Michel Chiha is born in Mekkine, Chouf, Lebanon The long awaited son after six daughters in succession. A further son and daughter would follow his arrival.

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Jan 02, 1914

Refuge in Egypt

Michel Chiha takes refuge in Egypt to avoid Turkish repression (1914-1918). Takes refuge in Egypt to avoid Turkish repression. Like many of his compatriots, Michel Chiha had to leave Beirut during the 1914-1918 Great War and settle in Cairo where he studied Law and eventually obtained his law degree.
In a letter addressed to Hector Klat, one of the few letters found in the family archive in which he describes his life in exile, he gives details of visits to friends, of changing residences between Helouan, Cairo, and Alexandria and describes an enforced retreat to Ras-el-Bar. Most of his time was spent preparing for his law degree and editing the ‘Ébauches’. Although the account is fairly typical of the lifestyle of a young bachelor of the day it also highlights an early interest in art, music and literature.

Jan 08, 1915

Cairo

Michel Chiha takes up residence in Cairo.

May 16, 1916

Sykes-Picot

Sykes-Picot Agreement signed between France and Great Britain dividing the Near East into two spheres of influence

Feb 12, 1919

Paris conferences

Paris Conference declares an end to the Austrian, German and Ottoman Empires (Jan 1919 - Aug 1920)

Apr 28, 1919

Michel Chiha returns to Lebanon

After a three-year exile in Egypt, Michel Chiha returned to Beirut at the end of the Great War.
He took over the running of the Pharaon and Chiha Bank (Michel’s father Antoine passed away in 1903 having co-founded the Pharaon and Chiha Bank in 1876) at one of the most difficult times in his country’s history. A nation-wide famine had decimated a quarter of the population and one-fourth of the country’s homes were in ruins.

Jun 28, 1919

Treaty of Versailles

Signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Covers all provisions between a defeated Germany and the Allies

Sep 01, 1919

Proclamation of Greater Lebanon

On the 1st of September 1919, General Gouraud, High Commissioner of the French Republic and Commander in Chief of the French Levantine Army (1919 - 1923) proclaimed the independence of Greater Lebanon
For the next twenty three years it would continue to be celebrated on the 1st of September until 1943 when it was changed to November 22nd.

Jul 14, 1920

San Remo Conference

San Remo Conference - Its outcome, the Treaty of Sèvres, decrees a French Mandate over Syria and Palestine and a British Mandate over Palestine

Aug 10, 1920

Treaty of Sèvres

The enforcing of the terms of the Treaty of Sèvres sparks nationalistic uprisings in Turkey. Ottoman rule ends. Mustapha Kemal rejects the legitimacy of the Treaty and leads successful military insurrections

Nov 01, 1920

Official abolition of the Ottoman Sultanate

Feb 12, 1923

Maxime Weygand

Maxime Weygand, High Commissioner until 1925.

Apr 01, 1923

Henri Gouraud

Henri Gouraud, French Mandate’s first High Commissioner appointed along with his close advisor Robert de Caix

Jul 24, 1923

Turkey gives up claims

Turkey agrees to give up all territorial claims in the Near East in particular those in the Arab world in return for recognition of the new regime

Feb 15, 1925

Organic Law Commission

Invited to join the Organic Law Commission – Tasked, along with 13 fellow members of the Commission, with drafting the country’s constitutional legislature. They submit for approval twelve fundamental tenets of the future Constitution

Apr 01, 1925

Le Reveil

Michel Chiha joins Alexander Khoury’s newspaper ‘Le Reveil’, the only daily French-language newspaper to be printed in Beirut at the time.

Apr 01, 1925

Deputy of Parliament

Elected to Parliament as Deputy for Beirut along with Omar Daouk and Omar Beyhum. The entire list is elected in spite of disapproval of High Commissioner General Sarrail and Léon Cayla, his representative in Lebanon

Feb 20, 1926

Michel Chiha marries Marguerite Pharaon

Marguerite Pharaon was the eldest daughter of Philippe Pharaon, Antoine Chiha’s partner in the bank. Together they had three girls: Micheline (d.1940), Madeleine and Marie-Claire (d.2013).

Mar 16, 1926

Finance Committee

(March 16hth) Appointed member of the Finance Committee at the General Meeting of the Representative Council of Greater Lebanon – drafts the State Budgets of 1927 and 1929

May 23, 1926

Constitution

High Commissioner Henry de Jouvenel announces the enactment of the Constitution as drafted by Michel Chiha: “This Constitution, for which, I believe, I have worked harder than anyone else”.

Michel Chiha played a major role in the elaboration of the Lebanese Constitution. The extent of his involvement is reflected in the handwritten manuscript and the three separate typed versions which he annotated by hand.

Lebanon becomes a Republic under the tenure of Henry de Jouvenel

Jan 01, 1927

Constitutional amendments

(1927-1929) Constitutional amendments under High Commissioner Henri Ponsot [1926-1933]. Michel Chiha is called upon to intercede with the Chamber of Deputies.
In addition to his involvement with the proposed legislative amendments to the Constitution, as Head of the Parliamentary Finance Committee, Michel Chiha was also responsible for drawing up several fiscal and monetary policy recommendations aimed at establishing a coherent Government Budget.

Jan 01, 1932

First suspension of the Constitution by Henri Ponsot

Jan 01, 1936

The Constitution is re-instated

Jan 01, 1939

Second suspension of the Constitution

Due to the Second World War, the Constitution was suspended for the second time by High Commissioner Gabriel Puaux [1938-1940]

Jan 01, 1941

Stock Exchange

Michel Chiha helps establish the Beirut Stock Exchange.

Feb 02, 1941

Eastern Times

Michel Chiha founds the daily English newspaper ‘Eastern Times’.

Nov 22, 1943

Independence

Declaration of Lebanese Independence on November 22nd.

Dec 01, 1943

The flag

Chiha was a member of the committee appointed to choose a flag for the future Lebanese state. Michel Chiha was put in charge of incorporating its design with the symbolic and aesthetic aspects of the nation. There was disagreement over the exact shade of red being proposed for the vertical framing bands and the actual shape of the cedar tree and Michel Chiha was of the opinion that the shade of colour extracted from murex shells by the Phoenicians of ancient Tyre and which was used to colour the bright senatorial togas of ancient Rome ought to be used on the flag.

Dec 05, 1943

Bechara El Khoury

Béchara el Khoury, Michel Chiha’s brother in law, is elected President of the Republic. Michel Chiha was the Administration’s undisputed eminence grise, a role which he would support until the 27th May 1949 when Béchara el-Khoury decided to extend his presidential mandate for a further six years.

Mar 23, 1946

Evacuation of foreign troops

Evacuation of all foreign troops from Lebanon. Treaty signed on the 23rd March 1946.

Mar 01, 1947

Palestine

The Partition of Palestine – “One of the worst universal errors ever to be committed” M.C.

May 22, 1948

Bechara El Khoury

Béchara el Khoury is re-elected President in accordance with the amended law of the 22nd May 1948. These new stipulations allowed him to extend his presidential tenure for a further six-year term thus altering, albeit for the duration of a single mandate, Article 49 of the Constitution which decreed against re-eligibility.

Jan 01, 1952

Camille Chamoun

6th February, Paris, Quay d’Orsay - Signing of the Monetary Agreement 1952 Béchara el Khoury resigns – Camille Chamoun is elected President.

Jan 01, 1953

Economic union with Syria

Camille Chamoun announces plans to revive the Economic Union between Syria and Lebanon - Michel Chiha publicly objects to it.

Dec 29, 1954

Michel Chiha passes away

29th December - Michel Chiha passes away at the age of 63. He is buried in Fanar, Lebanon.

TIMELINE

Birth

Michel Chiha is born in Mekkine, Chouf, Lebanon The long awaited son after six daughters in succession. A further son and daughter would follow his arrival.

READ MORE

Refuge in Egypt

Cairo

Michel Chiha takes up residence in Cairo.

Sykes-Picot

Sykes-Picot Agreement signed between France and Great Britain dividing the Near East into two spheres of influence

Paris conferences

Paris Conference declares an end to the Austrian, German and Ottoman Empires (Jan 1919 - Aug 1920)

Michel Chiha returns to Lebanon

Treaty of Versailles

Signing of the Treaty of Versailles. Covers all provisions between a defeated Germany and the Allies

Proclamation of Greater Lebanon

San Remo Conference

San Remo Conference - Its outcome, the Treaty of Sèvres, decrees a French Mandate over Syria and Palestine and a British Mandate over Palestine

Treaty of Sèvres

Official abolition of the Ottoman Sultanate

Maxime Weygand

Maxime Weygand, High Commissioner until 1925.

Henri Gouraud

Henri Gouraud, French Mandate’s first High Commissioner appointed along with his close advisor Robert de Caix

Turkey gives up claims

Turkey agrees to give up all territorial claims in the Near East in particular those in the Arab world in return for recognition of the new regime

Organic Law Commission

Le Reveil

Michel Chiha joins Alexander Khoury’s newspaper ‘Le Reveil’, the only daily French-language newspaper to be printed in Beirut at the time.

Deputy of Parliament

Michel Chiha marries Marguerite Pharaon

Marguerite Pharaon was the eldest daughter of Philippe Pharaon, Antoine Chiha’s partner in the bank. Together they had three girls: Micheline (d.1940), Madeleine and Marie-Claire (d.2013).

Finance Committee

(March 16hth) Appointed member of the Finance Committee at the General Meeting of the Representative Council of Greater Lebanon – drafts the State Budgets of 1927 and 1929

Constitution

Constitutional amendments

First suspension of the Constitution by Henri Ponsot

The Constitution is re-instated

Second suspension of the Constitution

Due to the Second World War, the Constitution was suspended for the second time by High Commissioner Gabriel Puaux [1938-1940]

Stock Exchange

Michel Chiha helps establish the Beirut Stock Exchange.

Eastern Times

Michel Chiha founds the daily English newspaper ‘Eastern Times’.

Independence

Declaration of Lebanese Independence on November 22nd.

The flag

Bechara El Khoury

Evacuation of foreign troops

Evacuation of all foreign troops from Lebanon. Treaty signed on the 23rd March 1946.

Palestine

The Partition of Palestine – “One of the worst universal errors ever to be committed” M.C.

Bechara El Khoury

Camille Chamoun

6th February, Paris, Quay d’Orsay - Signing of the Monetary Agreement 1952 Béchara el Khoury resigns – Camille Chamoun is elected President.

Economic union with Syria

Camille Chamoun announces plans to revive the Economic Union between Syria and Lebanon - Michel Chiha publicly objects to it.

Michel Chiha passes away

29th December - Michel Chiha passes away at the age of 63. He is buried in Fanar, Lebanon.

1891

1914

1915

1916

1919

1920

1923

1925

1926

1927

1932

1936

1939

1941

1943

1946

1947

1948

1952

1953

1954

BACKGROUND

The Formative Years

Egypt

Return to Lebanon

Treaty of Versailles

The Banker

STATEHOOD

Greater Lebanon 1920

Constitution and Amendments

Constitution and Suspensions

Béchara El Khoury

The Lebanese Flag

THE POET

FINANCE & ECONOMY

Lebanese Economy

Government Budgets

The Monetary Agreement

Role of Custom Duties

The Central Bank

NEWSPAPER EDITOR

Le Jour

From Politics to the Political

Eastern Time

POLITICAL CAREER

Political Philosophy

Deputy for Beirut

Organic Law Commision

Colleagues and Friends

INT. RELATIONS

International Recognition

The Diplomatic Service

Paris Peace Conference

Palestine

Near East / Middle East

editorials

lectures

Chiha Foundation

About

Events

Writing Competitions

BACKGROUND

STATEHOOD

THE POET

FINANCE & ECONOMY

NEWSPAPER EDITOR

POLITICAL CAREER

INT. RELATIONS

editorials

lectures

Chiha Foundation