Lest We Forget: Mattheos Eblighatian (Մատթէոս Մ. Էպլիղաթեան)

Lest We Forget: Mattheos Eblighatian (Մատթէոս Մ. Էպլիղաթեան)

Translated by Vahe H. Apelian

Mattheos Eblighatian was the father of Melkon and Krikor who were community leaders and parliamentarians, the former in Lebanon and the latter in Syria. Melkon was a surgeon by profession and his brother Krikor an attorney. The brothers assembled their father’s memoirs in a book titling it “ A Life in the Life of My People” (Կեանք մը Ազգիս Կեանքին Մէջ). In the book, Mattheos Eblighatian summarizes his biography as follows.

“I am born in the city kirkagac (Գըրգաղան) in Izmir province, on October 21, 1881. In 1897 I graduated from Mesrobian School of Izmir. After graduating from the public gymnasium in the same city, in 1903 I was accepted to the Constantinople Law University and in 1908 I graduated with Doctor of Jurisprudence degree.

During the Ottoman Government’s constitutional period, I was appointed as a judge first in Yeberos Yania (Եպերոսի Եանիա) and then in Aleppo. In the summer of 1913, I was appointed as the general prosecutor in Van and after six months the president of that city’s Court of Justice.

In July 1914, I was appointed the translator for the Norwegian Major Hoff tasked with the reformation for the Armenians and was appointed in charge of the Armenian affairs.

On June 14, 1919, I was appointed as the executive director of the newly established National Refugee Settlement in Istanbul. While discharging my duties at that capacity, on July 3, 1920, by the order of the Armenian Republic’s Settlement and Reconstruction Ministry’s number 4839 official order, I was appointed as the Republic’s representative in Istanbul and on July 5, 1920 with the official order number 4863 I was appointed the director of Diaspora Affairs.  Since the National Assembly resolved that the Director of Diaspora Affairs would be appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affair; the Republic’s Settlement and Reconstruction Ministry with their September 25, 1920, order number 6629 removed me from the office as their representative, but with the September 26, 1920, order number 5546 from the Republic’s Minister of Foreign Affair Hamo Ohanjanian, I was tasked as the temporary representative of Republic of Armenia in Istanbul and my salary and other details were conveyed to me by representative Tahtajian.

The Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with their Order number 5548, dated 28 September 1920 to F. Tahtajian, noted that Mattheos Eblighatian is considered as the Republic’s Ambassador and that the Ministry is awaiting his acceptance to send him the necessary official forms. During that period, it is known that the Turks and the Russians attacked our free and independent Republic. My ties with Yerevan were severed. I, on the other hand, tilted as the “Director of Diaspora Affairs”, and according to the provisions conveyed by Republic’s Government, I carried my duties as the Republic’s Ambassador until December 1922, when by the order of the British Government we were forced to shut down the Embassy.”

His sons, Melkon and Krikor, who as noted, assembled their father’s papers into the book noted that his brief biography reflected their father’s true nature for precision and detail for historical accuracy sake. They further noted “Mattheos Eblighatian’s autobiography ended by November 1922, while he passed away thirty-eight years later. Those were painful years as a refugee at which time he moved from one country to another five to six times.” Consequently, the brothers took upon themselves and presented the chronology of their father Mattheos Eblighatian’s life starting from his birth date. Their study of their father’s writings revealed the following chronology of their father’s life.

1881	Mattheos Eblighatian was born on October 21, in kirkagac (Գըրգաղաճ).
1897	Graduated from Mesrobian School in Izmir
1902	Graduated from secondary Turkish school of Izmir (gymnasium)
1903	He was a student of law in Istanbul
1908	On July 10, the Ottoman Constitution is proclaimed
1909	Mattheos Eblighatian received his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree.
1909	In March, M. Eblighatian was appointed as a judge in Yania.
1912	He was moved to the Aleppo with the same capacity.
1913	In March, he was appointed the General Prosecutor in the Van.
1913	In May, he embarked on his journey to Van following the route: Istanbul-Batumi-Tflisi-Yerevan-Izmir-Pergri.
1913	He reached Van on July 12.
1913	On December 15, he was appointed President of the Van’s Court of Justice.
1914	On July 10, he was appointed as the Armenian translator to the Norwegian Major and general examiner Hoff.
1914	On August 17, accompanying Hoff on his mission, he returned from Van to Istanbul via (Paghesh-Dikranagerd-Ourfa-Aleppo-Beirut and then by boat to Izmir and Istanbul).
1914	In October, Turkey took part in the First World War siding with Germany.
1916	From November to 1918, he carried his compulsory military service in the Ottoman Army.
1917	He was a major overseeing army provision in the Great Island of Marmara.
1917	On October 30, married Marinos (Marie) Chilingirian.
1918	On October 30, the Armistice of Mudros was signed.
1919	He was elected as a national representative in Istanbul
1919	He was appointed as the executive director of Refugee Settlement in Istanbul.
1920	On July 3, he was appointed as the Republic of Armenia’s Settlement and Reconstruction Ministry’s representative in Istanbul while carrying his tasks as the executive director of settlement until November 1, 1920.
1920	On September 28, he was appointed as the Republic of Armenia’s Director of Diaspora Affairs, but matter facedly, he acts as Republic’s Ambassador.
1922	In December, by the order of the British Government, he put an end to his role as the Republic’s Ambassador in Istanbul.
1923	He found refuge in Romania.
1924	He moved to Athens with his family.
1932	He moved to Aleppo, Syria and assumed the principalship of Haigazian Coed School.
1935	He moved to Antioch (Sanjak of Alexandretta) and engaged in the practice of law.
1938	In the beginning of the year he was appointed as a judge in Antioch until the 1939 annexation of the region into Turkey.
1940	On March 15, he was appointed as a member of the Court of Justice in the city of Lattakia, Syria and as an arbitrator in Kessab and Qastal Maaf.

1941	He was appointed as the sole Judge overseeing provisions in greater Lattakia and acted at that capacity until 1947 while retaining his other function.
1947	In November he retired from employment.
1960	He passed away on September 30, 1960.

“A Life in the Life of My People” (Կեանք մը Ազգիս Կեանքին Մէջ) makes for a fascinating reading and is primary historical source. The book awaits translation.