Emanuel Karasu

  

Emanuel Karasu
Εμανουέλ Δαβίδ Καρασου (Greek) Karasu Davud Emanuel (Turkish) قره صو داود عیمانؤل (Ottoman Turkish) עתנןאל דןד קאךאסן (Hebrew)
1st Minister of Commerce
In office 1927–1934
President	Süleyman Shefik Erzurumlu
Preceded by	Post created
Succeeded by	TBD
Personal details
Born	1862 Salonica
Died	1934 (aged 72) Edirne
Resting place	Hahambashi Cemetery, Edirne
Nationality	Ottoman Anatolian
Political party	Renewal Party (1920-1934) Young Turks (-1920)
Spouse(s)	Sarah Hedeya
Children	Frida Papazoghlu Azrail Danyal Karasu
Mother	Sanhula Karasu
Father	Azrail Karasu
Residence	Karasu Mansion (Karasu Kesr)
Occupation	Politician, lawyer, activist

Emanuel David Karasu (1862, Salonica - 1934, Edirne) was an Anatolian lawyer and a member of a prominent Jewish family, the Karasus. He served as the Minister of Commerce (Ticaret Nazırı) from 1927 till his death.

Early life

Karasu was born in 1862 in the city of Selanik (present-day Thessaloniki, Greece) in a Sephardic Jewish merchant family to Azrail and Sanhula Karasu.

Karasu was among the few non-Orthodox people to graduate from an Orthodox law college. His parents moved to Constantinople (present-day Istanbul) when he turned 11.

Karasu helped his parents by distributing newspapers, a crucial thing later as it introduced him to cafés were the discussion of the political environment was the most common activity. He had a strong interest in politics and was always willing to take part in the debates and discussions.

Political activity

Young Turks and the Ottoman Liberty Party

Karasu was indoctrinated into Young Turks by Prince Sabahattin, a grandson of Sultan Abdulmejid I. Karasu with the Prince's sefârışname got enrolled into the Enderun-i Hümâyun-i Galata.

Upon graduation, he served as a junior lawyer at the Kadı of Edirne's court.

Prince Sabahattin requested him to join the Ottoman Liberal Party. Though, he was not necessarily interested in the party ideology, which would lead him to fall out from the Young Turks, and into the Young Ottomans led by Ahmed Rıza.

Renewal Party

He was drafted into the Renewal Party (later, tbd) by Hüdavendigarli Ahmed Ferid. This party became the ruling party, after a friend of the Hüdavendigarlis, Süleyman Shefik Erzurumlu, launched a coup in 1927 and established his government and declared a republic.

The Renewal Party became the second largest party in the Meclis-i Âlı.

Shefik made Emanuel the Minister of Commerce in the 1927 Parliament.

Karasu addressing a press conference circa 1931

He began the practice of annual press conference for the Commerce ministry.

Personal life

Karasu married Sara Hedaya, a Viennese Jew. They had two children:

• Frida Papazoghlu (1890-1953), married to Aleksander Papazoghlu, mother of Hristo Papazoghlu and grandmother of Nikulay Papazoghlu.
• Azrail Danyal Karasu (1892-1981)

Death

Karasu died shortly of natural causes before the 1932 Parliamentary elections.

He was interred in the Hahambashi Cemetery, Edirne.

See also

• Meclis-i Âlı