Berç Türker Keresteciyan
Encyclopedia
Berç Keresteciyan (1870 – 1949) was a Turkish
bank executive and politician of Armenian
descent.
(former Constantinople
), the capital of the Ottoman Empire
to an Armenian family. His father Mıgırdıç Keresteciyan, manager of customs office of Constantinople, died when he was five years old. His unmarried uncle Bedros Keresteciyan, manager at
the External Communications Office of the Sublime Porte up to 1890 and manager of the Translation Office of the Finance Ministry until his death in 1909, a hyperpolyglot in 10 languages and author of the etymological
dictionary of the Turkish language
, raised him and influenced much his formation. A specialist in financial and economic affairs, Bedros Keresteciyan taught his nephew also in these fields. Berç attended first Galatasaray Lycee, a public school in French language
, transferred however later to Robert College
, an American quasi-missionary private school.
, an institution with half European (English and French) and half Ottoman in character and cosmopolitan personnel.
After the raid of August 26, 1896 carried out by the Armenian nationalist committees
, Berç Keresteciyan was sent by his European supervisors as precaution to Cairo
, Egypt
as branch manager along with some other non-Muslim middle level officials. He worked also in the Smyrna
branch.
As the Turkish Red Crescent
was re-established for the third and last time in 1911, Berç Keresteciyan was a co-founder, became the only non-Muslim member of the executive committee and later vice chairman of the humanitarian institution.
With the outbreak of World War I
and the participation of the Ottoman Empire in the war, the Bank's officials of British and French nationality fell in the position of citizens of hostile countries. The Ottomans threatened the Bank with confiscation, and the general manager and his deputy had to leave their posts and the country until the end of the war. The administration was taken over by non-Muslim Ottomans. Berç Keresteciyan was among them. He was deputy general manager and later became general manager of the Bank.
is being told about his contribution to save the life of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
, as he informed Atatürk's lawyer about a British plot to sink his ship SS Bandırma
in the Black Sea
, on which Atatürk left Istanbul in 1919 to initiate the Turkish War of Independence
.
In 1923, Berç Keresteciyan sent a telegram to Atatürk in his capacity as the honorary president of the Turco-Armenian Friendship Association and a member of the secular council of the Armenian
Patriarchate, confirming the loyalty and the support of his community to the political authority of the government in Ankara
.
Following the surname reform
on June 21, 1934, Atatürk gave Berç Keresteciyan the family name Türker for his patriotic kindness.
He run as an independent deputy from Afyonkarahisar
at the 1935 general elections and became member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly on March 7, 1935 as the only Armenian and one of the four non-Muslims in total. The same day, he became also member of the economic commission of the parliament thanks to his expertise. He repeated his membership of the parliament twice more after the general elections in 1939 and 1943.
During his political career in the parliament, Berç Türker Keresteciyan made significant contributions to issues of general political, economic, social and international developments.
After his retirement in 1947, he lived on Büyükada
, Istanbul. Berç Türker Keresteciyan died in 1949.
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
bank executive and politician of Armenian
Armenians in Turkey
Armenians in Turkey have an estimated population of 40,000 to 70,000 . Most are concentrated around Istanbul. The Armenians support their own newspapers and schools...
descent.
Early life
He was born 1870 in IstanbulIstanbul
Istanbul , historically known as Byzantium and Constantinople , is the largest city of Turkey. Istanbul metropolitan province had 13.26 million people living in it as of December, 2010, which is 18% of Turkey's population and the 3rd largest metropolitan area in Europe after London and...
(former Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
), the capital of the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
to an Armenian family. His father Mıgırdıç Keresteciyan, manager of customs office of Constantinople, died when he was five years old. His unmarried uncle Bedros Keresteciyan, manager at
the External Communications Office of the Sublime Porte up to 1890 and manager of the Translation Office of the Finance Ministry until his death in 1909, a hyperpolyglot in 10 languages and author of the etymological
Etymology
Etymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
dictionary of the Turkish language
Turkish language
Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...
, raised him and influenced much his formation. A specialist in financial and economic affairs, Bedros Keresteciyan taught his nephew also in these fields. Berç attended first Galatasaray Lycee, a public school in French language
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, transferred however later to Robert College
Robert College
Robert College of Istanbul , is one of the most selective independent private high schools in Turkey. Robert College is a co-educational, boarding school with a wooded campus on the European side of Istanbul between the two bridges on the Bosphorus, with the Arnavutköy district to the east, and...
, an American quasi-missionary private school.
Professional career
After his education at Robert College, Berç Keresteciyan was employed by the Finance Ministry, where he served for two years. Then, his uncle appointed him to the Ottoman BankOttoman Bank
The Ottoman Bank was founded in 1856 in the Galata business section of İstanbul, the capital of the Ottoman Empire, as a joint venture between British interests, the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas of France, and the Ottoman government.The opening capital of the Bank consisted of 135,000 shares,...
, an institution with half European (English and French) and half Ottoman in character and cosmopolitan personnel.
After the raid of August 26, 1896 carried out by the Armenian nationalist committees
Armenian Revolutionary Federation
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian...
, Berç Keresteciyan was sent by his European supervisors as precaution to Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
as branch manager along with some other non-Muslim middle level officials. He worked also in the Smyrna
Smyrna
Smyrna was an ancient city located at a central and strategic point on the Aegean coast of Anatolia. Thanks to its advantageous port conditions, its ease of defence and its good inland connections, Smyrna rose to prominence. The ancient city is located at two sites within modern İzmir, Turkey...
branch.
As the Turkish Red Crescent
Turkish Red Crescent
Turkish Red Crescent is the largest humanitarian organization in Turkey and is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement....
was re-established for the third and last time in 1911, Berç Keresteciyan was a co-founder, became the only non-Muslim member of the executive committee and later vice chairman of the humanitarian institution.
With the outbreak of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the participation of the Ottoman Empire in the war, the Bank's officials of British and French nationality fell in the position of citizens of hostile countries. The Ottomans threatened the Bank with confiscation, and the general manager and his deputy had to leave their posts and the country until the end of the war. The administration was taken over by non-Muslim Ottomans. Berç Keresteciyan was among them. He was deputy general manager and later became general manager of the Bank.
Turkish War of Independence
An anecdoteAnecdote
An anecdote is a short and amusing or interesting story about a real incident or person. It may be as brief as the setting and provocation of a bon mot. An anecdote is always presented as based on a real incident involving actual persons, whether famous or not, usually in an identifiable place...
is being told about his contribution to save the life of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk
Mustafa Kemal Atatürk was an Ottoman and Turkish army officer, revolutionary statesman, writer, and the first President of Turkey. He is credited with being the founder of the Republic of Turkey....
, as he informed Atatürk's lawyer about a British plot to sink his ship SS Bandırma
SS Bandirma
SS Bandırma was an Ottoman mixed-freight ship, which became famous for her historical role in taking Mustafa Kemal Pasha from Constantinople to Samsun in May 1919 that marked the establishment of the Turkish national movement.-The ship:The steamer Bandırma, built 1878 in Paisley, Scotland, was a...
in the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
, on which Atatürk left Istanbul in 1919 to initiate the Turkish War of Independence
Turkish War of Independence
The Turkish War of Independence was a war of independence waged by Turkish nationalists against the Allies, after the country was partitioned by the Allies following the Ottoman Empire's defeat in World War I...
.
In 1923, Berç Keresteciyan sent a telegram to Atatürk in his capacity as the honorary president of the Turco-Armenian Friendship Association and a member of the secular council of the Armenian
Patriarchate, confirming the loyalty and the support of his community to the political authority of the government in Ankara
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
.
Following the surname reform
Atatürk's Reforms
Atatürk's Reforms were a series of political, legal, cultural, social and economic reforms that were designed to modernize the new Republic of Turkey into a democratic and secular nation-state...
on June 21, 1934, Atatürk gave Berç Keresteciyan the family name Türker for his patriotic kindness.
Political career
The British and French executives of the Ottoman Bank returned to their positions after the World War I. The Bank retired Berç Keresteciyan early in 1927 for his contribution to Turkification efforts.He run as an independent deputy from Afyonkarahisar
Afyonkarahisar
Afyonkarahisar is a city in western Turkey, the capital of Afyon Province. Afyon is in mountainous countryside inland from the Aegean coast, south-west of Ankara along the Akarçay River. Elevation...
at the 1935 general elections and became member of the Turkish Grand National Assembly on March 7, 1935 as the only Armenian and one of the four non-Muslims in total. The same day, he became also member of the economic commission of the parliament thanks to his expertise. He repeated his membership of the parliament twice more after the general elections in 1939 and 1943.
During his political career in the parliament, Berç Türker Keresteciyan made significant contributions to issues of general political, economic, social and international developments.
After his retirement in 1947, he lived on Büyükada
Büyükada
Büyükada is the largest of the nine so-called Princes' Islands in the Sea of Marmara, near Istanbul, with an area of about two square miles...
, Istanbul. Berç Türker Keresteciyan died in 1949.
External links
- Semi Ertan, An Armenian at the Turkish parliament in the early republican period: Berç Türker-Keresteciyan, 1870-1949, thesis, Sabancı University, İstanbul, 2005