Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi

1917 -

Egyptian officer, politician, and cabinet minister.

A graduate of Egypt's military academy, Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi joined the Free Officers, who plotted the 1952 revolution, and later the Revolutionary Command Council. He was the inspector general for the liberation rally in 1953 and defense minister under Muhammad Naguib in 1953 and 1954.

When Gamal Abdel Nasser took power of Egypt in 1956, Baghdadi transferred to municipal affairs and later became minister of planning. He became the first president of the National Assembly in 1957 and, after the formation of the United Arab Republic in 1958, he became vice president for economic affairs and minister of planning. After Syria seceded in 1961 Baghdadi became minister of finance and economic planning. In September 1962 Baghdadi became one of Egypt's five vice presidents and resumed the chair of the assembly.

Removed in 1964 from the vice presidency, Baghdadi also left the Assembly and has not been active in politics since then. Poor health and differences with Nasser over Yemen war policy and Arab Socialism have been offered as reasons for his mysterious early retirement, but the deciding factor was probably the rise of his rival, General Abd al-Hakim Amir, to Egypt's second highest political post in March 1964. Baghdadi criticized Egypt's friendship treaty with the Soviet Union in 1971 and its peace treaty with Israel in 1979. His memoirs, Mudhakkirat Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi (Memoirs of Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi), were published in 1977.

— ARTHUR GOLDSCHMIDT UPDATED BY DONALD MALCOLM REID