Dhia Jafar

Sayyid Dhia Jafar Hasem al-Musawi (Arabic: ضياء جعفر هاشم الموسوي; 1910–1992) was an Iraqi engineer and statesman who held various ministerial positions during the monarchy in Iraq. He was closely connected to Nuri Al-Said and Iraq's last King Faisal II. He was a cabinet minister from 1947 to 1958, serving as Minister of Transport, Economy, Finance and later as Minister of Development.

Early life and education Dhia Jafar was born to Jafar Hashem and Kheja al-Astarabadi. His father was a merchant, from a notable family in Al-Kadhimiya, that claim agnatic descent from Musa al-Kadhim who was the ruler of Yemen and then of Mecca in the wake of the Third Hijri century. His mother was the daughter of the renowned merchant Abd al-Hadi al-Astarabadi. His maternal cousin, Abd al-Saleh al-Killidar, was the custodian of the Imam Husayn shrine.

Education Jafar grew up in Baghdad and completed his school education there. He then studied English at the American University of Beirut and subsequently obtained a degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Birmingham. He was the first Iraqi to hold a scientific PhD in engineering.

Minister of Finance Jafar was appointed as Minister of Finance during the 10th ministry of Nuri al-Said. He held the same position again in the 12th ministry from August 1954 and resigned in December 1955. One of Jafar's main projects as Minister of Finance was the establishment of a gold standard for the Iraqi Dinar, disconnecting the currency from sterling.

From 1957 – 1958, Jafar served as president of the Society of Iraqi Engineers. Jafar, a scientist and former Vice Chairman of the Iraq Atomic Energy Commission and chief of Iraq's nuclear program and later Co-founder and CEO of Uruk Group. Hamid Dhia Jafar has two sons: Majid and Badr who are businessmen with Emirati citizenship and serve on the board of directors of Crescent, and his daughter Razan Jafar is a member of the group's Board.

Books

Dhia Jafar Biography and Memoirs notes, by Imad Abdel Salam Raouf. Dhia Jafar and his political and economic role in Iraq, by Haider Farooq Al-Samarrai.