Cevdet Sunay

Cevdet Sunay (* 1899 in Trabzon, † May 22, 1982 in Istanbul) was a Turkish army officer and politician, who served as the fifth president of Turkey on 28 March 1966 to 28 March 1973.

Cevdet Sunay was born in 1899 in Trabzon ( Trebizond ). After attending the elementary school and the middle schools in Erzurum, Kirkuk (now Iraq) and Edirne, he graduated at the Kuleli Military Academy in Istanbul. During the First World War, he fought in 1917 as a soldier at the front in Palestine, before he came into Egypt in British captivity in 1918. After his release from captivity, he fought in the Turkish War of Independence, first at the southern front and later on the Western Front.

Sunay completed his military training from 1927 and graduated in 1930 at the Military Academy of the staff officer. After several junior officers he was finally appointed in 1949 initially to brigadier general and in 1959 four- star general. He held important military post, 1960, he was commander in chief of the land forces, and later chief of staff. On March 14, 1966, he was during the presidency Cemal Gürsel in the Senate, the upper house of Parliament, appointed to allow his later election as head of state.

After early termination of the term of office of General Gursel due to its poor health Sunay was elected by the National Assembly on March 28, 1966 for the fifth President of Turkey. Thus, the ruling conservative Justice Party of Prime Minister Süleyman Demirel added to the will of the military, which had 1960 coup under Gursel. Despite increasing terrorist activity, student unrest and rising coup risk Sunay remained until the end of the regular term of office March 28, 1973 President of the country. However, the chosen one by the military for Sunays successor General Faruk Gürler The Parliament failed because the major parties to the ex- Admiral Fahri Korutürk gave the preference.

After retiring from the presidency General Sunay Senator was due to the provisions of the Constitution for life, until the Senate was abolished by the military coup of 1980.

Cevdet Sunay was married since 1929 Atıfet, with whom he had three children.

Cevdet Sunay died on 22 March 1982 in Istanbul. His final resting place, he finally found in August 1988 at the newly built Turkish State Cemetery in Ankara.