ISMET PASHA (1884– ), Turkish statesman, was born in Smyrna of a Turkish family of Malatia. He received his edu cation in the military schools of Turkey, and in 1903 graduated as an artillery lieutenant. Three years later he became a captain on the General Staff. After the Young Turk revolution of 1908, he was sent several times on military expeditions to Yemen. During the World War he served on the Syrian front, and was in command of an army corps when peace was declared. At the time of the occupation of Constantinople by the Allies he escaped to Angora disguised as a common soldier and was appointed by the Great National Assembly to be chief-of-staff during the mili tary operations of the Nationalists against the Caliphate army and Armenia. Later he became commander-in-chief of the Turk ish western front, and in this capacity insisted on the formation of a regular army in place of the irregular Nationalist forces. In the meantime, the irregular forces were unwilling to submit, ancl the Greek Army had taken the offensive. At Ineunu, Ismet de feated the Greeks, checked their offensive, subdued the irregular forces, and succeeded in completing the organization of a regular army. He remained in command of the western front until after the battle of the Sakharia and the fall of Smyrna, in which events he was the right-hand man of Mustafa Kemal. In 1922 he signed
the Armistice concluded at Mudania with the Allies, and secured the evacuation of Eastern Thrace. In 1922-3, as minister of for eign affairs and senior Turkish delegate to the Lausanne Confer ence, he ably defended the interests of his country, and signed the Treaty of Lausanne.
During the autumn of 1923, at the time of the declaration of the republic, he became prime minister. After a short rest, due to failing health, he became prime minister a second time, to wards the end of 1924, and shared in the suppression of the Sheikh Said revolt in Kurdistan. The abolition of the Caliphate, the closing of the medressehs (religious schools) and of the tekkes (monasteries) were some of the momentous changes realized dur ing Ismet's tenure of office. He remained almost uninterruptedly in office. After Dec. 1934, when, in accordance with the new Turkish law, he adopted a surname, he became known as Ismet Inonii. Upon the death of Kemal Ataturk, he was unanimously elected president of Turkey, Nov. II, 1938.