Simon Vratsian
| Simon Vratsian | |
|---|---|
| Սիմոն Վրացեան | |
 |
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| Prime Minister of Armenia | |
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In office 23 November 1920 – 2 December 1920 |
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| Preceded by | Hamo Ohanjanyan |
| Succeeded by | Soviet Armenia |
| Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia | |
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In office 23 November 1920 – 2 December 1920 |
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| Preceded by | Hamo Ohanjanyan |
| Succeeded by | Soviet Armenia |
| Minister of Agriculture and State Property of Armenia | |
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In office 3 April 1920 – 23 November 1920 |
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| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | Arshak Hovhannisyan |
| Minister of Labour of Armenia | |
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In office 3 April 1920 – 23 November 1920 |
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| Preceded by | position established |
| Succeeded by | Arshak Hovhannisyan |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1882 Metz Sala, Nor Nakhichevan, Russian Empire |
| Died | 21 May 1969 (aged 86–87) Beirut, Lebanon |
| Nationality | Armenian |
| Political party | Armenian Revolutionary Federation |
Simon Vratsian (Armenian: Սիմոն Վրացեան; 1882 – 21 May 1969) was the last Prime Minister of the First Republic of Armenia. He also headed the Committee for the Salvation of the Fatherland after the February counter-revolution for 40 days in 1921.
After education at Armenian and Russian schools he joined the Dashnak party. He received further education at the Gevorgian seminary in Echmiadzin from 1900 to 1906. Vratsian returned to Nor Nakhichevan as a Dashnak party worker and took part in the 4th general congress of Dashnaktsutiun at Vienna in 1907; where he supported the adoption of socialism. In 1908 he traveled to St. Petersburg to study law and education. He travelled to the United States in 1911 where he edited the Hairenik newspaper. In 1914 he made his way to the 8th general congress of Dashnaktsutiun in Ottoman Empire. He was elected to the party's Bureau and mixed with the leaders of the Young Turks. In August 1914 he was jailed as a Russian spy, but escaped to Transcaucasia, where he became involved with the Armenian volunteer units who fought with the Russian army. After the disbandment of the units he attended the Moscow state conference, the Armenian National Congress, and was elected a member of the National Council. Hovhannes Katchaznouni asked him to accompany him on his tour of Europe and America in 1919, but he was refused a visa by the British as they saw him as a radical socialist. In the same year he was appointed to ministry of labour, agriculture and state positions in Alexander Khatisian's Cabinet. His positions carried over to the government of Hamo Ohanjanyan; he also assumed responsibilities for information and propaganda. After the resignation of the government and the failure of Hovhannes Katchaznouni to form a coalition, Vratsian accepted post of Prime Minister on 23 November 1920. On 2 December he handed over Armenia to the Bolsheviks. He subsequently went into hiding, and later emerged as President of the Committee for the Salvation of the Fatherland. He also was President of the short-lived Republic of Armenia after a revolution against the Bolsheviks in February of 1921. However, this second republic only lasted around 40 days; he then escaped to Persia with his bodyguards and aides, leaving his wife and child with American Near East Relief worker Dr. Ussher. He also appealed to Europe and Turkey for assistance against the Bolsheviks. Vratsian then travelled over Europe, settling in Paris to edit the Droshak from 1923 to 1925. In 1945 he presented a petition to the UN General Assembly at San Francisco demanding the restoration of Wilsonian Armenia held by Turkey to Armenia.
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Wikipedia