February 1964
Preceded by	Hamdi Abd al-Majid
Succeeded by	Saddam Hussein
48th & 56th Prime Minister of Iraq
In office 31 July 1968 – 16 July 1979
President	Himself
Preceded by	Abd ar-Razzaq an-Naif
Succeeded by	Saddam Hussein
In office 8 February 1963 – 18 November 1963
President	Abdul Salam Arif
Preceded by	Abd al-Karim Qasim
Succeeded by	Tahir Yahya
49th Minister of Defence
In office 11 November 1974 – 15 October 1977
Prime Minister	Himself
Preceded by	Hammad Shihab (died in office) Abdullah al-Khadduri (acting from July 1973)
Succeeded by	Adnan Khairallah
Member of the Regional Command of the Iraqi Regional Branch
In office 11 November 1963 – 16 July 1979
Personal details
Born	(1914-07-01)1 July 1914 Tikrit, Ottoman Empire
Died	4 October 1982(1982-10-04) (aged 68) Baghdad, Iraq
Political party	Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party (1940s–1966) Baghdad-based Ba'ath Party (1966–1982) (NPF)
Religion	Sunni Islam
Military service
Allegiance	Iraq
Service/branch	Iraqi Army
Rank	General
Battles/wars	Anglo–Iraqi War Ramadan Revolution 17 July Revolution

Ahmed Hassan al-Bakr (Arabic: أحمد حسن البكر‎‎ 'Aḥmad Ḥasan al-Bakr; 1 July 1914 – 4 October 1982) was the fourth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 17 July 1968 until 16 July 1979. A leading member of the revolutionary Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party, and later, the Baghdad-based Ba'ath Party and its regional organisation Ba'ath Party – Iraq Region (the Ba'ath Party's Iraqi branch), which espoused ba'athism, a mix of Arab nationalism and Arab socialism.

Al-Bakr first rose to prominence following the 14 July Revolution which overthrew the monarchy. In the newly established government, al-Bakr was involved in improving Iraqi–Soviet relations. In 1959 al-Bakr was forced to resign from the Iraqi military; the then Iraqi government accused him of being involved in anti-government activities. Following his forced retirement, he became the chairman of the Ba'ath Party's Iraqi branch's Military Bureau. Through this office he was able to recruit members to the ba'athist cause through patronage and cronyism. Prime Minister Abd al-Karim Qasim was overthrown in the Ramadan (8 February) Revolution; al-Bakr was appointed Prime Minister, and later, Vice President of Iraq in a ba'ath-nasserist coalition government. The government lasted for little more than a year, and was ousted in November 1963.