Nouri al-Said

Nouri Pasha al-Said was born in Baghdad and educated at the Ottoman Military Academy in Istanbul. A decorated officer in the Ottoman army, he joined Sharif Hussein's Great Arab Revolt alongside T.E. Lawrence, fighting for Arab independence and serving as chief of staff to King Faisal I.

From 1930 until 1958, Nouri dominated Iraqi politics as prime minister across fourteen non-consecutive terms, establishing the modern Iraqi army, civil infrastructure, and the Iraq Development Board. A staunch pro-Western pragmatist who architected the Baghdad Pact, he was overthrown and killed during the bloody 14 July 1958 military coup that abolished the Hashemite monarchy.