Jamil Al Midfai

{{Short description|Prime minister of Iraq variously in the 1900s}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| image = Jamil_Al-Madfai.jpg

| imagesize =

| smallimage =

| caption =

| office = Prime Minister of Iraq

| term_start = 9 November 1933

| term_end = 27 August 1934

| monarch = Ghazi I

| predecessor = Rashid Ali al-Gaylani

| successor = Ali Jawdat Al-Ayyubi

| term_start2 = 4 March 1935

| term_end2 = 17 March 1935

| monarch2 = Ghazi I

| predecessor2 = Ali Jawdat Al-Ayyubi

| successor2 = Yasin al-Hashimi

| term_start3 = 17 August 1937

| term_end3 = 25 December 1938

| monarch3 = Ghazi I

| predecessor3 = Hikmat Sulayman

| successor3 = Nuri al-Said

| term_start4 = 4 June 1941

| term_end4 = 10 October 1941

| monarch4 = Faisal II

| 1blankname4 = Regent

| 1namedata4 = Prince Abdullah

| predecessor4 = Rashid Ali al-Gaylani

| successor4 = Nuri al-Said

| term_start5 = 29 January 1953

| term_end5 = 17 September 1953

| monarch5 = Faisal II

| 1blankname5 = Regent

| 1namedata5 = Prince Abdullah

| predecessor5 = Nureddin Mahmud

| successor5 = Muhammad Fadhel al-Jamali

| birth_date = {{Birth year|1890}}

| birth_place = Mosul, Ottoman Iraq

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1958|10|26|1890|df=y}}

| death_place = Iraq

| nationality = Iraqi citizenship

| party =

| spouse =

| relations =

| children =

| alma_mater =

| occupation =

| profession =

| cabinet =

| signature =

| native_name = جميل المدفعي

| native_name_lang = ar

}}

Jamil Al Midfai (Arabic: جميل المدفعي; (1958 – 1890)) was an Iraqi politician. He served as the country's prime minister on five separate occasions.

Biography

Born in the town of Mosul, Midfai served in the Ottoman army during World War I, but deserted in 1916 to take part in the nationalist Arab Revolt. After the war, he was an aide to the Emir Faisal during his brief reign in Syria. He returned to Iraq in 1920, but was soon forced into exile in Transjordan because of his anti-British nationalist activities. Upon his return in 1923, he served in various senior provincial capacities and finally joined the cabinet in 1930.{{fact|date=August 2022}}

He was elected as the president of the Chamber of Deputies from December 1930 to November 1931, and from November 1931 to November 1933.{{Cite web|url=https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.$b405476&view=1up&seq=13|title=Report by His Britannic Majesty's Government to the Council of the League of Nations on the Administration of Iraq 1930.|website=HathiTrust}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.qdl.qa/en/archive/81055/vdc_100061134244.0x000037|title='File 11/44 Leading Personalities in Iraq, Iran & Saudi Arabia' [27v] (54/96)|date=10 September 2018|website=Qatar Digital Library}}

As a seasoned politician and two-time prime minister, he was asked to form a new government in August 1937, following the assassination of General Bakr Sidqi, who had ruled the country as a military dictator for almost a year. A staunch monarchist, Midfai was again forced into exile to Transjordan following the short-lived pro-Axis coup by Rashid Ali al-Kaylani in 1941.

Upon his return to Iraq, he served in various senior capacities including President of the Senate of Iraq in the 1950s,{{cite magazine|title=A diplomatic history of modern Iraq.|first=Abid A.|last=Al-Marayati|date=5 January 1961|magazine=New York|hdl = 2027/mdp.39015001694838}} and briefly as prime minister after the suspension of political activities during the Iraqi Intifada. He died on 26 October 1958 suffering from lung cancer.{{Cite web |url=http://www.alqurtasnews.com/mobile/news/261655/iraq-news |title=في مثل هذا اليوم... توفي العسكري والسياسي العراقي جميل المدفعي | العراق - القرطاس نيوز |access-date=2018-04-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180418161259/http://www.alqurtasnews.com/mobile/news/261655/iraq-news |archive-date=2018-04-18 |url-status=dead }}

Fourth Ministry

When the Crown Prince 'Abd al-Ilah came back to Baghdad in 1 June 1941, He summoned Midfai to Him and after careful consultations, the opinion settled on Midfai to form a new government, so the Prince sent Him the following letter:

{{Quote

|text=

My most luxurious minister Jamil al-Midfai,

Based on the dissolution of the government, and given the current circumstances, and depending on your knowledge and sincerity, We have entrusted you to head the new government, Provided that you elect your associates and present their names on us, and God is the Guardian of success.

|author=Abd al-IlahHistory of the ministries of Iraq, Part 6 page 6 - 'Abd al-Razzaq al-Hasani, [https://archive.org/details/tarikh.wzarat.iraq/mode/2up archived copy in Arabic]

}}The circumstances in which Al-Madfai was tasked with forming his fifth cabinet were strict and required the appointment of ministers and determining their responsibilities so quickly that he could not think about the extent of the cooperation that would take place between him and his associates in the management of state affairs in these circumstances.

And accordingly, the royal will was issued on the second day of June 1941 to appoint:History of the ministries of Iraq, Part 6 page 6 - 'Abd al-Razzaq al-Hasani, [https://archive.org/details/tarikh.wzarat.iraq/mode/2up archived copy in Arabic]