Kemal Atatürk

Musafa Kemal Atatürk was born in 1881 in Salonica, Ottoman Empire (present-day Thessaloniki, Greece). During WWI, Atatürk was a military officer. After the Ottomon Empire’s defeat, Atatürk led the Turkish War of Independence. Following his success in the formation of the Republic of Turkey, Atatürk became the 1st Prime Minister of Turkey and helped transform the country into a democratic, secular, nation-state. He was granted the surname Atatürk (“Father of the Turks”) in 1934, and it has been granted to no other Turkish leader since. Following his presidency, Atatürk served as the 1st Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey, and then as the Leader of the Republican People’s Party until his death in 1938.