Ahmed Tahir Bey

Born on 7 Dhu al-Qa‘da 1310 (1893), Ahmed Tahir Bey was the son of Ali Galib Bey, one of the grandchildren of former grand vizier Mustafa Reşid Paşa. His grandfather Mustafa Reşid Paşa was one of the leading statesmen of the Tanzimat period and played a decisive role in the proclamation of the Tanzimat Edict.

The name of Mustafa Reşid Paşa’s son Damad Ali Galib Paşa, who died at a young age, was kept alive in the family in the next generation; his brother Sâlih Bey gave his own son the name Ali Galib.

This Ali Galib Bey, the father of Ahmed Tahir Bey, also served in late Ottoman diplomacy, as did his family. He was associated with the embassies in Athens, Tehran, Vienna and Berlin, and after the Second Constitutional Period held offices such as membership in the Chamber of Notables, Minister of Posts and Telegraphs, and Governor of Aydın.

Ahmed Tahir Bey died on 13 Rabi al-Akhir 1319 (1901), while still a child, and was buried in the Fatih Mosque Cemetery. After Emine Saliha Hanım from the same family, Ahmed Tahir Bey’s death at a young age is one of the sorrowful records of the Reşid Paşa family in the Fatih Cemetery.