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Faris al-Khury

Faris al-Khoury
فارس الخوري
Faris al-Khoury.jpg
19th Prime Minister of Syria
In office
October 14, 1944 – October 1, 1945
President Shukri al-Quwatli
Preceded by Saadallah al-Jabiri
Succeeded by Saadallah al-Jabiri
In office
November 3, 1954 – February 13, 1955
President Hashim al-Atassi
Preceded by Said al-Ghazzi
Succeeded by Sabri al-Assali
Speaker of the Parliament of Syria
In office
November 21, 1938 – July 8, 1939
Preceded by Hashim al-Atassi
Succeeded by Faris al-Khoury
In office
August 17, 1943 – October 17, 1944
Preceded by Faris al-Khoury
Succeeded by Saadallah al-Jabiri
In office
September 16, 1945 – October 22, 1946
Preceded by Saadallah al-Jabiri
Succeeded by Faris al-Khoury
In office
September 27, 1947 – March 31, 1949
Preceded by Faris al-Khoury
Succeeded by Rushdie Kikhia
1st Permanent Representative of Syria to the United Nations
In office
1946–1948
Preceded by office established
Succeeded by Farid Zeineddine
Personal details
Born (1877-11-20)November 20, 1877
Kfeir, Hasbaya, Ottoman Syria (present day Lebanon)
Died January 2, 1962(1962-01-02) (aged 84)
Damascus, Syria
Political party National Bloc
Spouse(s) Asma'a Gabriel Eid
Relatives Suhail al-Khoury, son
Colette Khoury, granddaughter

Faris al-Khoury (Arabic: فارس الخوري‎‎) (20 November 1877 – 2 January 1962) was a Syrian statesman, minister, prime minister, speaker of Parliament, and godfather of modern Syrian politics; born in Hasbaya in today's modern Lebanon. Faris Khoury went on to become prime minister of Syria from October 14, 1944, to October 1, 1945, and from October 1954 to February 13, 1955. Faris Koury's position as prime minister is, as of 2017, the highest political position a Syrian Christian has ever reached. Khoury's electoral popularity was due in part to his staunch secularist and nationalist policies. As a die-hard Syrian nationalist, Khoury never compromised on his principles and was resolutely against pan-Arabism and the ill-fated union between Syria and Egypt. Khoury opposed the short-lived union between Nasser's Egypt and republican Syria, the United Arab Republic. Through it all Faris Khoury served his country for almost 50 years. He was the grandfather of noted Syrian novelist Colette Khoury.

Faris Khoury was born in Kfeir in the Hasbaya District to a Greek Orthodox Christian family that eventually converted to Presbyterianism. Faris studied at the American University of Beirut, at the time called Syrian Protestant College. He started his career as an instructor at AUB and became involved in al-Fatat, the leading anti-Ottoman movement, after its creation in Paris in 1911. Khoury became the Christian member of the Ottoman Parliament representing Damascus in 1908. In 1916, Khoury joined the Arab resistance and promised to support the Arab Revolt, launched from Mecca by Sharif Husayn. His connections with Husayn, the prime nationalist of his era, resulted in his arrest and trial by a military tribunal in Aley. After King Faisal's arrival and liberation of Syria, Khoury pledged allegiance to King Faisal, the newly proclaimed King of Syria, by the Syrian peoples. In September 18, 1918 Khoury created a preliminary government with a group of notables in Damascus, spearheaded by Prince Sa’id al-Jaza’iri. Khoury then became minister of Finance in the new Syrian cabinet of Prime Minister Rida Pasha al-Rikabi. His post was renewed by Prime Minister Hashim al-Atassi in May 1920. He held this position until King Faisal was dethroned and the French Colonial forces imposed their mandate on Syria in July 1920. Khoury laid the groundwork for the Syrian Ministry of Finance, created its infrastructure, distributed its administrative duties, formulated its laws, and handpicked its staff. In 1923, he helped found Damascus University and along with a group of veteran educators, translated its entire curriculum from Ottoman Turkish into Arabic.


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