Youssef Djaït
Prime Minister of Tunisia
In office
1908–1915
MonarchMuhammad V
Preceded byM'hamed Djellouli
Succeeded byTaïeb Djellouli
Minister of the Pen
In office
1907–1908
MonarchMuhammad V
Preceded byM'hamed Djellouli
Succeeded byTaïeb Djellouli
Personal details
Born1830
Tunis, Beylik of Tunis
Died1915(1915-00-00) (aged 84–85)
Tunis, French Tunisia
NationalityTunisian
Spouse(s)Lalla Douja Belkhodja
Lalla Habiba Ben Jaafar
ChildrenAbdelaziz Djaït
RelativesKamel Djaït (grandson)
Hichem Djaït (grandson)

Youssef Djaït (Arabic: يوسف جعيط) (born 1830 in Tunis, died 1915), was Prime Minister of the Beylik of Tunis.

Early life

He came from a family of scholars, who had originated in Yemen and then settled in Kairouan, and was noted for its contributions to religious studies. He studied at Zitouna University, aiming for a religious career like his ancestors. He later began to teach at the Zitouna and married first Douja Belkhodja and then Habiba Ben Jaafar, both daughters of notable Tunisian religious families of Turkish origin.[1][2]

Career

He was chosen as chancellery secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where he spent several years, marking this still nascent service within the Makhzen.[3] He entered the service of Baron Raffo, Minister of Italian origin, then that of General Mohamed Baccouche. Rising through the ranks, Djaït was head of the state section of justice when the French protectorate of Tunisia was established. It was only natural for Naceur Bey to place his trust in him as Minister of the Pen and then Grand Vizier in 1908, with the consent of France.[4][5] His power was very reduced because of the tight control of the French Resident General.

It was under his government that the first manifestations of the nationalist movement took place. He thus had to face the Jellaz Affair in 1911 and the Tunis tram boycott in 1912 but failed to calm the violent waves of repression and arrests that followed. He died shortly after, in 1915, leaving the memory of an honest minister unable to keep pace with the national movement. He is one of the ministers buried in the mausoleum of Tourbet el Bey located in the medina of Tunis.[6] Among his descendants were ulema, his son Mohamed Abdelaziz Djaït, Minister of Justice from 1947 to 1950, and his grandson Kameleddine Djaït, mufti of Tunisia.[7]

Decorations

He held several decorations including:

References

  1. ↑ Mohamed El Aziz Ben Achour, Catégories de la société tunisoise dans la deuxième moitié du XIXe siècle, éd. Institut national d'archéologie et d'art, Tunis, 1989
  2. ↑ Bey, El Mokhtar (1993). De la dynastie husseinite. Tunis: Serviced.
  3. ↑ Archives diplomatiques: recueil de diplomatie et d'histoire. Amyot. 1870. p. 136. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  4. ↑ Bulletin de la Société d'apiculture de Tunisie. Impr. Rapide. 1906. p. 5. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  5. ↑ Daniel Goldstein (1978). Libération ou annexion: aux chemins croisés de l'histoire tunisienne, 1914-1922. Maison tunisienne de l'édition. p. 131. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
  6. ↑ Latrech, Adel (28 August 2010). "Promenade dans les tourbas de Tunis". La Presse de Tunisie.
  7. ↑ "Décès de l'ancien Mufti de Tunisie, cheikh Kameleddine Djaït". Leaders.com.tn. 22 December 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2021.
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