Abstract:

Hilmi Bey, who was born in the Serfice Sanjak of the Manastır Province during the last period of the Ottoman Empire, in 1872, started his state service in Yanya High School after completing his primary and secondary education in Serfice, and his High School and Higher Education in Mekteb-i Mülkiye. After completing his internship of the District Governorship, which he started in 1895, he served in Soma, Havsa, Foçateyn, Karaburun, Karaköse, Margılıç, Delvine and Leskovik. Hilmi Bey, who was promoted to the governorship in 1909 in his last place of duty, served in Menteşe, Preveze, Ergiri, Maraş, Muş, Gümüşhane, Siirt, Genç and he was the manager of the Menteşe Sanjaks for the second time. While Hilmi Bey was in Siirt and Genç as a mutasarrifate, the Ottoman State enacted the Armenian Relocation Law in 1915 due to the Armenian rebellions. Within the framework of this law, Hilmi Bey made great efforts to send the Armenians from Siirt and Genç to Mosul in a safe and healthy manner. While he was the Menteşe Governor (mutasarrifate) for the second time, İzmir was occupied by the Greeks on 15 May 1919. Hilmi Bey made a great effort in protesting this occupation and establishing the Kuva-yı Milliye Organization in Menteşe. While in this position, Mutasarrifate Hilmi Bey attended the Nazilli Congress with the members of the Muğla Kuva-yı Milliye Organization. From here, he went to Sivas to Mustafa Kemal Pasha and entered the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. While Adana was under French occupation, Hilmi Bey was appointed as the Deputy Governor of Adana by the Great National Assembly of Turkey and gave great effort for the defense of the city. After the proclamation of the Republic, Serfiçeli Hilmi Bey served as the governors of Elazığ, Sivas and Trabzon at the request of Atatürk and retired due to the age limit in 1931.

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