Hasan Rıza Paşa

Hasan Rıza Paşa was born in 1830 in the Province of Lazistan, in Çağlayan village of today’s Fındıklı district of Rize. In official records he appears as Kavaszâde Hasan Rıza Efendi, while studies on his family circle connect him with the Gavvazzâde family from the same village. His father Mehmet Ağa is mentioned among the relatives of Laz Ali Rıza Paşa, former governor of Baghdad.

He studied Arabic at an idadi school and grew up literate in Turkish. He began his official career in 1853-1854 as second clerk in the Council of the Imperial Army at Batum. He then advanced in provincial financial administration through posts such as assistant to the Lazistan Finance Directorate, offices of the Ministry of Finance, and accounting duties in Karahisar, Hüdavendigâr and Van.

After serving as treasurer of Bitlis, he was appointed treasurer of Baghdad province in 1885 and governor of Urfa sanjak in 1889. Mutasarrıflık was the highest civil administration of a sanjak attached to a province; it stood between today’s deputy governorship and district governorship, but in the provincial order of the period carried broad administrative authority.

After Urfa, he served as governor of the Niğde and Burdur sanjaks; in 1894 he was granted the rank of mîr-i mîrân. This rank, meaning “beylerbeyi,” was used in the 19th century as a high civil-administrative pâye. He was retired in 1896.

Hasan Rıza Paşa’s family line extended into the Republican period. His only known son, Ahmet Tevfik Yücesoy, was born in Kirkuk in 1877 during his father’s official service, or according to some sources in Urfa. He became founding president of the Laz Tekâmül-i Millî Society and of the Istanbul Chess Association, regarded as the first chess association in Turkey.

Hasan Rıza Paşa died in 1904 and was buried in the Fatih Mosque Cemetery.